Field Gulls
Imagine telling someone in 2021 that Sam Darnold and Geno Smith, written off as draft busts, would eventually be considered legitimate NFL starters. That’s what we’re seeing in The Athletic’s ‘QB Tiers’ survey for 2025.
Mike Sando assembled a panel of 50 NFL coaches and executives (all anonymous, of course) and asked them to place starting quarterbacks by Tiers, with 1 being the MVP-level highest and 5 being a backup-level player. If your name is Kenny Pickett, you have Tier 5 exclusivity this year. The Tier 1 group consists of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and (for the first time, amazingly) Lamar Jackson.
Where do the Seattle Seahawks’ current and previous starting quarterbacks fall? Coincidentally, right next to each other in Tier 3, which is defined as, “a legitimate starter but needs a heavier running game and/or defensive component to win. A lower-volume dropback passing offense suits him best.”
(A Tier 2 quarterback, by the way, “can carry his team sometimes but not as consistently. He can handle pure-passing situations in doses and/or possesses other dimensions that are special enough to elevate him above Tier 3. He has a hole or two in his game.”)
For Darnold, he skyrocketed up to 20th (tied with Bo Nix) after being 29th last season. The blockquoted piece compares Darnold to Geno (logically), and this is what this voter said about the two.
“Sam, when you put the pieces around him, has as higher ceiling,” another voter said. “This is wild to say, but Geno is maybe better if your team is bad. Sam is better if your team is good.”
Smith could be the higher-variance player, by this way of thinking.
“Geno can look great, and you can win a game you should not win, but you are also going to lose two or three against teams that are the same as you because he throws a pick in the end zone, plays blind, doesn’t see it,” the voter added. “Sam, when the team is bad, you are going to feel like, f—, this guy is limited, and we cannot overcome it. But when your team is good, you are going to operate really well.”
Geno Smith effectively didn’t move much, improving one spot up to 19th. Opinion on Smith is divided among fans and media alike, but what about coaches? Well…
“I think he’s a 2 because when the game is on the line, he can make the throws to win,” a head coach said. “He stands in there. Guys that can stand in there, take hits when the game is on the line, whether it’s third down or two-minute, those guys are legit.”
This coach placed Smith among the NFL’s top 10 or 15 in two-minute proficiency, lauding him for his play over the years in shootouts against Detroit and Dallas.
Others see Smith as a quarterback whose team will always be looking to upgrade, with one defensive coordinator suggesting...
