Klint Kubiak: Geno Smith ‘Huge Draw’ to Seahawks’ Offensive Coordinator Gig

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak speaks with reporters during his introductory press conference at the VMAC.

RENTON, Wash. - Over the course of his 11 prior seasons as an NFL assistant coach, newly-hired Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has earned a reputation for his skillful work coaching up quarterbacks over the years in multiple roles, including long-time Minnesota Vikings starter Kirk Cousins and San Francisco 49ers standout Brock Purdy.

Though he reiterated his excitement about the chance to teach other talented players on Seattle’s offense while sitting alongside coach Mike Macdonald in his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Kubiak’s passion for instructing quarterbacks could be felt through his endorsement of veteran signal caller Geno Smith, who he cited him as a major reason for desiring the play caller opportunity in the Pacific Northwest.

“Geno is a very aggressive player, had a lot of production. Obviously has been doing it for a long time,” Kubiak said. “He has overcome a lot in his career. I have a lot of respect for Geno, was a huge draw to come here and be able to coach him alongside [quarterback coach] Andrew Janocko, so we have high expectations for him. We’re going to push Geno and get the best out of him and we’ll do that by pushing his teammates as well. It’s not just his show. It’s a team thing and he’s got to be the head of that.”

Considering Kubiak’s immense success paired with Cousins in Minnesota from 2019 to 2021, his excitement about coaching a similarly skilled veteran in Smith shouldn’t come as a shock, and that track record obviously stood out as a major positive to Macdonald in the interview process as he pursued a replacement for Ryan Grubb. While Kubiak called his new quarterback in Seattle “his own man,” there are obvious parallels in terms of how the two players attack defenses and where their strengths lie as pocket passers.

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald introduces offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and breaks down why he chose him to take over as the franchise’s new play caller.

During Kubiak’s three seasons with the Vikings - two as a quarterbacks coach and one as an offensive coordinator - Cousins threw 94 touchdowns and annually ranked among league leaders in numerous categories. He finished all three of those campaigns in the top 10 in touchdown passes, passer rating, yards per pass attempt, while he twice ranked among the top 10 in completion percentage, passing yards, and interception rate.

Even as a pass game coordinator with the 49ers in 2023, Purdy elevated his game to new heights after an unexpectedly great rookie season, ranking in the top five in passing yards, touchdown passes, and completion rate while topping all quarterbacks with 9.6 yards per attempt and a 113.0 passer rating.

In comparison, over three seasons as a starter for the Seahawks, Smith has consistently been one of the NFL’s most accurate quarterbacks, finishing first in completion rate in 2022 and fifth last season. As Cousins and Purdy did when teaming up with Kubiak, he also has been an incredibly efficient downfield passer, leading all signal callers with 79 Big Time Throws on passes traveling 20-plus yards since the start of the 2022 season according to Pro Football Focus.

This past season, though Smith struggled with turnovers and threw a league-high four red zone interceptions behind a porous offensive line, the two-time Pro Bowler still ranked fourth in passing yards, fifth in completion rate, and sixth in Big Time Throws, checking off many of the boxes Kubiak has looked for from his quarterbacks in the past.

But while his arm talent and physical tools stack up against most starting quarterbacks in the NFL, having witnessed the journey he took to re-emerge as a starter after several seasons as a backup, Kubiak values Smith’s toughness and clutch gene above everything else. Among the best in the sport with the game hanging in the balance in the fourth quarter, he tied Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes with nine game-winning drives over the past two seasons, and he led more fourth quarter comebacks (eight) than any signal caller in the league during that time.

“I think Geno is tough as nails,” Kubiak said. “He’s the guy that gets the ball in the fourth quarter and goes and wins football games, so that excites me. It fires me up. I’ve watched his career - studied him more now than I ever have before - but think about a guy who has been through a lot of adversity that’s been knocked off the high horse and had to claw his way back up to a starter’s role, then comes back the last two years and wins more games in the fourth quarter than anybody in the NFL. That’s a guy I want to coach.”

Looking towards OTAs and eventually the 2025 season, Macdonald believes Kubiak will provide Smith more “clarity” on offense regarding progressions in the passing game. It won’t be on the quarterback alone to fix the issues that ailed the Seahawks on offense last year alone, however.

Aside from Smith getting the football out of his hand in a timely manner and making smarter decisions, particularly in the red zone, Macdonald expects Kubiak and new assistants John Benton and Andrew Janocko to promote accountability on the offensive side of the football. Receivers will need to run precise routes, running backs will need to make the right reads off of blocks and defensive alignment in the run game, fullbacks and tight ends will need to do their jobs as blockers and pass catching options, and the offensive line will need to be “smart, tough, and dependable” to create opportunities for those skill players to succeed.

If all of those things come together as Macdonald envisions, based on his sterling track record with multiple quarterbacks from Cousins to Purdy to most recently Derek Carr in New Orleans, the Seahawks have no shortage of confidence in Kubiak being able to guide Smith back to his breakout 2022 numbers, if not surpassing them. With the goal to climb back to the top of NFC West and do damage in the postseason after narrowly missing the playoffs last year, such a development from that quarterback/coach tandem would work wonders accelerating the franchise’s path back to contention.