7 days ago
NEWLY ACQUIRED SAM DARNOLD (SEAHAWKS) AND GENO SMITH (RAIDERS) HEADLINE EPISODE 3 OF CHRIS SIMMS' QUARTERBACK COUNTDOWN, NOW ON 'CHRIS SIMMS UNBUTTONED' AND 'PRO FOOTBALL TALK'
Simms' QB Countdown Continues Today with Next Tier - 'Escaped from New York' - and Culminates with the Top Five QBs on Monday, June 9; In-Depth Breakdowns for Each Ranking Weekly on Chris Simms Unbuttoned Podcast
'I don't see a ton of issues physically but it's his [lack of] feel and experience, just having more of a backyard sense.' – Simms on Seahawks' Sam Darnold
'His arm is crazy strong, he's versatile, he can throw off his back foot, sidearm, anything you want. That is also one of his problems.' – Simms on Raiders' Geno Smith
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 28, 2025 – NBC Sports' Chris Simms continues his list of the top quarterbacks in the NFL on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on 'PFT Live' today, featuring 2025 Pro Bowler Sam Darnold of the Seahawks and 2022 AP Comeback Player of the Year Geno Smith of the Raiders, who are both entering their first seasons with their respective teams.
This year's countdown features a new format, with Simms focusing on tiers and groups of quarterbacks as opposed to specific numeric rankings until the later rounds. Continuing the countdown, Simms unveiled his quarterbacks ranked in the next tier today, with QBs in the 'Escaped from New York' tier.
Continuing today and culminating Monday, June 9 with his top five quarterbacks, Simms will unveil a group of quarterbacks on each Chris Simms Unbuttoned episode and discuss his rankings on 'PFT Live' with Mike Florio.
Simms, a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2003 NFL Draft who played eight NFL seasons, will also offer in-depth player breakdowns and rankings explanations throughout each week on Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
Simms has had success in projecting college quarterbacks – including naming Jayden Daniels, who was named AP's 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year following a season that saw him lead the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship Game, as his No. 2 QB prospect in 2024. Additionally, Simms named C.J. Stroud, who was named AP's 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year, as his top QB prospect in 2023, Patrick Mahomes as his most exciting prospect in 2017, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen as his top-two QBs in 2018, and Justin Herbert as his No. 2 QB in 2020.
The rankings will continue next Monday, June 2, on the next episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
The following are highlights from this week's edition of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:
Escaped from New York
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
'A lot of good here. His season started off on a really high note throwing the ball all over the field and you went, 'Wow!' The good is his incredibly quick release; really gifted short-to-intermediate thrower of the football because he can get it out so quick. He's got more power in his arm than I think he gets credit for. This year, he got better at deep ball throwing. A lot of the things I'm going to talk about negatively with Sam Darnold is experience related. He was so spoiled by (Vikings head coach) Kevin O'Connell and the offense earlier in the year that when he got to the latter part of the year, those first reads weren't always open every time like the first few weeks. His internal clock, because of some of the big moments, was a little thrown off. I don't see a ton of issues physically but it's his [lack of] feel and experience, just having more of a backyard sense.'
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
'This is a hard one….I don't think it was his best year but let me tell you this, with Geno Smith, the physical ability is real. His arm is crazy strong, he's versatile, he can throw off his back foot, sidearm, anything you want. That is also one of his problems though, because, like Darnold with his first read, Smith is not too different in that way. He has more confidence in his arm and throwing into tight windows than Darnold but that gets him in trouble. He puts the ball where he wants to, but he's taking too many chances. You see that in his worst games and his worst moments. That's what it always came down to. There has to be a better 'get out of jail' plan with Geno Smith. As a quarterback, it's your job to go and attack, but if all fails, you need to know where you're going to get the ball to keep the team in a good position.'
To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.
-NBC SPORTS-
