The New York Jets were eliminated from playoff contention following their 23-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
After the game second-year passer Zach Wilson met up with Seahawks Pro Bowl QB Geno Smith and shared a special moment on the field. They embraced for 14 seconds as Smith was seemingly giving Wilson some “words of encouragement” according to Ari Meirov:
Looks like Geno Smith gave some words of encouragement to Zach Wilson after today’s game vs. the Jets. Really cool to see.
(🎥 @Seahawks)
Geno Smith Knows Exactly What Zach Wilson Is Going Through on Jets
Wilson has been benched multiple times in his second season and at one time was considered the savior of the franchise. The 23-year-old was the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Smith didn’t go as high as Wilson did in the NFL draft (No. 39 overall in the second round), but he shared a similar burden of being the future face of the franchise on the Jets.
The former West Virginia product lasted through his four-year rookie contract but sought out greener pastures in new locations. Smith learned from the mistakes of his past that included a benching of his own with the Jets.
Now at 32 years of age Smith is in the midst of a career season. He has set new career highs in completion percentage, yards, touchdowns, and he was nominated for his first Pro Bowl.
This offseason he is set to receive a monster contract whether from the Seahawks or another one of the 31 NFL franchises.
Smith knows exactly what Wilson has gone through and what is still to come in his young NFL career.
Social Media Reacts to Viral Geno Smith, Zach Wilson Moment
The viral Smith-Wilson meeting on the field caused a lot of different reactions on social media.
@MySportsUpdate @Seahawks “Geno Smith gave some words of encouragement to Zach Wilson.”
The Words of Encouragement:
One Twitter user said the words of encouragement were “Get Out!” The Jets have had a bad track record with developing quarterbacks and there’s a recent history of guys getting away then finding success.
@MySportsUpdate @Seahawks 3-0 in revenge games, eliminates the Jets from the playoffs and yet he’s still a gentleman
Smith ended up going 3-0 against his old teams this year: the New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, and now the Jets. Despite that, he still carved out time to show a lot of class.
Will Blackmon on Twitter said that Smith is simply paying it forward. As someone who experienced their own set of trials and tribulations, it is only right that you share.
Another Twitter user raised an interesting possibility that perhaps Wilson can follow the Geno career arc. While his specific case is a bit unique, the theme of his career is once he got to a new location he was able to find success.
Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need. We’ll see what that potentially means for Wilson this offseason.
As one user noted being a quarterback in the NFL is a special part of a fraternity. All of these guys look out for each other and genuinely care about others’ success.
As we talked about earlier, Smith has experienced a lot of the same things Wilson has and can relate to his problems. Only so many people have ever been a starting quarterback for the Jets and with that comes a ton of pressure and an intense spotlight.
Comments
Zach Wilson & Geno Smith Share Viral Moment After Jets-Seahawks Game