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NFL 2023: Predicting the starting QB for all 32 teams pre-NFL Free Agency

By Sayre Bedinger

2023 NFL offseason: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers runs onto the field before a game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on January 08, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
2023 NFL offseason: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers runs onto the field before a game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on January 08, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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2023 NFL offseason
2023 NFL offseason; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) celebrates with fans following a 23-6 victory against the New York Jets at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Predicting NFC West quarterbacks for 2023 before NFL Free Agency

Seattle Seahawks: Geno Smith

Possible backup options: Marcus Mariota (replacing Drew Lock), 2023 NFL Draft pick

Geno Smith ain’t write back to all the people who had written him off. You love to see it. One of the coolest stories in the entire NFL in the 2022 season was Geno Smith coming out of absolutely nowhere to win Comeback Player of the Year. A lot of people (wrongfully) complained about Geno winning the award because he didn’t come back from injury, which is a completely bogus reason to complain.

Geno Smith came back from being completely written off as a legitimate starting option. He came back from throwing about as many pick-sixes as he did total passes as a member of the New York Jets. He came back from being considered a draft “bust” even when he was only a second-round pick.

Geno Smith deserves all the flowers he can get for the way he played in 2022, especially considering he was in competition all offseason with Drew Lock for the starting job. That seems hilarious in hindsight.

And his “breakout” season at the age of 31 couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s going to make Geno Smith a very rich man in the very near future. I think the Seahawks will pay him, whether with an extension or a franchise tag. They will get him back somehow. There shouldn’t be a question of where he will play in 2023.

But who will back him up? I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone like Marcus Mariota head to the upper northwest if the price is right. He is going to be looking for a situation where he might be able to prove himself worthy of another starting job in the near future and if playing time becomes available in Seattle, that feels like a team he could really thrive with.

They have a strong running game, tremendous receivers, and great coaching.

If the Seahawks end up tagging Geno Smith instead of re-signing him to a longer-term deal, the 2023 NFL Draft might be their path to a backup, or someone way less expensive than Mariota might end up being.

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