8:21 p.m. ET
Brady Henderson ESPN
RENTON, Wash. — Geno Smith will face off against the team that drafted him when his Seattle Seahawks host the New York Jets at Lumen Field on Sunday, but the Pro Bowl quarterback didn’t appear to view it as so-called revenge Game.
More of a must win.
Smith was asked during his weekly media session Thursday if the matchup is special given his history with the Jets.
“Not for me,” Smith said. “I really just feel like it’s important that we need a win so we can get into the playoffs. Obviously there will be some speculation, some talk about it. It comes with the territory. It’s to be expected. I have a lot of love for the Jets, the organization and many people who are still around when I was drafted. So for me and this team it’s like always, another week of preparation and a tough challenge for us to go out there and try to get that win. We need him.”
Smith spoke fondly of his four seasons with the Jets, a rocky tenure that included a 12-18 record as a starter and an infamous altercation in the locker room that cost him his starting job. Smith, who was second-round selected in 2013, was about to enter his third season in the summer of 2015 when teammate IK Enemkpali punched him, leaving him with a broken jaw. With Smith returning late in the season, Ryan Fitzpatrick had a career year that would keep him in the starting role for most of the 2016 campaign.
Smith would not become a full-time starter again until he defeated Drew Lock that offseason in contention to succeed Russell Wilson. He was asked how he wasn’t bitter about losing his starting job in New York.
“I think this was an amazing time for me to grow and become even more of a selfless individual,” he said. “Obviously we have our own goals and the way things turned out wasn’t in my plans or what I thought it was, but it happened and that’s how you do it in a way that you don’t spill over.” I’m a great teammate to the guys around me and I don’t let that stop me from helping them succeed in any way I can. That became my career for a while, just being a great teammate and trying to help the guys get better and doing whatever it took to help the team win outside the game.”
Fitzpatrick’s support gave Smith time to think, he said.
1 relatives
“It was the first time I hadn’t played or started since I was maybe 10 years old,” he said. “I played football for a long time, started many seasons and then, boom, something happens where you have to sit now. It was different, it was challenging, but it also taught me a lot and helped me grow.”
Smith threw 25 touchdowns in his first two seasons and committed 41 total turnovers, the third most in the NFL during that span. But between his career day in the 2014 Finals and a strong performance in the 2015 preseason, Smith felt poised to make a leap before his broken jaw dashed those hopes.
“I felt really good about where I was and thought I was going to take the next step, and I kind of maintained that thought process throughout my career,” he said. “You’re right, I was very excited. Obviously a freak accident, things happen and you don’t wish that on anyone. But it was an incredible moment for me to learn but also to practice resilience and patience. It took a lot Patience. It took a lot of hard work to even have the opportunity to compete again after everything that happened. I was grateful for all the things I went through and obviously I was able to turn it around and make it positive.”
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who may be trying to pick up some of the scrutiny that will be aimed at Smith this week, brought up the unceremonial end of his own tenure with the Jets when asked about conversations he had with Smith the encounter with his former team. Carroll was fired after winning 6-10 in his only season as Jets coach in 1994.
“Really, we go into crime as partners because we’ve both been there and it didn’t quite work out in the end,” Carroll said. “So we’re just sharing the experience a little bit.”
The Seahawks have lost five of their last six games from a 6-3 start and are now one game outside of the NFC wildcard standings. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives them a 27.4% chance of claiming one of the available wildcard spots. They wouldn’t necessarily be out of playoff contention with a loss to the Jets, but they would need a few things besides a win over the Rams in Week 18 to go their way.
Smith ranks fifth in the overall QBR with 63.4, nearly 20 points more than his mark in his first nine seasons. But his production has slipped lately, with just two touchdowns in the last two games and five interceptions in as many weeks. This stretch coincided with a drop-off in Seattle’s running game.
When asked about his assessment of Smith’s play over the past few weeks, Carroll said the signal caller could be “cleaner” with some of his mechanics.
“We can get a little bit cleaner and it’s really just technical things that I think could make a difference,” he said. “You’ll always hear me say that we need to play better around him to help him in every way. But he knows he can clean up a few things. We’re really, really strict and he’s really into it.” I’m just trying to make sure he gives his best opportunity to function at a really high level. It’s just been a few plays here and there, little footwork and stuff like that, about we’re talking about. It’s really minor stuff, but still it can have an impact.”
Smith is set to become a full free agent in March, with his one-year, $3.5 million contract expiring. He also has an additional $3.5 million in incentives available and would likely earn all of that if Seattle makes the playoffs.
Smith was asked if he had given any thought to his future after this season.
“My future is going to be great,” he said. “I always think that … I always think positively in that regard. But the future for me now, today, is to get out there, have a great workout and get ready for Sunday.”