For most of the last 10 years Russell Wilson was the game’s best deep ball thrower, with the possible exception of Patrick Mahomes. This year the new king of the deep ball is Wilson’s former backup, Geno Smith.
While he can’t match Wilson or Mahomes’ range, Smith has been the league’s most accurate and productive passer on throws of 20 yards or more in 2022. He’s also got a near-perfect grade from Pro Football Focus on those balls. PFF says he has a 99.5 grade from 20+ yards.
Big Play Geno 🚀 pic.twitter.com/8SlLuqdSzN
— PFF (@PFF) December 1, 2022
For the year Smith ranks No. 4 in QBR and No. 2 in passer rating. He also leads the NFL with a 72.8% completion rate, which if it stands would be the highest mark for any quarterback except for Drew Brees in a single season.
All-time NFL record for completion percentage in a season:
1. Drew Brees 2018 — 74.4%
2. Drew Brees 2019 — 74.3%
*3. Geno Smith 2022 — 72.8%
4. Drew Brees 2017 — 72.0%*Through 11 games
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) November 28, 2022
Smith will become a free agent in March, but the Seahawks are expected to offer him a long-term contract extension after the season is over.
