Geno Smith's star rises, while Russell Wilson's falls in new quarterback rankings

The Seattle Seahawks' Geno Smith had a big jump in The Athletic's Quarterback Tiers rankings this year. Meanwhile, former Seahawk-turned-Bronco Russell Wilson had the biggest drop in the history of the ratings.

Why it matters: While both players are ranked within Tier 3 — middle of the pack — it's good to be in the city with the quarterback who's on the upswing.

Details: The ratings are based on a survey of 50 NFL insiders, including general managers, coaches and executives.

• A Tier 1 quarterback's "team wins because of him," whereas Tier 3 quarterbacks need more assistance from their teammates on the field, The Athletic explains.

What they're saying: "Smith's year-over-year jump in average tier vote was the largest for any quarterback from last year," The Athletic wrote.

• Meanwhile, "Wilson's drop in average tier vote … is the largest one-year decline in the 10-year history of Quarterback Tiers."

Zoom in: Of Smith, a general manager who responded to the survey said, "Nobody would have guessed he would be a Pro Bowl quarterback last year," noting he has "solidified as a legitimate starter that you can win some games with."

• While Wilson still ranked higher overall than Smith, he was labeled as "out of shape" last year and having spent too much time "reading his own press clippings."

Check out the full rankings