Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf breaks down Geno Smith’s sensational transition from backup to franchise QB - “Sitting behind Russ motivated him”

The player who surprised everyone the most last season was Geno Smith. The Seattle Seahawks sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster trade, and Smith, who was a backup to Wilson prior to the move, became the starting quarterback.

While many thought that Smith would be a stop-gap quarterback for the Seahawks and that they would draft a new one next year, he shocked everyone. He cemented himself as the franchise quarterback and recently signed a new contract as well.

A person who saw Smith's progress closely was D.K. Metcalf. He recently broke down how Smith transformed himself into a franchise QB from being a backup not so long ago. Here's what Metcalf said about Smith on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd:"

“I mean, he probably wouldn't have any mind me saying, he would agree with you that he was immature in his past but I believe sitting behind Russ really like motivated him and really showed him how good he could really be in this league.

"Even at practice he's yelling at the practice squad guys to run their routes, he was like, ‘This is my opportunity too’, and I'm like, 'Okay, I respect that,' because you understand what's at stake and the year we traded Russ and he's the starter.

"He comes in and training camp and he's locked in like body-wise mentally, he's watching film and he's just, I saw the transition from, okay, I'm a backup to okay this is my team on the starter like week eight. He won the locker room over and he was giving pregame speeches and people were listening to him and buying into Geno Smith."

The Seattle Seahawks exceeded all expectations last season and made the playoffs with a young squad. Geno Smith was phenomenal, due to which expectations will be higher from him next season following his contract extension.

As for D.K. Metcalf, he is loving life with Smith as his quarterback and sees him as a locker-room leader, which is a great sign.

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Seahawks could still draft a QB despite Geno Smith's big stride

Geno Smith: NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Seattle Seahawks v San Francisco 49ers

Despite Geno Smith's success, the Seattle Seahawks could still draft a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft. They have possession of the fifth overall pick in the draft and could make a move for a young quarterback.

Anthony Richardson's name has popped up quite often for the Seahawks, and he could be seen as an ideal player to work under Smith for a few years before taking the starting job.

Last season, Smith had a passer rating of 100.9 with 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 17 games in 2022. It will be interesting to see what the franchise plans are going forward.

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