Geno Smith is looking for a job and free agency is fast approaching, so it came as no surprise he did a television interview to update prospective employers on his surgically repaired knee and mental outlook.
Smith wants NFL teams to know his knee “feels great,” that he should be ready for training camp and that he’s willing to be a backup. News flash: No team will offer him a starting job after two years of riding the bench, which followed two turnover-laden seasons.
In a sitdown with the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Smith was asked if he could return to the New York Jets. He didn’t sound all that enthusiastic about the prospect of re-signing with the team that drafted him in 2013.
“We’ll see,” he said. “Honestly, I wouldn’t say that’s out of the question. All options are on the table. I have a lot of great relationships in that organization, in that community that I’ve built the last four years. Guys on that team that I love, that would love to … that I’d love to play with, they call me all the time: ‘Hey, G, what’s going on?’ Unfortunately, I can’t give them that answer right now.”
As you may have heard, the Jets need an experienced quarterback. They haven’t ruled out Smith, but it sounds like he’s only a fallback option at this point. There’s some concern about his knee and his rehab timetable; they believe he may not be ready until September. He blew out his ACL in Week 7.
Ironically, the Jets probably could offer the clearest path to a starting job, but it sounds like he wants to shop around. Who can blame him? He faced constant adversity in New York, much of it self-induced, and he probably is seeking a change of scenery.
Smith said he’s OK with being a backup, quickly adding, “That’s not my goal. I don’t see myself as that. I was brought into this league — I was brought to the Jets — to be a certain caliber of player. Being injured for two years has kind of taken that away from me. My mistakes were shown on the field my first two years and me getting better has kind of been behind the scenes.
“I believe I can be one of the best,” he added. “I’ve shown that in glimpses. What I’ve been searching for is consistency. I think that consistency will allow me to be that great player that I always see myself being.”
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