Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith will face his old team, the New York Jets in Sunday’s Week 13 contest, but he isn’t thinking about the past. The Jets originally selected Smith with the No. 39 overall selection in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
A potential first-round hopeful, Smith slid in the draft and began his tenure hoping to be the Jets’ long-searching answer at franchise quarterback. Smith ultimately played out his four-year rookie contract in East Rutherford, but it never went according to plan. As a rookie, he threw 21 interceptions and 12 touchdowns, and as a sophomore, he had 13:13 TD:INT ratio.
Smith was eventually benched as a third-year quarterback in 2015, and he suffered a season-ending torn ACL as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s backup in 2016. Smith would spend 2017 as the backup quarterback in New York with the Giants, and again in 2018 with the Los Angeles Chargers. He joined the Seahawks in 2019 and the rest is history.
Sunday’s Seahawks-Jets contest will be the first time Smith has faced the Jets at MetLife Stadium. His lone previous meeting versus the franchise that drafted him occurred two campaigns ago in Seattle. But Smith shot down the notion that it’s any sort of revenge game.
“As far as the revenge thing, that’s not on my mind,” Smith told reporters on Wednesday.
Sunday’s Seahawks-Jets game will be the first time Geno Smith has faced the team that drafted him at MetLife Stadium (he played them two years ago in Seattle). But Smith shot down the notion that it’s any sort of revenge game. pic.twitter.com/TxpGUtzCTM
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) November 27, 2024
Ironically enough, the Jets haven’t enjoyed a winning season since Smith left. They’ve spent a ton of draft and trade capital on quarterbacks since, including drafting Zach Wilson and Sam Darnold with No. 3 overall picks, and traded for Aaron Rodgers last season. All to no avail.
Meanwhile Smith has revived his career in Seattle, leading the Seahawks to multiple contending seasons. Seattle currently sits atop the NFC West, and the Jets are 3-8. Smith has already captured revenge on a franchise that wronged him.
