Yahoo Sports has Geno Smith as a Top 10 quarterback
There are few things NFL fans love more than rankings. Teams, games, players, you name it... if there is a ranking of anything NFL related, fans will be naturally drawn to it. Recently, Yahoo Sports released a ranking of the top 10 quarterbacks entering the 2025 season. Of course, the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, reigning MVP Josh Allen and Joe Burrow were in the top spots. No surprise there.
But take a look at who cracks the top 10 at No. 8 overall...
Yup, that Geno Smith. Former Seattle Seahawk-turned-Raider Geno Smith. Two-time Pro Bowler and two-time Seahawks single season passing record holder Geno Smith.
On one hand, I am thrilled to see Smith finally get some recognition. During his tenure in Seattle, Smith was absolutely one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. The Seahawks had a winning record in all three seasons Smith was the starter, and was often the only consistent element in their roller coaster offense. Since 2022, he has also led the entire league with 12 game winning drives. The Raiders have obtained the best quarterback they've had in at least 20 years.
But on the other hand, it is beyond frustrating to see Smith routinely praised only after leaving the Seahawks. While he was in Seattle, it felt as if the national media couldn't be bothered to give him the time of day. Now that he's gone, the narrative has immediately shifted to "what are the Seahawks doing!? They let a great quarterback leave!" Where was this energy when Smith was wearing college navy and action green?
There is somewhat of an anti-Seahawks bias in the media. Not that the media is actively working against Seattle, but in the sense the Seahawks are often an afterthought at best. The sudden (overdue!) praise Geno Smith is receiving now is further evidence of it.
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Brian Gutekunst, Green Bay Packers Credit: Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Much like several of the best NFL general managers, Brian Gutekunst followed immediately behind an icon. Gutekunst succeeded Ted Thompson as the Green Bay Packers' general manager in 2018. In the NFL Draft, he's delivered on the draft-and-develop approach with big hits on Elgton Jenkins (Round 2), Jordan Love (Round 1), Romeo Doubs (Round 4), Zach Tom (Round 4), Rasheed Walker (Round 7), Tucker Kraft (Round 3), Jayden Reed (Round 2) and Edgerrin Cooper (Round 2). Free-agent signings Keisean Nixon, Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney also worked out brilliantly. Oddly, Rounds 1 and 3 (Darnell Savage, Eric Stokes, Lukas Van Ness, Amari Rodgers, Josiah Deguara, Oren Burks and Jace Sternberger) seem to be his biggest weak spots. 7. Kyle Shanahan/John Lynch, San Francisco 49ers Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images It's a two-man job with the San Francisco 49ers thanks to the work of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. There's the obvious blemish on their collective resume – Trey Lance – but they made up for it and then some. Former seventh-round pick Brock Purdy is the obvious crown jewel for this regime, but they also struck gold with Dominick Puni (Round 3), Deommodore Lenoir (Round 5), Talanoa Hufanga (Round 5), Jauan Jennings (Round 7), Dre Greenlaw (Round 5) and Fred Warner (Round 3). That's not even accounting for picks like Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Aaron Banks, Mike McGlinchey and Renardo Green. The coach-GM duo helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl twice, now they get to build a new core for the future. Advertisement Read More: NFL power rankings 2025 8. Brandon Beane, Buffalo Bills Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Hired as the Buffalo Bills general manager in 2017, Brandon Beane hit a home run almost instantly. The 2018 draft class featured Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds, Harrison Phillips and Taron Johnson. In the years since, Beane landed the likes of Dawson Knox (Round 3), Dane Jackson (Round 7), Spencer Brown (Round 3), Gregory Rousseau (Round 1), Christian Benford (Round 6), Khalil Shakir (Round 5), Terrell Bernard (Round 3) and James Cook (Round 2). Beane hasn't done great with his free-agent signings and the Stefon Diggs trade meant the team missed out on Justin Jefferson, but Beane landed a franchise quarterback and has built around him nicely. 9. Jason Licht, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images One of the longest-tenured general managers in the NFL, Jason Licht has already delivered a Super Bowl for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For those who want to give a majority of the credit for that to Tom Brady, Licht assembled the Super Bowl-winning roster that had Mike Evans, Kwon Alexander, Ali Marpet, Chris Godwin, Alex Cappa, Carlton Davis, Vita Vea, Alex Cappa, Jamel Dean, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. He then transitioned out of the Brady era, rebuilding the Buccaneers' offensive line and hitting a home run with the Baker Mayfield signing. Licht gets overshadowed by some of his peers, but he's built two perennial contenders and won a Super Bowl ring. Advertisement Read More: NFL QB rankings 10. Nick Caserio, Houston Texans Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Hired by the Houston Texans in 2021, many were rightfully skeptical of Nick Caserio. While he was a six-time Super Bowl champion, all that success was attributed to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Houston had a lot of problems when Caserio took over. Deshaun Watson wanted out, Bill O'Brien had handicapped the Texans' front office before being fired and Houston had arguably the worst foundation in football. Even with everything that surrounded Watson, Caserio still pulled in a massive haul in a trade that ended up being a fleecing. The Texans' general manager also made controversial moves in the 2023 NFL Draft to land both C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. Not only has Caserio drafted two franchise-changing talents at the most important positions in the NFL, but he's also hit on picks like Jalen Pitre, Tank Dell, Calen Bullock, Kamari Lassiter and Nico Collins. Considering the state of the Texans' franchise a few years ago, Caserio has earned this ranking. Advertisement Related Headlines
