When Geno Smith was the starting quarterback in Seattle, some people repeatedly tried to tell you he was a top-10 player at this position.
When the Seahawks traded him to the Raiders for a third round pick, the same people reacted with shock and disbelief.
What a move by the Raiders! What are the Seahawks thinking!
Twelve months later the Seahawks were Super Bowl Champions and the Raiders were picking first overall. But there’s probably 17 reasons why none of this was Geno’s fault. Or Pete Carroll’s, for that matter.
I’ve always been confused as to how Smith earned such vocal, passionate backing on social media. It was a ridiculous hill to die on — yet many charged up the incline, leaping chest-first onto the sword of average-to-bad quarterback play.
There was a real air of arrogance around the folks who held this position. They acted like anyone who didn’t share their admiration for Smith was a complete imbecile. The phrase “you don’t know ball” became synonymous with the movement — partly because they loved to say it and partly because many of us loved to ridicule the line.
The reality with Smith was that he had clear physical talent and could make some extremely impressive throws. He was streaky — having good and bad spells in Seattle. The turnovers and redzone problems were legit. He wasn’t anywhere near as bad as some on the internet claimed — but he was also nowhere near as good as ‘top-10 quarterback’ crowd claimed either.
The opposing extremes were two cheeks from the same arse — both combining to release a problematic level of flatulence.
The discourse genuinely made following the Seahawks a lot less fun. The anti-Geno crowd were easier to ignore though. Not as self-assured, not as patronising. Just wrong — but in a more palatable way.
Having experienced the last year, I’m willing to confess. Smith and the Raiders turning into the worst team in the league and the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl was even more enjoyable because it showed up a lot of people who thought they knew better than everyone else.
I don’t think this collection of individuals truly owned how wrong they were either. It was so in your face, so lacking in self-awareness. It takes more than a reply on X to ‘eat crow’ in this instance.
Nevertheless, the Seahawks are still Super Bowl Champions. So who really cares? We’d all moved on. Until today.
Blame Jeff Simmons and Curtis Allen for bringing to my attention a podcast by two of the biggest members of the Geno Smith appreciation society — Mina Kimes and Benjamin Solak.
Remember, this is the same Ben Solak who said the Raiders had the ninth best coaching staff in 2025 (the Seahawks were 16th), stating:
“It required an unspeakable amount of personal control to not put the Raiders in the top five. There are few head coaches I have more faith in than Carroll, who consistently does the following: gets great performance out of rookies; prepares backups well (and accordingly coaches around injury); and adjusts his defensive scheming to the players available, protecting them from their faults. There are few better culture coaches in football, but his scheming — much lauded in the early 2010s — has become underappreciated.
“I also have a huge amount of faith in Kelly. An offensive coordinator role suits him better than the head coaching jobs (Eagles and 49ers) that overwhelmed him in the mid-2010s, as he won’t have control over personnel. Indeed, his offense over the past few years (in college at UCLA and Ohio State) has become far more oriented to heavier personnel and a diverse running game — the sort of stuff that’s cooking in the league right now.”
He also said the Vikings had the third best off-season a year ago, and the Seahawks were ranked 31st — claiming:
“Seattle’s approach of downgrading at quarterback while loading the roster with aging veterans simply does not jibe.”
Kimes, meanwhile, called the Smith trade to the Raiders, “flat out terrible” for the Seahawks, adding, “Chances of upgrading are extremely low.”
Let’s also not forget the tone of this video, which really optimises the smug, too-clever-by-half attitude some had to Smith’s performances in Seattle.
Kimes and Solak took turns on their latest pod to pick quarterbacks to produce a joint ranking. The objective was to consider a three-year window — so there’s some wiggle room for projection.
Even so…
Sam Darnold came in at #19. Ahead of him in the ranking was:
Kyler Murray
Fernando Mendoza
CJ Stroud
Jayden Daniels
Shall we say it? Maybe, “they don’t know ball”
It’s a list so bad, ESPN should consider forcing them to watch highlights of the 2025 Raiders on repeat for a whole 24-hour cycle as a punishment.
Darnold is far from flawless. His 14 interceptions were the third most in 2025. He’s thrown 27 in the last two seasons. It’s a problem.
Yet within those two seasons he’s also thrown 66 touchdowns (including playoffs). He’s thrown 68 ‘big time throws’. The Vikings and Seahawks have won 31 games with him under center.
He had huge performances against the Rams in week 16 and in the NFC Championship game. He is still only 28 and appears to be showing he’s a really good quarterback in the prime of his career.
He’s also now a Super Bowl Champion.
How can you possibly have Kyler Murray ahead of him? Or CJ Stroud?
Whatever potential Jayden Daniels showed as a rookie, how is he nine places ahead of Darnold?
Then there’s Fernando Mendoza. A rookie.
Even though I don’t agree, you might be able to argue a case for the Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence types, if you just happen to believe completely they will eventually rise to the level Darnold has shown in the last two seasons.
Murray and Stroud though? A rookie who hasn’t played a down in the NFL?
It’s a list so bad it also deserves to be traded to the Raiders.
