It's been a whirlwind of a year for Geno Smith. It was around this time a season ago that the veteran was entrenched in a quarterback battle against former Broncos second-rounder Drew Lock. Smith wound up winning the competition and has since turned himself into the type of quarterback the Seahawks have decided to build around for the moment, inking him to a three-year, $75 million deal back in March.
As Seattle moves forward into training camp to prepare for the 2023 season, Smith is the unquestioned starter, but the team did decide to bring back Lock on a one-year deal to serve as the backup.
"It's a bittersweet thing because I know he's a starter and I know he can go and do great things," Smith told reporters of Lock's return Thursday, via Pro Football Talk. "I want him to go get that opportunity somewhere, but when he's in the room with me, we are going to push each other. He makes me better, hopefully, I make him better as a player. We have a great relationship, and I was happy to be able to continue that. When he gets his opportunity, he is going to kill it."
Lock entered the NFL back in 2019 and came to Seattle as part of the blockbuster trade that landed the Broncos Russell Wilson. Before that, the 26-year-old started in 21 games for Denver, going 8-13 in those contests.
Of course, Smith knows full well that your first stop in the league hardly determines the rest of your career after he enjoyed a revitalization with the Seahawks last year. That came after he made three different stops around the NFL as a spot starter before getting to Seattle and exploding in 2023. Given that it happened to Smith, it's not out of the realm of possibility for the same to happen to Lock at some point.
Outside of injury or a massive step back from Smith, however, that happening with the Seahawks doesn't appear to be in the cards at the moment.
