SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks moved on from their longtime franchise quarterback this offseason, trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos for a haul of draft picks and players.
Expectations were at opposite ends of the spectrum for Wilson's old team in Seattle and his new employer in Denver. The Seahawks were projected to be among the worst teams in the NFL in 2022, while Broncos fans were touting playoff and even championship aspirations behind their new All-Pro quarterback.
Instead, Seahawks starting quarterback Geno Smith has outperformed Wilson in a number of critical statistical categories, and the Seahawks stand above the Broncos in the standings after four weeks.
Through four starts, Smith is completing 77.3% of his passes (102-132) for 1,037 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Smith's completion percentage is the top mark in the NFL, and only Tua Tagovailoa and Patrick Mahomes have a higher passer rating through four weeks than Smith (108.0).
Wilson, on the other hand, is completing 61.1% of his passes (80-131) for 980 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Wilson's completion percentage ranks 23rd among qualified quarterbacks, while his passer rating ranks 15th.
Smith's Pro Football Focus grade is 84.5 overall through the first four games, the best mark of any NFL quarterback. Wilson's grade stands at 66.7, which ranks 17th among NFL quarterbacks.
Wilson's mobility always has added an extra dimension to an offense, while Smith never has been known for his fleet feet. However, Smith even has more rushing yards (64) than Wilson (51).
Denver also leads the NFL in penalties with an alarming 42 flags thrown on the Broncos. To be fair, the Seahawks are third in the NFL with 38, but Denver has more than twice as many pre-snap penalties as Seattle does.
However you slice it, it's clear Smith has been better than Wilson so far this season.
Plenty of season remains to be played, and Wilson could improve significantly if he gathers a better understanding of his new offense in Denver, while Smith could regress as opponents gather more tape on him and the Seattle offense.
Perhaps we'll start seeing some "Let Geno Cook" t-shirts popping up around the Emerald City as the veteran quarterback's strong start continues.