Getty Rex Ryan speaks to quarterback Geno Smith during a New York Jets game.
Geno Smith is in the midst of a nearly unprecedented turnaround, becoming an NFL star after spending close to a decade as a backup.
If Rex Ryan had his way, that turnaround might have happened with the Buffalo Bills.
Ryan opened up this week about his attempt to trade for Smith in 2016, a move that would have sent Bills starter and first-round pick E.J. Manuel to the New York Jets. The trade never came to fruition, and Smith left the Jets, bouncing around the league and starting only four games over the next four seasons before earning the starting job with the Seattle Seahawks this season.
With Smith now prepared to play in the first Pro Bowl of his career, Ryan recalled the move that almost brought the quarterback to the Bills.
Rex Ryan Predicted Geno Smith’s Comeback
Manuel and Smith were the first two quarterbacks selected in the 2013 NFL Draft, with the Bills taking Manuel with the No. 16 overall pick and the Jets snagging Smith with their second-round pick, No. 39 overall.
Both would win the starting job in their rookie seasons, though neither stood out much. Smith completed 55.8% of his passes for 3,046 yards with 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. Manuel completed 58.8% of his passes for 1,972 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
As ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported, Ryan felt somewhat responsible for Smith’s slow start in the NFL, believing he rushed him into starting rather than spending time on the bench to develop. Ryan was fired at the end of that season, and said he delivered a message to the young quarterback on his way out the door.
“I remember the last thing I said to him,” Ryan told Henderson. “I go, ‘You’re going to be a hell of a quarterback in this league. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be for me.'”
Ryan was hired as the Bills’ head coach following the departure of Doug Marrone in 2014, and Manuel lost his starting job to Tyrod Taylor the next season. Smith also lost his starting job with the Jets, but Ryan still believed in his former starter and tried to trade Manuel for Smith in 2016, Henderson reported.
The trade never came to fruition, and Ryan would be gone from the Bills the next season, replaced by head coach Sean McDermott.
Geno Smith Waited Patiently for Opportunity
While Manuel remained in the NFL for just one season after leaving the Bills in 2017 — appearing in two games and starting one for the then-Oakland Raiders — Smith managed to carve a career as a backup with the New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, and Seattle Seahawks. When the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos last offseason, Smith won the starting job over Drew Lock.
Geno Smith asked about his future with his Seahawks contract ending: “My future is going to be great. I always think that.
“The future for me right now is today, going out and having a great practice.” @thenewstribune
Smith made the most of his opportunity, completing 70.7% of his passes this season for 3,886 yards with 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has the Seahawks in playoff contention and earned his first career Pro Bowl bid at age 32.
“You want to break that ceiling,” Smith told reporters on December 8. “It’s something hovering over you that you just want to break it so you can continue to go further. I just had to stay patient until I had the opportunity.”