Geno Smith knows what New York Jets fans want from him. He had been there, albeit a long time ago. The Jets missed the playoffs for consecutive years before Smith was selected in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Since then, he has come and gone somewhere. But that postseason drought has lasted 15 years. Now, Smith comes back to the side where his professional career began.
Here is what Smith said about this. “Yeah, I mean, that would be like a story in a movie, right? It’s kind of like one of those superhero movies, but my life is based on reality. We’ve got to focus on getting better every single day.”
After completing five successful years with Seattle, he played two seasons for Las Vegas. But now he has found his way back to the Jets. He says that there is a surreal feeling about coming back to the same arena where his career started.
“Coming in for physicals and just walking down the hall again — it was the very first hall I walked down when I got drafted — all those feelings come back.”
“Just great feelings, great memories, seeing my mom in the locker room, and I started just thinking about my first time in the NFL, first time here. Immediately, it clicked right back in: I’ve got to get to work. I just got right back to that. I’m really excited to be here and even seeing all your faces again, it’s really cool.”
The current Jets coach, Aaron Glenn, was in the scouting department when Smith first joined the team. He has watched the quarterback for a long time since then.
Glenn said, “Just the fact of how he’s grown from that time to now is outstanding. And he’s still growing, even being in the league as long as he has. And he will tell you that.”
Linebacker Demario Davis also praised Smith for overcoming obstacles in his career and persevering.
Here is what Davis said. “He’s obviously walked through different things in life that’ve brought his countenance and his spirit to a place of peace. He’s very comfortable in his skin. He knows who he is. He’s arriving at this moment with his mind right, and you can feel it.”
Smith’s teammates also rave about his presence on the team. He said, “We want to be the best team in the world. I don’t feel shy about saying that, but I understand there’s a lot of work to be done.”
Smith is focused on making that a reality every day. Now, he will do that again for the Jets.
