NFL Munich posters remind Seahawks fans the Geno Smith redemption arc is the story of the 2022 season
Seattle Seahawks fans are reminded of just how underrated quarterback Geno Smith has been as they find Drew Lock posters promoted in Munich.
Despite their 6-3 record that leads the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks remain underrated.
Even their NFL Munich mid-season match against the flailing Tampa Bay Buccaneers has Seattle’s best expected to lose by a narrow margin, as if their season of unprecedented success amounts to little for pre-game bets.
The Seahawks-Buccaneers betting line brings to mind another bet from earlier this year: The notion that Seattle lost big by trading away Russell Wilson, and they made a risky choice in rolling with Geno Smith and Drew Lock.
What’s apparently worse is that the Seahawks chose Smith over Lock in the quarterback battle, as apparently, the NFL expected Lock to win that one.
Seahawks writer and podcaster Dayna O’Gorman noted that when the NFL created promotional materials for the NFL Munich game before the season, there were no posters featuring Smith. Instead, there are posters featuring Lock and DK Metcalf plastered on walls for the NFL Munich match.
NFL Munich posters doubted the Seahawks’ Geno Smith underdog story
For anyone who has followed Smith’s journey throughout the NFL, it’s no surprise that the 32-year-old was overlooked by the NFL for being a backup quarterback. Prior to signing with the Seahawks in 2019, Smith played for the New York Jets, the New York Giants, and the Los Angeles Chargers. Drafted by the Jets in 2013, Smith struggled with turnovers and later faced injuries that opened the door for Ryan Fitzpatrick to win the starting role. The Seahawks’ continued faith in Smith’s development allowed him to remain prepared with the team for three seasons until his 2022 debut.
The club’s continued commitment to Smith illustrates a difficult reality in the NFL: Sometimes, players with potential are written off too early or fail to develop properly in their given circumstance. Before Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll, both the Jets and Giants have been critiqued for dysfunction throughout the 2010s. Sam Darnold had a chance to prove himself away from the Jets, and while he’s playing third fiddle to P.J. Walker in Charlotte, he was still welcome to a quarterback battle.
When the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, the idea was that the Seahawks would probably trade for a new franchise quarterback, perhaps Baker Mayfield (who ironically went to replace Darnold for the Panthers).
Pete Carroll insisted that Seattle was happy with who they had, but no one could believe it. Six wins, an unbelievable completion percentage and one MVP conversation later, it looks like Geno Smith — and German Seahawks fans — got the final word on leaving him out of those posters in Munich.
