SEATTLE — For a moment this offseason, the fastest Seattle Seahawks player was a 33-year-old veteran playing for his fourth team.
Quarterback Geno Smith opened the offseason with renewed vigor after the Seahawks narrowly missed the postseason last year. Smith, a 10-year veteran not known for his rushing ability, posted the fastest time on the Seahawks, pushing him to No. 1 on the offseason leaderboard.
The next day Smith's younger, more spry teammates stripped him of his title.
“It didn’t last long," Smith said in an exclusive 1-on-1 interview with KING 5's Paul Silvi. "It was a one-day thing. The next day they were all running 22 miles per hour just to show me.”
Though Smith's claim as the fastest Seahawk was shortlived, his work in the offseason was indicative of a mindset shift for the veteran signal-caller.
Disappointed with how the 2023 season turned out, Smith turned his focus inward to shift the narrative.
In 2023 Smith threw for 20 touchdowns and 3,624 yards - numbers that pale in comparison to his breakout 2022 campaign that earned him the Comeback Player of the Year award.
Seattle's offense, similarly, dipped from a top-10 scoring unit (23.9 points per game) in 2022 to below league average (21.4 points per game).
The Seahawks finished 9-8, tying the Green Bay Packers for the seventh playoff spot. Seattle missed out on a repeat playoff berth because of a tiebreaker.
“I was very disappointed we didn’t make it to the playoffs and I really took it out on myself," Smith said. "I beat myself up in the weight room (and) on the field, just trying to push myself, just trying to push my body. They say I’m getting up there in age. I don’t feel it. To me, it’s just a chance again to prove myself that I’m still getting better at this age."
The infrastructure of the Seahawks changed this offseason after longtime coach Pete Carroll left the organization.
The revamped Seahawks feature first-time head coach Mike Macdonald and former University of Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who will be entrusted with shepherding Smith and the offense back into the NFL's elite.
Smith said he has welcomed the changes Grubb plans to bring to the Seahawks offense.
“Everywhere coach Grubbs has been, he’s found innovative ways to attack defenses," Smith said. "He’s always looking for new wrinkles and helping us get that edge as an offense. Just having a new coordinator, a new system, a new philosophy, just the way he’s doing things.”
Although we should not expect Smith to push for a rushing title in the upcoming season, he does have one promise he believes he can deliver on.
“Some of the plays are plays that we haven’t seen at this level," Smith said. "Without giving too much away, it’s special to be a part of it. The players around me, the coordinators, the coaches we have now - I just feel super blessed to be in this position.”