Geno Smith says Drew Lock remaining with Seahawks is ‘bittersweet’

Nov 21, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) jogs to the locker room following a 23-13 loss against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Geno Smith beat out Drew Lock for the Seattle Seahawks’ starting quarterback job a year ago, and Lock is once again returning to the team in a backup role. While Smith is happy to have his teammate back, he admitted he has mixed emotions about Lock re-signing in Seattle.

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Smith described Lock’s decision to remain in Seattle as “bittersweet.” That is because Smith believes Lock is talented enough to be a starter somewhere.

“It’s a bittersweet thing because I know he’s a starter and I know he can go and do great things,” Smith said, via Mike Florio of 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.”

Smith proved last season that Pete Carroll made the right choice naming him the starter over Lock. After spending six years as a backup, Smith set career highs with 4,282 yards and 30 touchdown passes. He threw just 11 interceptions and played at an MVP level for much of the season.

Smith parlayed that success into a 3-year, $105 million extension. There was still talk that the Seahawks might draft a quarterback, and Smith had a perfect response to that as well. The 32-year-old has said and done just about everything right since Seattle gave him a chance to revive his career.