Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith will face his old team, the New York Jets, in Sunday's Week 13 contest, but he's not thinking about the past. The Jets originally selected Smith in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft with the No. 39 overall pick.
A potential first-round prospect, Smith slipped in the draft and began his tenure with hopes of becoming the Jets' long-sought answer as a franchise quarterback. Smith finally 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 a TD:INT ratio of 13:13.
Smith was eventually benched as a third-year quarterback in 2015 and suffered a season-ending ACL tear in 2016 as a replacement for Ryan Fitzpatrick. Smith spent 2017 as a 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 will face the Jets at MetLife Stadium. His only previous encounter with the franchise that selected him came two campaigns ago in Seattle. But Smith dismissed the idea that this was any kind of revenge game.
“As far as revenge goes, I’m not thinking about it,” Smith told reporters Wednesday.
Sunday's game between the Seahawks and Jets will be the first time Geno Smith faces the team that drafted him at MetLife Stadium (he played against them two years ago in Seattle). But Smith dismissed the idea that this was any kind of revenge game.
– Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson)
Ironically, the Jets haven't had a winning season since Smith's departure. Since then, they've spent a lot of draft and trade capital on quarterbacks, including drafting Zach Wilson and Sam Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick, and trading for Aaron Rodgers last season. All without success.
Smith has since revived his career in Seattle and led the Seahawks to several struggling seasons. Seattle is currently atop the NFC West and the Jets are 3-8. Smith has already exacted revenge on a franchise that wronged him.
