He just needed a chance to show it.

“I didn’t just get this good over the course of one offseason,” Smith said on Thursday, via ESPN.

He continued:

“I think that’s mostly narrative and a lot of that stuff is media driven, but when it comes down to me, people where I’m from know who I am. West Virginia, I just got inducted into the [school’s] hall of fame, so people in college football know who I am. The New York Jets as well, the Giants, the Chargers and Seattle. So people have continued to let me know that if I just keep working hard that things will happen for you, and that’s what I did.”

Smith’s play has been one of the biggest storylines in the NFL this season as he has completely rejuvenated his career in Seattle.

Before the 2022 season began an anonymous poll of NFL coaches and executives ranked Smith 35th out of 35 potential starting quarterbacks in their poll. The consensus: Love him as a backup, but if he has to start you might be in trouble. 

It was because of that uncertainty at the quarterback position that expectations were low for the Seahawks after the Russell Wilson trade. 

Smith has proven all of them wrong and is leading one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses. After eight games the Seahawks are averaging 26.3 points per game (fourth best in the NFL), a three-point per game improvement from a year ago. They also hold the top spot in the NFC West, a division that was supposed to be one of the NFL’s best this season. 

And Smith’s play is at the center of a lot of that success.

His 66.6 QBR and 107.2 passer rating are both fourth in the NFL, while he has thrown 13 touchdowns to only three interceptions. Since joining the Seahawks prior to the 2020 season he has completed over 70 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns to only four interceptions. It is a stunning development given that Smith started only two games between 2014 and 2021, as well as his league-wide perception as a player.

You do not usually see quarterbacks follow this sort of career path, but Smith is starting to look like a modern-day Rich Gannon in his ability to stick with it, adapt, and wait for his chance. Gannon spent the first half of his career mostly as a backup before finally getting a chance to start for Oakland at the age of 34. He went on a four-year run as one of the league’s best starters, won an MVP, and lead them to a Super Bowl. 

Smith has a long way to go before he reaches that level, but Seattle has to be thrilled with what it is getting.