Geno Smith’s success as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback last season was an unexpected surprise and it led to the team signing him to a new deal this offseason.
That gave Smith a sense of job security that he hasn’t had in many years, but he said that change in status hasn’t altered his approach to the coming season. Smith told Albert Breer of SI.com that he limited his time off before resuming the same kind of process as every other offseason because he doesn’t believe being a leader correlates to a spot on a depth chart.
“So I was leading these guys when I was the backup,” Smith said. “Leadership doesn’t have a title. You’re either a leader or you’re not. Leadership, to me, it’s something I’ve been about my whole life. I just continued to do the same things, I haven’t changed anything. I’m working the same way, got the same process, same lifting schedule, and I’m gonna lead these guys the same way. And obviously there is a difference. I’m not naive. Guys will look at it different. But I think if they see you being the same guy all the time, they respect it a lot more.”
While Smith’s offseason work habits haven’t changed, he does have his eyes on doing something different this year. After Smith signed his new contract, he vowed to be better in 2023 than he was in 2022 and pulling that off should ensure that there won’t be an end in sight for his run as the leader.
