Geno Smith

Just as we all expected at the start of the 2022 NFL season, the league's 2023 offseason could hinge significantly on the fates of Geno Smith and Jared Goff.

Yeah, the NFL never stops making us use the ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ emoji.

See, just a few months ago, preseason mock drafts almost always had the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions picking in the top 10, partly due to the fact that Smith and Goff were their respective quarterbacks. That was especially the case with the Seahawks, who appeared to be entering a post-Russell Wilson bridge year with Smith serving as a placeholder, but the Lions were also widely expected to struggle ahead of a year in which they can save more than $20 million by parting ways with Goff.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of those mock drafts also had at least one but often both of those teams selecting quarterbacks in the top portion of Round 1.

Well, never mind that. In the midst of the home stretch, Seattle and Detroit are both scrapping for playoff positions in the NFC. They entered Week 15 a combined 13-13 with positive scoring margins, in large part due to the fact that Smith and Goff both rank in the top 10 among qualified passers in terms of touchdown throws, yards per attempt, passer rating and QBR.

Smith has completely salvaged a once-nearly-forgotten career, while Goff is playing possibly the best football of his life for an inspiring Lions squad. Both are also certainly earning themselves a lot of money, because the former is scheduled to hit free agency this offseason while the latter is increasing the chances that the Lions hand him the $30.65 million he's owed for 2023 rather than cutting him loose for about a third of that rate.

But it gets even more bizarre than that, because the irony is the Seahawks are still on track to land the second overall pick and the Lions are still in line for the fourth overall selection. That's because Wilson and the Denver Broncos are having such a shockingly miserable year after that trade sent a first-rounder to Seattle, while Matthew Stafford's Los Angeles Rams have experienced a Murphy's Law-level Super Bowl hangover two years after shipping two first-rounders to the Motor City in the Goff-Stafford swap.

It'd be pretty odd if the season ended today, but if that were to happen, the Seahawks would possess the second and 17th overall picks, and the Lions would be on the clock at four and 15.

Now, both teams are left with intriguing decisions to make. If they wind up with premium top-10 picks, do they still take quarterbacks? It's entirely possible these are aberrational seasons for both Smith and Goff, who will both be quite expensive compared to rookies like Bryce Young. C.J. Stroud, Will Levis or Anthony Richardson in the next few years.

An early-offseason decision to go quarterback in the draft and cut bait from either vet could enable either team to spend much more in free agency, increasing their chances of taking a step forward (or at least maintaining status quo) with pro-ready rookies under center.

But on the other hand, a decision not to go signal-caller on April 27 would allow either already-seemingly-playoff-caliber squad to add two more pro-ready non-quarterback weapons each that evening (with the draft capital to move up for practically anybody they want).

Imagine this Seattle team in 2023, with Smith proving 2022 wasn't a fluke and, say, Will Anderson Jr. or Jalen Carter and Christian Gonzalez, Kelee Ringo or Joey Porter Jr. on defense?

Imagine this Detroit team in 2023, with Goff continuing to finally live up to his potential and, say, Anderson or Carter and Gonzalez, Ringo or Porter on defense?

That'd terrify the rest of the conference.

Beyond that, the "quarterback or no quarterback" calls in Detroit and Seattle will have ripple effects throughout the league inside and outside of the draft. Teams that right now could be in the mix for guys like Young, Stroud, Levis or Richardson—the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers, in particular—could decide to instead pursue Goff or Smith if either were to become available in the spring.

In other words, until we have word on where Goff and Smith will reside next season, 2023 mock drafts might be more out to lunch than ever.

But that's what we love about this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯-inducing league, right?

Geno Smith spent the previous seven years in the NFL as a journeyman backup quarterback for the New York Jets, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks.

But when asked on Thursday if that time was frustrating for him, he instead offered some perspective.

"My tough times would be a dream to someone else," he told reporters.

The way Geno Smith has carried himself all season, showing humility during a dream professional season and never lamenting having to wait this long for this chance has been inspiring.

So much respect for him. https://t.co/md2CKraCCb

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 8, 2022

Smith has been a revelation in the 2022 season, throwing for 3,169 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing a league-leading 72.7 percent of his passes. The Seahawks, in turn, are 7-5 and in the hunt for a playoff berth.

The 32-year-old has faced his fair share of adversity to get to this point. But he's trying to keep it all in perspective.

The Seattle Seahawks are reportedly expected to make quarterback Geno Smith a long-term contract offer this offseason.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Seahawks want Smith to remain as their starter "into the future" after most expected him to be a stopgap for the 2022 season. Smith has instead been the 2022 season's most surprising breakout player, throwing for 2,199 yards and 15 touchdowns against four interceptions.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll credited Smith's relationship with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron as a big reason for the quarterback's success—all while throwing shade in Russell Wilson's direction in the process.

"He's getting everything he can get out of Shane," Carroll said on 710 ESPN Seattle. "That's a really important part of it. Shane helps him all the way through to the 15-second point (when communication from the sideline stops). ... They're just communicating to get it done and there's this conversation that goes on, so they work it out, and Geno (is) taking advantage of all of that.

"If you notice, Geno's going off the wristband, and that's a big help. It's smoothed things out, sped things up, cleaned things up. And that's part of it, too. We never did that before. There was resistance to that, so we didn't do that before."

A 2013 second-round pick, Smith struggled mightily early in his career with the New York Jets before eventually settling in as a career backup. He went from the Jets to the Giants and the Chargers before finally settling in behind Wilson in 2019. When Seattle traded Wilson to Denver in March, many expected the Seahawks to acquire a higher-profile option as a replacement.

Instead, Carroll expressed confidence in Smith, and he's looked great so far this season. Seattle is a surprising 6-3 and leads the NFC West despite nearly all experts predicting a last-place finish. Smith is garnering MVP support after many pegged him as the NFL's worst starting quarterback coming into the season.

While the Seahawks have gotten a little bit of good luck this season—they've only outscored their opponents by 21 points—there's no doubt Smith has done enough to be back next season with a contract befitting of a starter.

We're officially starting the stretch run of the 2022 fantasy football regular season.

Only five more weeks remain until most leagues start their playoffs, and with trade deadlines looming, it's more important than ever to make the right call in your starting lineup.

Here's a look some names to start—and to sit—as Week 10 approaches.

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Quarterback

Start: Russell Wilson (at Tennessee Titans)

If Russell Wilson is going to turn around his 2022 season, this is the week it starts. The Broncos are coming off a bye, having ample time to retool their moribund offense, and are facing off against a shaky Tennessee secondary.

Only the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons are surrendering more passing yards per game than the Titans, who have given up 15 touchdown passes in eight games.

Denver added a solid pass-catching option out of the backfield in Chase Edmonds at the deadline and have gotten stellar work from rookie tight end Greg Dulcich since he made his debut last month.

It's now or never for Russ.

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Sit: Geno Smith (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

This season's most surprising breakout fantasy star has quietly been mediocre of late. Smith has fallen outside the top 12 in quarterbacks in three of the last four weeks, and he's set to face off against a Buccaneers secondary that's fifth in passing yards allowed per game.

Opposing quarterbacks are averaging only 6.3 yards per attempt and have been sacked 29 times by Tampa. This is an excellent defense that has propped up a terrible Bucs offense all season.

Consensus rankings have Smith ranked as QB7, but it'd be shocking if he finished as player worth starting in 12-team leagues.

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Running Back

Start: Najee Harris (vs. New Orleans Saints)

We're going to use the same post-bye logic as we did with Wilson. Harris has been dealing with a foot injury all season, and it's clearly hampered his explosiveness despite him putting on a brave public face.

The second-year back has been arguably the worst high-usage player in football this season, averaging 3.3 yards per carry and performing like a low-end flex play after being taken in the first round of fantasy drafts.

With a week off to finally rest his foot and a matchup against a Saints defense that's given up 120.9 rushing yards per game, it's past time for Harris to step up and flash his first-round talent.

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Sit: D'Andre Swift (at Chicago Bears)

Swift played 10 snaps last week. He's impossible to trust from a health standpoint, and the Lions seem satisfied with giving Jamaal Williams the bulk of the workload—and more importantly the overwhelming lion's share of the goal-line work.

Swift is an if-you're-desperate flex play this week, because there is still a chance he winds up playing and going bananas against a Bears defense that's been friendly to fantasy running backs all season.

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Wide Receiver

Start: DJ Moore (vs. Atlanta Falcons)

Moore managers are just going to have to be comfortable living in a high-variance world. Despite what's been by all accounts a wildly disappointing season, Moore has five double-digit outings and was a top-10 option in Weeks 7 and 8.

PJ Walker put together one of the worst performances you'll ever see from a quarterback in last week's loss to the Bengals, and he'll get the start Thursday night against Atlanta. It's possible we see another complete dud from Walker, with Moore's performance suffering as a result.

That said, Moore put up a season-high 152 yards when these teams met two weeks ago. He's a bonafide top-20 option this week.

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Sit: Michael Pittman Jr. (at Las Vegas Raiders)

Until Sam Ehlinger shows any capability to pass like an NFL quarterback, Pittman is a flex play at best. This is a franchise with a third-stringer starting under center and a coach who has zero experience running the show this week.

Dump every ounce of Colts stock (if you had any) before it's too late.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson responded Wednesday to apparent criticism from Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll about not wearing a play-calling wristband during his time in Seattle.

Russell Wilson on play-call sheet on wrist band: “Won a lot of games. Didn’t know winning or losing mattered whether you wore a wrist band.” #9sports pic.twitter.com/XZ7IqlK7gK

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) November 9, 2022

Carroll didn't mention Wilson by name during his comments Monday on Seattle Sports 710 AM, which were centered on the Seahawks offense's success under Geno Smith, Wilson's replacement.

"If you notice, Geno's going off the wristband, and that's a big help," Carroll said. "It's smoothed things out, sped things up, cleaned things up. And that's part of it, too. We never did that before. There was resistance to that, so we didn't do that before."

The Broncos-Seahawks dynamic has been one of the NFL's most interesting storylines during the first half of the 2022 season.

When the blockbuster trade happened in March, Wilson was viewed as the missing piece for Denver, which was expected to emerge as a serious contender in the loaded AFC West.

Not only have the Broncos not taken a leap forward, owning a 3-5 record, but their offense has even dipped compared to last year. They rank 20th in total offense (328.9 yards per game), a slight decline from when they finished 19th in 2021 (330.5 yards per game).

However, Wilson expressed confidence after an Oct. 30 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team's most recent game prior to its bye week, that things were about to turn around.

"In every season I've ever played, there's a moment in time where it clicks," he told reporters. "Hopefully, that will be the start of it."

For now, though, Denver is one of the most disappointing teams at the halfway mark.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks are one of the NFL's biggest surprises with a 6-3 record heading into a Week 10 clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Smith is enjoying an unexpected resurgence, completing 73.1 percent of his passes for 2,199 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions across nine games. He's added 196 rushing yards and one score on the ground.

The 32-year-old journeyman ranks fourth in ESPN's Total QBR (68.0), 24 spots ahead of Wilson (36.0), which is something few, if any, could have predicted before the campaign.

Clearly, the split between Wilson and the Seahawks was less than amicable, and that narrative has persisted throughout the season, previously popping up after Seattle's season-opening win over Denver when Carroll said the victory was "really rewarding" for the quarterback's former teammates.

"Eh, you figure that out," Carroll said when asked why it meant so much. "But it was really meaningful and they really wanted it and I knew we were playing for a lot more than just the regular stuff. We have a real connection with the history. ... They feel it and they love the fact that they played here and they love seeing us do well."

It's far too early to declare a winner from the offseason trade, especially since Wilson is under contract through 2028, but early returns are trending favorably for the Seahawks.

The Seattle Seahawks have been the biggest surprise of the 2022 season thanks to an offense that has flourished under veteran quarterback Geno Smith.

Head coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday that he believes a key difference this year is Smith's willingness to wear a wristband to facilitate play-calling, which is a departure from how things were under longtime quarterback Russell Wilson.

"If you notice, Geno's going off the wristband, and that's a big help," Carroll said on Seattle Sports 710 AM (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). "It's smoothed things out, sped things up, cleaned things up. And that's part of it, too. We never did that before. There was resistance to that, so we didn't do that before."

Smith's use of the wristband has made things easy for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Carroll said the two have developed a chemistry.

"When Shane says something to Geno, he's not doubting it. He's just going with it, so there's a real immediate flow and that accelerates all the process," Carroll said.

While Carroll didn't mention Wilson, it was clear he was contrasting how things were when he was behind center. Wilson made nine Pro Bowls with the Seahawks, but in his final year there was a narrative that he wasn't given freedom to run the offense.

Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in the offseason, and the team has struggled to live up to the lofty expectations that came with the acquisition. The 33-year-old has thrown for 1,694 yards and six touchdowns with four interceptions in seven games. The Broncos are 3-5.

Conversely, Smith has thrived this season, ranking sixth in the NFL with 2,199 passing yards and tying for fifth with 15 touchdowns against just four interceptions. The longtime backup is playing the best football of his 10-year career.

The Seahawks (6-3) will go for their fifth straight win when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) at Allianz Arena in Munich on Sunday.

ProFootballTalk's Peter King handed out his midseason awards Monday, and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen took home MVP ahead of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley.

King wrote:

"Allen, best player on the best team having his best season, beat the former MVP and Super Bowl winner (Mahomes) on his turf in week six ('Josh Allen feels impossible to play against,' the former Kansas City tackle, Mitchell Schwartz, tweeted Sunday night. Schwartz is right.)"

It's hard to argue with the selection. Allen, 26, has led the Bills to a 6-1 record, throwing for 2,198 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions in seven games and completing 65.5 percent of his passes. He's also rushed for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

Hurts may give him a run for his money. He's led the Eagles to a 7-0 record, throwing for 1,799 yards, 10 scores and just two picks while rushing for 303 yards and six touchdowns. The Eagles are the lone undefeated team in the NFL, and the play of Hurts has been a big reason.

Allen has looked like an MVP, though, and the Bills don't appear likely to slow down anytime soon. But a lot of football is left to be played.