Two years ago, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith helped eliminate the Jets from playoff contention.
On Sunday, Smith will face the Jets at MetLife Stadium for the first time since he left the franchise after the 2016 season.
“I’ve always had tremendous love and respect for that organization,” Smith said Wednesday during his weekly press availability. “Obviously, the team that drafted me gave me a chance out of the gate.
“A lot of great people there, some people that I was there with, a lot of those people are now gone. So, as far as the whole revenge thing, that’s not on my mind. Like I said, man, there’s a lot of great people in that city that I still talk to and I still love and still support me and so it’s the biggest game of the year because it’s the next game. But obviously, because I was drafted there, it’s going to be a narrative that’s built.”
Smith’s tenure with the Jets can be described as an unmitigated disaster. The Jets selected Smith with their second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
In 30 games for Gang Green, Smith passed for 5,962 yards, 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. The Jets were 12-18 in games Smith started.
Smith’s final start for the Jets came in the 2014 season finale victory against the Dolphins. In that game, he registered a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating after completing 20 of 25 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns.
But Smith’s tenure with the Jets will be remembered for its dramatic ending. He played just one game in 2015 after IK Enemkpali broke his jaw in a preseason locker room quarrel, which led to Ryan Fitzpatrick becoming the Jets starting quarterback.
Smith never regained his starting job and left the Jets to become the Giants and Chargers backup quarterback before signing with the Seahawks in 2019 to be Russell Wilson‘s backup.
Since leaving the Meadowlands in 2018, Smith has become a much different quarterback. When Wilson was traded to the Broncos in 2022, Smith became the Seahawks starter, leading them to the playoffs after the team finished 9-8. Smith was also named Comeback Player of the Year by the Associated Press and the Pro Football Writers of America and was named to his first Pro Bowl team after passing for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Last season, Smith was named to his second Pro Bowl after throwing for 3,624 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
But this year, Smith has struggled with turnovers, which have hurt the Seahawks in critical moments. In 11 games, Smith, 34, has passed for 3,035 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
“I don’t know what not to say about him, he’s got excellent mobility,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said about Smith. “He’s killing people with his feet at times, he’s got the ability to extend plays, he’s way more athletic than you think when he moves around, and he makes the off-platform stuff go.
“He can make every throw, and he’s taking advantage of his arm strength, whether it’s the double moves to [DK] Metcalf, or it’s the cuts to the rest of their guys, they do a lot of really cool stuff that takes advantage of his skillset, so he’s going to be a great challenge for us, and he’s really starting to thrive in this college-esque offense, where they’re going fast, and they’re at the line of scrimmage and he’s able to really run the show.”
Although Smith said all the right things about the Jets during his press conference this week, his redemption story can become full circle if he and the Seahawks (6-5) can defeat the Jets (3-8) and continue to send them further in a dark abyss.
Gang Green will enter Sunday’s game, losing seven of its last eight games. During that stretch, Jets owner Woody Johnson fired coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. Ulbrich also demoted offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett from his play-calling duties, but the losses have continued to mount.
Because of that, there has also been speculation on the team’s future, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, following a disappointing season that began with Super Bowl aspirations. Rodgers has struggled with injuries, declining accuracy and mobility. With a new coaching staff and general manager coming in next season, they could move in a different direction at quarterback.
In 11 games, Rodgers has passed for 2,442 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. This week, Rodgers, 40, was absent from the Jets injury report for the first time in nearly two months after dealing with ankle, knee and hamstring injuries since Week 4’s loss to the Broncos.
With the Jets on their way to missing the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season, the final six games could go a long way in determining Rodgers’ future. On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, Rodgers said if he does decide to play football in 2025, his first choice would be to remain with the Jets.
“I mean, every game is important,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “I’m going to enjoy them, obviously the future is unknown for a lot of us, but yeah, I have a lot of pride in this game. When I take the field, when I go to practice, so I’ll be excited about being out there with the guys and finish off strong.
“When you win, everything’s better, so if we win this one, things are going to get better, and get the next one, things will feel better, but this is the hardest part at this point in the season when things have been slipping away the last few weeks. This comes down to guys being motivated, you can inspire guys, Brick [Ulbrich] can put up a great quote, or give us a great message, or we can have a great talk Saturday night, but in the end, it comes down to guys being motivated individually, and then just wanting to play for something bigger than themselves.”
