Geno Smith walked out of the New York Jets' facility for the final time after the 2016 season feeling as though he left behind unfinished business.
A long, winding and sometimes strange NFL journey for the now 35-year-old quarterback has him back in the building.
“I don’t think anyone could have imagined that, honestly,” Smith said in a video call with reporters Thursday. “But that’s the beauty of life itself. I mean, I make plans all the time and rarely
do they go exactly as I planned.”
Smith was acquired from Las Vegas along with a seventh-round draft pick on Tuesday in exchange for a sixth-rounder, reuniting him with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2013.
“My goal was to play my entire career for the Jets and one day retire as a Jet,” Smith said. "And just to come back now, to have an opportunity to continue to play this game that I love so much and to be a part of that organization again, the organization that gave me a chance coming out of West Virginia and really believed in me. And although it didn’t go exactly as planned, somehow, someway we got back here.
“And I’m eager to kind of make things right if I can.”
Saying he’s “extremely confident, but not arrogant,” Smith also thinks he’s more than just a one-year placeholder for the Jets’ next future franchise quarterback.
“I believe I still have room to grow,” he said. “I believe I still have a ton of years left on my body to play this game and I want to continue to try to maximize it. So, I believe the Jets are getting a better player than I was in Seattle. I know that for a fact."
Smith first came to New York as a big-armed thrower who was thrust into the starter role as a rookie after incumbent Mark Sanchez injured a shoulder in a preseason game. There were some bright moments and solid performances. But there were also plenty of struggles that cast doubt on whether the player the Jets hoped would be their face of the franchise would become a consistent NFL starter.
Then came a locker room dispute during training camp in 2015, when his jaw was broken by a punch from teammate IK Enemkpali. Ryan Fitzpatrick took over as the starter and kept the job for most of the next two seasons.
And Smith was gone in 2017.
One-year stints as a backup with the Giants and Chargers followed. In 2019, he joined Seattle to sit behind Russell Wilson. Three years later, he became the Seahawks' starter — and thrived.
He won the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022, made two Pro Bowls and threw for more than 12,000 yards in three seasons with 71 touchdowns and 35 interceptions while establishing himself as one of the better quarterbacks in the league.
When coach Pete Carroll went to the Raiders last season, he traded for Smith to be his quarterback. But Smith was sacked 55 times and threw 17 INTs — both league highs — and the Raiders went 3-14, fired Carroll and ended up with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. With Indiana's Fernando Mendoza likely in their sights, the Raiders parted ways with Smith.
And the Jets came calling, looking for a veteran to lead their offense.
“The first initial thought was just, man, what an honor to be considered to be the quarterback of the Jets again,” he said.
Smith will work with new Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich in an offense that includes running back Breece Hall and wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell. He said he's eager to “be a sponge” and run the offense while learning from Reich.
“I think it’s going to be special,” he said.
He'll also be reunited with linebacker Demario Davis, his teammate for three seasons who signed as a free agent to also return to the Jets.
“What an incredible journey," Davis said of Smith, "and an incredible story.”
Smith is well-versed in the history of the franchise, which has the NFL's longest active playoff drought at 15 seasons — a skid that started before his first stint in New York. And the team still has only been to one Super Bowl, when Joe Namath and the Jets upset the heavily favored Colts in 1969.
“We want to go out there and give our fans something to be proud of, put a great product out there on the field, be competitive,” Smith said. “Not just competitive, but win a lot of games and also put ourselves in position to hoist that Lombardi (Trophy) at the end of the season."
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