Geno Smith

Eugene Cyril Smith III, better known as Geno Smith is an active American football player and presently plays the position of quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. The story of Smith is that of a journeyman. The Seahawks QB has seen the lowest of the lows and is having his moment in the NFL now. His professional football career has taken turns at so many stages in his career.

Geno Smith was drafted by the New York Jets as the 39th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. Since then, the QB has been searching for his home, moving different teams and places, before finally finding his stay in Seattle. Geno Smith’s career has truly been that of comebacks.

In his last 2 years with the Jets, Smith lost starting privileges due to less-than-desirable plays in the last two seasons. He also succumbed to injury and was eventually replaced by Michael Vick. After playing as the backup Quarterback for the Giants and the Chargers, he was selected as the starting QB for the Seahawks and this was the point of renewal in his career. In 2022, for the first time in his career, he was selected for the Pro Bowl and even earned The Comeback Player of the Year award.

Geno Smith Early Life

Smith was born on 10 October 1990 in Miramar, Florida in the United States. The moniker “Geno” came from his grandfather who was nicknamed "Big Geno."

He has been very unique and different right from a very young age. He learnt art and went to the magnet program of Norland Middle School, where they focused on dedicated art instruction for two hours, every single day.

This was also the beginning of Smith’s career as a professional football athlete. He threw the ball for 2200 yards, 25 touchdowns and three interceptions as a junior in high school. These performances saw him being named second-team all-state quarterback.

He was sensational as a senior in high school. He threw for 3,089 yards and 30 touchdowns. Smith also rushed for 300 yards, leading them to the state 6A semi-finals. ESPN named him among the top 150 prospects in the nation. Smith accomplished various things in his high school career. He finished No. 2 in voting for Mr. Florida.

After evaluating his options and offers from Alabama, Florida State, Boston College and South Florida, Smith took his talents to West Virginia.

Geno Smith College Career

From 2009 to 2013, Smith attended West Virginia University. In college, he once again was different in his approach with his academics. He took an English major course at West Virginia.

Smith began his college career as a backup QB to Jarrett Brown, who was a senior at that time. He made his debut for the Mountaineers against Auburn and threw for 50 yards and an interception in five out of eight attempts. He finished his freshman season with 309 yards, a touchdown and an interception with a passer rating of 65.3 in five games.

He got better as a sophomore. He was made the starting quarterback for the Mountaineers. He opened the season as a starter against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and led his team to a 31-0 blowout win. Smith passed for 216 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. In his sophomore season, he won multiple Big East OPOW awards for his stellar performances. He finished the sophomore season with a 9-3 record as a starter for the Mountaineers. Smith passed for 2763 yards with a passer rating of 64.8 and threw 24 TDs and 7 INTs.

Smith’s game improved as a junior under new HC Dana Holgorsen. Through the season, he shattered multiple school records and led the Mountaineers to the Orange Bowl in 2012. He demolished the Clemson Tigers 70–33 with his stunning show on the gridiron. He passed for 407 yards and threw six touchdowns.

In his senior year, Smith passed for 4205 yards and threw 42 TDs and 6 INTs. While he had a good statistical year, the Mountaineers finished the season with a 7-6 record.

After a pretty good run in college, Smith eventually declared for the 2013 NFL draft.

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Geno Smith NFL Journey

Smith was regarded as one of the top prospects in the draft class and was projected to go in the first round. There was interest in Smith from some of the teams picking in top 10-15 including the Chiefs, Jaguars, Raiders, Eagles, Bills and the Jets.’

Things didn’t go quite as expected. Smith was drafted 39th overall in the draft by the New York Jets. It was a bittersweet welcome to the NFL for him.

His journey to leading the Seattle Seahawks has been quite exemplary. Moving across different teams and cities on one-year deals, he persisted throughout the journey and is now reaping rewards for his patience. But it wasn’t always like this.

New York Jets (2013-2016)

After getting drafted by the Jets, Smith signed a four-year, $5 million contract. Smith also received $690,000 in workout bonuses.

He was named the Jets starting QB after Mark Sanchez suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason game against the Giants. Smith’s rookie year was filled with glimpses of his potential along with a lot of his struggles after finishing with 12 passing TDs and 21 INTs.

Smith’s struggles and interception problem continued in his second year as well. This led to the team benching him for Michael Vick in a Week 5 game against the Chargers. He was benched multiple times during the course of the season. He finished the season with 13 passing TDs and 13 INTs and 2,525 passing yards.

In 2015, a scuffle with DE IK Enemkpali saw Smith get punched in the face and break his jaw in the altercation and sidelined him for 6-10 weeks. He appeared in one game, replacing injured Ryan Fitzpatrick in a 34–20 loss to the Raiders. It was his only show that season.

The Jets signed Fitzpatrick for another year and rolled with the veteran QB for the season. However, Fitzpatrick’s poor performances saw Smith eventually being named as a starter. But in a Week 7 game against the Ravens, he left the field with a knee injury which was later revealed as a torn ACL. This ended his season. The Jets did not re-sign him after his rookie contract.

New York Giants (2017)

Unable to find a team, Smith signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants. He started in a Week 13 game against the Raiders and became the first black QB to start for the Giants. A couple of days later, Eli Manning was back as a starter. At the end of the season, the Giants did not re-sign him.

Los Angeles Chargers (2018)

Smith found his next place with the Chargers, signing a one-year deal to serve as a backup for Philip Rivers. He had a limited role that season making just 5 appearances. As his time was done, it was time for him to move again.

Seattle Seahawks (2019-present)

In 2019, the Seattle Seahawks signed Smith on a one-year deal. The QB fought for his role as a backup with Paxton Lynch and earned the position behind Russell Wilson.

The Seahawks signed him back for another year, in 2020. This time, Smith had a limited role during a 40-3 win against his former team, Jets. He passed for 33 yards.

The Seahawks brought Smith back for another year in 2021. This time, hereplaced an injured Russell Wilson in a Week 6 game against the Rams. After Wilson was placed on IR, Smith was named the starter. He finished the season with five TDs, an INT and 702 passing yards.

Seattle re-signed him once again in 2022. This time, he was named as a starter for the season opener. The Seahawks faced a familiar face against the Broncos in Russell Wilson, who was traded in the summer for multiple picks and Drew Lock.

He led the Seahawks to a close 17-16 win against Russell Wilson’s Broncos, throwing two touchdowns and passing for 195 yards. This was his moment. This was his team to lead. And lead he did.

Smith put on stunning numbers and also led the Seahawks to the playoffs, where they eventually lost to the 49ers. However it was one memorable year for the Seahawks QB. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection. He also won NFC OPOW after leading the Seahawks to a 48-45 win in Detroit.

As a cherry on top, he signed a three-year $105 million contract extension ahead of the 2023 NFL season.

Smith’s journey has been that of sheer determination, persistence, hard work and a lot of self belief.

Geno Smith Family Background

Smith’s mother is Tracy Seller. His father’s name is Eugene Smith. Smith comes from an athletic family. The Seattle Seahawks QB was raised by his grandparents, parents and his uncle in Florida. While his parents are no longer together, they’ve played a significant role in his life.

Danny Smith, the QB’s great-uncle, was a record-breaking All-American hurdler at Florida State University. He participated in the Summer Olympics (1972, 1976) in 4x100m relay and the 110-meter hurdles. Danny Smith set several NCAA records during his athletic career.

In addition, his great-grandfather, Cyril Smith, also had an athletic career. He was a successful bodybuilder in the Bahamas in the 1950s.

Without Partners is a nonprofit organization, co-founded by Smith’s mother Tracey and paternal grandmother, Joanne Smith. The goal of this organization is to support single parents and their kids.

Geno Smith Wife and Kids

There is no concrete information regarding Smith’s wife. However, the Seahawks QB has a son, Seven Santana Smith. His son was born on 17 July 2019. The QB took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce the birth of his son and called it the greatest day of his life. Smith keeps it completely private by not sharing his son’s pictures on social media.

Geno Smith Social Media

Smith has a total of over 331,400 followers combined on social media, 136,400 from Twitter and 195,000 from Instagram. The Seattle Seahawks QB uses Instagram to share game day photos and at times a sneak peek into his life, which isn’t very often. On Twitter, Smith is very active and uses the platform for similar purposes as Instagram.

Geno Smith Net Worth

Smith’s net worth is approximately worth $5 million. This could come as a surprise for many given that he’s been in the league for 10 years now. But there’s a reason behind it. The QB failed to land a long-term deal until 2023 when the Seahawks gave Smith a three-year $75,000,000 deal. This deal could further go up to $105,000,000 with $30,000,000 in additional bonuses.

Geno Smith Brand Ambassador and Endorsements

Smith’s brand endorsements have not been public. It’s unclear if the QB has stuck deals with brands. However, with more eyes on the Seahawks now after the QB’s massive extension, companies will be keeping an eye on him to sign him for a striking deal.

Geno Smith Achievements

While Smith may have had a roller coaster ride of an NFL career, there have certainly been moments in his professional football career where he’s been extremely good and has also been rewarded. Here are some of the awards and achievements of Smith through the years.

College

All-Big East Conference Second-team (2010)

All-Big East Conference First-team (2011)

Second-team All-Big 12 (2012)

4× Big East Offensive Player of the Week

2012 Orange Bowl Most Valuable Player

3× Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week

2× National Offensive Player of the Week (for week ending September 3, 2012; for week ending September 29, 2012)

NFL

NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2022)

Pro Bowl (2022)

NFL completion percentage leader (2022)

Geno Smith Contract

Smith signed a base deal of three-year $75,000,000 contract with $40,000,000 in guarantees. The contract also has the potential to increase its value to $105,000,000 with $30,000,000 in roster bonus escalators.

Here is a further breakdown of the contract.

Here are the previous contracts of Geno Smith.

Geno Smith Diet

As athletes one of the main aspects of peak performance is that of diet. What athletes consume reflects on their play and Smith makes sure that he gets his macros and micros right.

He has been very vocal about his diet. He follows a strict eating habits to ensure that he gets the right amount of nutrients required. Ahead of the 2023 NFL season, the Seahawks QB revealed that he’s stopped eating red meat or chicken or beef for a while and has adopted a pescatarian lifestyle. What pescatarian essentially means is a diet where the person eats a lot of vegetarian food along with fish and seafood. Meant is totally avoided.

Geno Smith House

There are currently no details available regarding Geno Smith’s house.

Geno Smith Car

There are currently no details available regarding Geno Smith’s car.