MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The most prolific passer in West Virginia history has re-signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Geno Smith, who passed for 11,662 yards and 98 touchdowns during his four seasons at WVU from 2009-12, signed a one-year contract to compete with rookie Anthony Johnson for the Seahawks’ backup quarterback spot behind starter Russell Wilson.
Seattle announced the signing Wednesday. Smith was on the Seahawks’ roster in 2019 but did not see any action.
In three preseason games last year, he passed for 282 yards and two touchdowns to beat out Paxton Lynch for the No. 2 job.
Smith, 29, was a second-round pick by the New York Jets in the 2013 NFL Draft and became their starter for two seasons before an injury in 2015 contributed to him losing his starting job.
In 2017, he signed with the New York Giants to back up Eli Manning and in 2018 he served as Phillip Rivers’ backup for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Smith has started 31 career NFL games, completing 57.7 percent of his passes for 6,182 yards and 29 touchdowns with 36 interceptions.
At WVU, the Miramar, Fla., native led the Mountaineers to a Big East championship in 2011 and a 70-33 victory over Clemson in the 2012 Discover Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Smith completed 32-of-43 passes for 407 yards and six touchdowns in that memorable victory.
His best game as a Mountaineer came against Baylor during his senior season in 2012 when he passed for 656 yards and eight touchdowns in a 70-63 victory over the Bears at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Smith passed for more than 300 yards in a game seven times that season and 17 times for his career.
