On Thursday night, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith earned some hardware at the NFL Honors. Smith was officially named the Comeback Player of the Year for the 2022 season. While earning this award was certainly the highlight of the night for Smith, he did receive something else.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career. But in the tally, Smith received a single vote for the prestigious award as well.
In the past, those who determined the league’s MVP had only one vote to give. But with a new system in place that allows voters to submit a ballot, Smith’s remarkable 2022 season garnered him at least one vote. Smith now joins Shaun Alexander (Winner), Bobby Wagner, Cortez Kennedy, Jim Zorn and the legendary Steve Largent as the only Seahawks to ever receive and MVP vote.
Of course, one can’t help but notice the irony in Smith receiving an MVP vote before Russell Wilson, who (in)famously has never received one himself. Wilson left the Seahawks in search of more sustained offensive success and the elusive award, yet it’s his successor who outplayed him.
