Jets, Bills ‘Tried to’ Pull off Rare QB-for-QB Trade: Report

The deal that never was.

ESPN Seattle Seahawks insider Brady Henderson revealed this week that back in 2016 then Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan “tried to trade” former first-round quarterback EJ Manuel for then New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith.

It was supposed to be a straight-up swap “of onetime starters who had become relegated to backup roles.”

Henderson said the trade never came to fruition but it spoke to Ryan’s confidence that he believed Smith would eventually be “a hell of a quarterback in this league.” That was the last conversation Ryan had with Smith after he was fired by the Jets in 2014.

N “If” L on Crazy Jets-Bills Trade Proposal

In 2016 Ryan was entering his second season as the head coach of the Bills.

Manuel was in the last year of his rookie contract after being the No. 16 overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Smith was taken in that same draft class only he went No. 39 overall in the second round out of West Virginia.

In 2016 Manuel had already been relegated to a backup role and Smith found himself in the same situation with the Jets.

Ryan proposed a trade idea that was built around the idea of swapping two quarterbacks that had underperformed at their current locations. Sometimes a change of scenery is all that is required to make something happen.

Of course, the deal never came to fruition.

Ryan would get fired by the Bills at the end of that season and transitioned into television. Manuel bounced around the league for a few more years as a backup before he ultimately got into television as well.

Smith on the other hand bided his time over the next seven years as a professional clipboard holder before getting his chance at redemption over the last two seasons in Seattle.

Geno Smith Gets First Chance at Jets Revenge

After Smith left the Jets in 2017 he bounced around the league as a backup quarterback with the New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, and most recently with the Seattle Seahawks.

After stepping in as a starter last season when Russell Wilson went down with an injury, Smith has reached a new level in 2022.

The former West Virginia product is having a career year in every major statistical category:

• 3,886 passing yards
• 27 touchdowns to 9 interceptions
• 70.7 percent completion percentage

Smith was also nominated for his first career Pro Bowl berth this season.

Now for the first time since leaving the Jets in 2016, Smith has a chance to show his former team exactly what they are missing out on.

Both teams have a shot at the playoffs which would have surprised a lot of people before the 2022 season started.

Seattle and New York started out this season red hot at 6-3, but have totally collapsed since sitting at 7-8 as we enter Week 17.

If the Jets lose they will be immediately eliminated from playoff contention. Smith has an opportunity to stick it to the team that drafted him and simultaneously increase his own’s teams chances of making the big dance.