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Eugene Cyril "Geno" Smith III (born October 10, 1990) is an American professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
for the
Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the West Virginia Mountaineers, leading them to multiple
bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...
s, breaking numerous passing records, and garnering multiple awards before being selected by the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
in the second round of the
2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. After two inconsistent seasons as the Jets' starting quarterback, Smith eventually lost his starting position due to injuries in his final two years with the team. Smith then spent time as a backup for the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
and
Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...
before unexpectedly making a career resurgence as the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
' starting quarterback in 2022, earning his first
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...
selection, having his first winning record and playoff berth as a starter, leading the league in completion percentage, and ultimately winning the Comeback Player of the Year award. Smith would remain the Seahawks' starting quarterback for the next two seasons before being traded to the Raiders in 2025.


Early life

Smith was born to high school students Eugene Smith Jr. and Tracy Sellers in Miramar, Florida on October 10, 1990. His family originally hails from Bimini in the
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
. His great-uncle, Danny Smith, was a record breaking All-American hurdler at
Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
, and his cousin Mel Bratton was a star
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
at
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
in the mid-1980s. Smith's nickname, Geno, came from his grandfather, who was nicknamed "Big Geno". Smith was admitted to Norland Middle School's magnet program, which dedicated two hours per day to arts instruction. He went on to attend Miramar High School, where he was coached by former Mountaineer Damon Cogdell. As a junior, Smith passed for 2,200 yards, 25
touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
, and three interceptions, and was named second-team all-state quarterback. He was also named second-team all-Broward County as an athlete for 2007.. Following his junior year, Smith was invited to the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp in Aliso Viejo, California. During Smith's senior season, he led his team to the state 6A semi-finals and completed 205 of 338 passes for 3,089 yards and 30 touchdowns while also rushing for over 300 yards. Smith was a first-team all-state selection in Florida Class 6A and a Parade All-American. He was also the No. 1 rated player in Broward County according to the ''
Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by McClatchy, The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward County, Fl ...
'' and '' South Florida Sun Sentinel'', and finished No. 2 in the voting for Mr. Florida. Smith finished his career as the third-best passer in Broward County history, and was named to the
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
Top 150 prospects list. He chose to attend
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
over offers from
Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
,
South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...
,
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
, and
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
.


College career

Smith attended
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...
, where he played for the
West Virginia Mountaineers football The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University (WVU) in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. West Virginia plays its home games at Milan Puskar Stadium on the campus of West V ...
team from 2009 to 2012. Smith was an English major during his time at West Virginia.


Freshman year

Smith saw some action his freshman year as the backup behind senior Jarrett Brown. His first snap in a regular season game came against Auburn; Smith completed five of eight passes for 50 yards and an interception. He would see action again against Syracuse, Marshall, Louisville, and in the Gator Bowl against
Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
. In his freshman year at West Virginia University, Smith completed 32 of 49 passes for 309 yards, a touchdown, and an interception for an 81.1 quarterback rating to go along with 17 carries for seven yards as the backup to starting quarterback Brown.


Sophomore year

2010 was Smith's first year as the starting quarterback. Smith got his first start in the season opener against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, completing 20 of 27 passes for 216 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the 31–0 shutout victory. With the Mountaineers down 21–6 against in-state rival,
Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...
, Smith led his team to a fourth quarter comeback victory. He led the first drive from the Mountaineers' 4-yard line. With help from senior running back Noel Devine, the Mountaineers cut Marshall's lead to eight points. After the Mountaineers' defense stopped Marshall, a punt put the Mountaineers near their own end zone again, starting from the 2-yard line. After completing 9 of 13 passes and scrambling for 20 yards, Smith found tight end Will Johnson in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown. With Marshall still leading 21–19, head coach Bill Stewart elected to go for the two-point conversion. Smith completed a pass to wide receiver Jock Sanders in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion. The Mountaineers went on to win the game in overtime by a score of 24–21. Smith finished the game completing 32 of 45 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown to go along with 14 carries for 13 yards. After two games, Smith led the
Big East Conference The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...
in passing yards and passing efficiency. In a 31–17 victory over
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, Smith completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 268 yards and four touchdowns. Two of his touchdowns were to Tavon Austin, and the other two were to Stedman Bailey. Smith won his first Big East Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. In West Virginia's first meeting ever with
LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
, the Mountaineers lost at Tiger Stadium by a score of 20–14. Smith completed 14 of 29 pass attempts for 119 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception to go along with five carries for 10 yards. Smith threw for 220 yards and ran for 19 yards in West Virginia's 49–10 win over
UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...
. It was the most points WVU had scored since playing Connecticut in 2007. During a 16–13 overtime loss to Connecticut, Smith completed 22 of 34 passes for 160 yards to go along with a season-high 64 rushing yards. This was the first game all season where Smith did not throw a touchdown pass. The loss was also the first time Connecticut had ever beaten West Virginia. Smith tied his record for touchdowns in a game in a 37–10 win over
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, where he was 15 for 25, throwing for 174 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. The win came after a two-game losing streak. It was the first time the Mountaineers beat Cincinnati since 2007. Smith won his second Big East Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. On November 26 against Pittsburgh, Smith threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns in the 35–10 victory. In the next game against Rutgers, he had 352 passing yards and a touchdown in the 35–14 victory. Smith finished the 2010 season with 196 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a 23–7 loss to North Carolina State in the Champs Sports Bowl. Smith finished his sophomore season completing 241 of 372 passes for 2,763 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to go along with 106 carries for 217 yards.


Junior year

With the arrival of new West Virginia football head coach Dana Holgorsen and a new passing-based offensive system, Smith saw his passing numbers improve drastically. In the fourth game of the season against the #2 LSU Tigers, Smith set school records for completions (38), attempts (65), and passing yards (463) in the 47–21 loss on September 24, 2011. With 372 passing yards against the
Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the college sports, athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. The teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision as members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats were pr ...
on November 12, Smith tied a Big East record with his seventh 300-yard game of the season. He tied the record that was set in 2007 by Brian Brohm of the
Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...
. Smith set single-season school records for pass completions (291), attempts (448), and yards (3,741) on November 25 in a win against the rival Pittsburgh Panthers. All three records were previously held by Marc Bulger. In West Virginia's 70–33 rout of the Clemson Tigers in the 2012 Orange Bowl, Smith tied three individual bowl records: most touchdown passes (six), most touchdowns overall (seven) and total points (42). Smith's 401 passing yards broke
Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...
's Orange Bowl record of 396 that he set in the 2000 Orange Bowl. Smith also became the Big East single-season passing leader with 4,379 yards, breaking Brian Brohm's mark that he set in 2007.


Senior year

As a senior, Smith put together multiple great statistical performances for the Mountaineers. In the season opening victory over Marshall, he finished 32-of-36 for 323 yards and four touchdowns. In the next game, a victory over James Madison, he finished 34-of-39 for 411 yards and five touchdowns. On September 29 against Baylor, Smith had a career-day, completing 45-of-51 passes for 656 yards and eight touchdowns in the 70–63 victory. In the next game, a victory over Texas, he finished with 268 passing yards and four touchdowns to help lead the Mountaineers to a 5–0 record. After the win over Texas, the season started to falter for the Mountaineers. Despite some solid individual results, Smith and the Mountaineers dropped the next five games. On November 23, Smith had 236 passing yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Iowa State to stop the losing streak. In the regular season finale against Kansas, he finished 23-of-24 for 407 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in the 59–10 victory. In the Pinstripe Bowl against Syracuse, he finished with 201 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 38–14 loss. Smith finished the season with 4,205 passing yards, 42 touchdowns, and six interceptions to go along with 66 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns. After the season, he officially announced his decision to enter the
2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
.


Awards and honors

* All-Big East Conference Second-team (2010) * All-Big East Conference First-team (2011) * 4× Big East Offensive Player of the Week * 2012 Orange Bowl Most Valuable Player * 3× Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week * 2× National Offensive Player of the Week (for week ending September 3, 2012; for week ending September 29, 2012)


College statistics


Professional career


Pre-draft

Smith received an invitation to the
NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...
where his performance was well received by scouts who highlighted his athleticism and strong arm but noted that his ball placement needed improvement. Smith was widely regarded as one of the top prospects alongside EJ Manuel of
Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
. In the days leading up to the draft, several NFL teams expressed interest in Smith including the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
(No. 1 selection), the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
(No. 2 selection), the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
(No. 3 selection), the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
(No. 4 selection), the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
(No. 8 selection), and the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
(No. 9 and No. 13 selections).


New York Jets


Draft and signing

Smith was in attendance for the first round of the draft as many analysts and scouts expected him to be taken that night. However, Smith was not selected, and EJ Manuel was the lone quarterback taken in the first round. Smith declined to be interviewed by
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
afterwards and originally planned to return home but later decided to attend the second day of the draft. Several league executives alleged Smith did not handle the draft process in a professional manner, which caused him to fall out of the first round, while analysts pointed to his late-season decline as a senior at West Virginia, which exposed his flaws, as the primary reason. The following day, the Jets expressed interest in trading up in the second round to select Smith but could not consummate a trade. Despite this, Smith remained available and the Jets selected him with the 39th overall pick. Following the selection, General manager John Idzik stated that Smith would compete with incumbent Mark Sanchez in
training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...
to determine the starting quarterback. Smith fired his agency, Select Sports Group, upon the completion of the draft and sought new representation. He signed with Roc Nation Sports on May 22, 2013, with Kimberley Miale serving as his representative. Smith worked out in his home state of Florida during the offseason, prompting questions as to whether or not he had spurned Sanchez by not attending Sanchez's Jets West summer camp in California. Smith and Sanchez dismissed this notion with Sanchez saying that it was "no big deal."


2013 season

On July 22, 2013, Smith signed a four-year, $5 million contract with approximately $690,000 in workout bonuses. Smith made his professional debut on August 9, 2013, in the first preseason game against the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
. He completed 6-of-7 passes for 47 yards but left the game due to an ankle injury in the second quarter.
X-rays An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...
showed no structural damage and Smith returned to practice on August 11. Smith started the Jets' third preseason game against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
completing 16 of 30 passes for 199 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions. Smith was named the team's starting quarterback after Sanchez suffered a shoulder injury against the Giants. During the season-opening 18–17 victory over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
, Smith completed 24-of-38 passes for 256 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. With only a few seconds left in the fourth quarter, he was hit out of bounds by Lavonte David, which drew a late hit penalty and the Jets went on to score the game-winning field goal. In the next game against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
, Smith struggled as he completed 15 of his 35 passes for 214 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions as the Jets lost on the road by a score of 13–10. The following week against the Bills, Smith completed 16 of 29 passes for 331 yards, rushing for a touchdown and passing for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Despite 20 penalties, the Jets powered through and won 27–20. Smith became the first rookie quarterback in franchise history to throw for 300 or more yards in a game. Smith struggled in the Week 4 38–13 road loss to the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
. He completed 23 of his 34 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown while committing four turnovers—two led to Titans touchdowns as the Jets lost 13–38. During a narrow Week 5 30–28 road victory over the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
, Smith completed 16 of 20 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns. He completed all four of his passes on the Jets' final drive, allowing
Nick Folk Nicholas Alexander Folk (born November 5, 1984) is an American professional American football, football placekicker. He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats football, Arizona Wildcats, where he received first-team 2006 All-Pacific-10 ...
to kick the game-winning 43-yard field goal. Smith was named
American Football Conference The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States. The AFC and its counterpart, the National Football Conference ...
Offensive Player of the Week and Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for his performance. In the next game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
, Smith threw for 201 yards and two interceptions as the Jets lost by a score of 19–6. The following week against the Patriots, he completed 17 of 33 passes for 233 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Jets won by a score of 30–27 in overtime. Smith struggled during the Week 8 9–49 road loss to the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
as he completed 20-of-30 passes for 159 yards and two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns before being relieved of duties by Matt Simms in the fourth quarter. Smith started in the next game against the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
and completed eight of 19 passes for 115 yards to go along with six carries for 18 yards and a touchdown in a 26–20 upset victory. The Jets returned from their bye week to lose three straight contests to the Bills,
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
and
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
. Smith struggled during this stretch as he failed to score any points and committed eight turnovers; he was benched in favor of Simms against Buffalo and Miami leading coach Rex Ryan to be noncommittal in starting Smith the rest of the year. Smith showed gradual improvement as the Jets won three of their final four games. During a Week 14 37–27 victory over the Raiders, Smith completed 16 of his 25 passes for 219 yards, a touchdown, and an interception to go along with five carries for 50 yards, keeping the team in playoff contention. In the next game against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
, Smith performed well until throwing a costly pick six in the fourth quarter. The Jets lost on the road by a score of 30–20 and were eliminated from playoff contention. Smith finished the game completing 15 of 28 passes for 167 yards, a touchdown, and interception. The following week against the Browns, Smith completing 20-of-36 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 10 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown as the Jets won by a score of 24–13. In the regular-season finale against the Dolphins, Smith completed 17-of-27 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown to go along with 10 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown as the Jets won on the road by a score of 20–7, eliminating Miami from playoff contention. Smith finished his rookie year with 3,046 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions to go along with 72 carries for 366 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games and starts.


2014 season: Struggles and eventual benching

Smith was named the starter to begin the 2014 season. He began the season passing for 221 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the 19–14 season-opening victory over the Raiders. In the next game against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
, he passed for 176 yards, a touchdown, and an interception to go along with seven carries for 26 yards and a touchdown in the 31–24 road loss. The following week against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
, Smith's very first play resulted in an interception returned for a touchdown by Ryan Mundy. Smith finished the game with 316 passing yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions as the Jets lost to the Bears by a score of 27–19. During a Week 4 24–17 loss to the Lions, Smith threw for 209 yards with an interception and lost fumble. On October 3, 2014, he was fined $12,000 for yelling profanity at fans while walking to the locker room during halftime in Week 4. Despite this incident, Smith was allowed to start in the next game against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
, in which he threw for only 27 yards with an interception and was benched for the second half in favor of
Michael Vick Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is an American college football coach and former player who is the Head coach, head football coach at Norfolk State Spartans football, Norfolk State University. He played quarterback in the National F ...
as the Jets were shut out on the road 31–0. Prior to the Week 5 game, Smith and a few of his teammates missed a team meeting, having gone to a movie theater in San Diego, unaware of the three-hour time difference between the Eastern and
Pacific Time Zone The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00 ...
s. Smith started in the Week 6 31–17 loss to the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
, throwing for 190 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. During a 27–25 road loss to the Patriots in Week 7, Smith threw for 226 yards and the Jets combined for 218 rushing yards, but the potential game-winning drive fell short due to a blocked field goal. In the next game, Smith lasted only ten minutes to begin regulation as he completed 2-of-8 passes for five yards and three interceptions against the Bills, and was subsequently benched in favor of Michael Vick. His passer rating for that game was 0.04. In the regular-season finale against the Dolphins, Smith led the Jets to a 37–24 road victory, completing 20 of 25 passes for a career-high 358 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a perfect passer rating. This was his first perfect game, the sixth in Jets history, and the only one of the 2014 season. Smith finished his second professional season with 2,525 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions to go along with 59 carries for 238 yards and a touchdown in 14 games and 13 starts.


2015 season: Preseason injuries

On August 11, 2015, Smith was involved in an altercation with defensive end IK Enemkpali in the locker room over an alleged $600 unpaid debt. Smith suffered a fractured jaw after Enemkpali punched him in the face. Smith was ruled out for 6–10 weeks, and Enemkpali was released by the Jets shortly thereafter. Two days later, Smith underwent surgery on his fractured jaw.
Ryan Fitzpatrick Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine teams, the ...
led the team to a 2–0 record while Smith was injured, so new head coach Todd Bowles decided to continue starting Fitzpatrick, even with Smith being healthy. During a Week 8 34–20 road loss to the Raiders, Smith entered the game in relief of Fitzpatrick, who left the game with an injured thumb. Smith completed 27 of 42 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception to go along with two carries for 34 yards. This was his only appearance in 2015.


2016 season: Torn ACL

With Ryan Fitzpatrick re-signing with the Jets, Smith continued to remain in the backup role. During a Week 6 28–3 road loss to the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
, Smith came in after Fitzpatrick was benched for poor performance. Smith finished the game completing four of six passes for 31 yards and an interception. Two days later, he was named starter for the following game in place of Fitzpatrick. Making the start in Week 7 against the Ravens, Smith threw for 95 yards and a touchdown until leaving the eventual 24–16 victory with an apparent knee injury. The next day, it was revealed that he tore his ACL, prematurely ending his 2016 season. Smith was placed on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
on October 26, 2016.


New York Giants

On March 28, 2017, Smith signed with the Giants. During a Week 9 51–17 loss to the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
, Smith came in the game in relief of
Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning family, he is the youngest ...
late in the fourth quarter and finished with only two incomplete passes. On November 28, 2017, the Giants named Smith the starter for the upcoming game against the Raiders, which ended Manning's 210-game starting streak with the Giants. The start made Smith the first black quarterback to start for the Giants and the first quarterback to start for both the Giants and the Jets; it also meant every NFL team had started a black player at quarterback, with the Giants being the last team to do so. Making his first start with the Giants, Smith threw for 212 yards and a touchdown but had two first-half fumbles within the Raiders' 30 yard line and the Giants lost by a score of 17–24. On December 5, Manning was renamed the starter.


Los Angeles Chargers

On April 1, 2018, Smith signed a one-year contract with the
Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...
. During a Week 6 38–14 road victory over the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, Smith made his Chargers debut, completing one pass for eight yards. Overall, Smith appeared in five games in the 2018 season in relief roles.


Seattle Seahawks

Smith signed with the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
on May 15, 2019.


2019 season

Smith competed with Paxton Lynch for the backup job behind
Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...
. He was released on August 31, 2019, along with Lynch, but was re-signed the next day, earning the backup job. Smith saw no action during his first season with the team.


2020 season

Smith re-signed with the Seahawks on May 20, 2020. His only appearance came during a Week 14 40–3 victory over his former team, the Jets, as he played out the final 16:26 of the game. Smith completed four of five passes for 33 yards, leading the Seahawks to a field goal on the second of his two drives.


2021 season

Smith re-signed with the Seahawks for a third season on April 22, 2021. He made his first appearance of the 2021 season in Week 5 against the Rams after Russell Wilson left the game with a finger injury. Smith finished the 26–17 home loss with 131 passing yards, a touchdown (which was his first since 2017), and an interception. Smith was announced the starter after Wilson was placed on injured reserve. In the next game against the Steelers, Smith threw for 209 yards and a touchdown, but lost a fumble in overtime in the 20–23 overtime road loss. Two weeks later, against the Jaguars, Smith finished with 195 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two carries for eight yards and a touchdown. Smith finished the 2021 season with 702 passing yards, five touchdowns, and an interception to go along with nine carries for 42 yards and a touchdown in four games and three starts.


2022 season: Comeback Player of the Year

The Seahawks re-signed Smith on April 19, 2022, but the NFL disapproved Smith's new contract that same day after conducting the league's mandatory review; the issue was eventually resolved. Smith competed against
Drew Lock Paul Andrew Lock (born November 10, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers football, Missou ...
for the starting quarterback spot after the Seahawks traded
Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...
to the Broncos in the offseason. On August 26, 2022, Smith was announced as the starting quarterback for the season opener against the Broncos. In that game, Smith completed 23 of 28 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, and the Seahawks won 17–16. Three weeks later against the Lions, Smith threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns as well as 49 rushing yards and a touchdown, leading the Seahawks to a 48–45 road victory. He was named
National Football Conference The National Football Conference (NFC) is a conference of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference (AFC), each h ...
Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. During a Week 8 27–13 victory over his former team, the Giants, Smith threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns. On December 21, 2022, Smith was selected to his first
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...
. During a Week 17 23–6 victory over his former team, the Jets, Smith completed 18 of 29 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, keeping the Seahawks alive in the playoff hunt and eliminating the team that drafted him in the process. In a must-win game during the regular-season finale against the Rams, he completed 19 of 31 passes for 213 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions in the 19–16 overtime victory. During the game, Smith became the Seahawks’ single-season passing leader, surpassing
Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...
's mark of 4,219 yards set back in
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
. With the win and the Packers' loss to the Lions later that night, the Seahawks clinched a playoff berth as the seventh seed, marking Smith's first playoff appearance. Smith finished the regular season with numerous career highs, completing 399 of 572 passes, with a league-leading 69.8% completion percentage, for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 100.9 passer rating in 17 games to go along with 68 carries for 366 yards and a touchdown. He was also the only quarterback to take every offensive snap for his team that season. Smith was named Comeback Player of the Year by the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
and the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). In addition, the PFWA named him as their Most Improved Player. The Seahawks traveled to San Francisco to face the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
in the Wild Card Round, Smith's first career postseason start. He completed 25 of 35 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, while also losing a fumble, as the Seahawks lost, 41–23. He was ranked 77th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.


2023 season

On March 14, 2023, Smith re-signed with the Seahawks on a three-year, $75 million deal. In a Week 2 37–31 shootout overtime win over the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
, Smith threw for 328 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 20 yards. Smith was briefly knocked out by a knee injury in Week 4 24–3 over the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
, but returned finishing the game with one passing touchdown, 110 passing yards, and a reception that went for −2 yards. In Week 10 against the
Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...
, Smith threw for a career-high 369 yards and two touchdowns along a rush for 13 yards. The Seahawks won 29–26 after Smith led a game-winning drive that ended with a field goal as time expired. Smith was forced out of the following week's game against the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
after suffering an injury to his throwing elbow in the third quarter. He returned with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter with his team down 16–17, and led a drive into field goal range, but Jason Myers missed a 55-yard potential game-winning field goal with two seconds left, and the Seahawks lost. Smith finished the game with one passing touchdown, 233 passing yards, and −1 rushing yards from a kneel down at the end of the first half. In Week 13 against the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
, Smith had a career-high four total touchdowns (three passing and one rushing), 334 passing yards, an interception, and six rushing yards in 35–41 shootout loss. Smith missed the next two games after suffering a groin injury in practice with
Drew Lock Paul Andrew Lock (born November 10, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers football, Missou ...
starting in his place. In his return to the field in Week 16 against the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
, Smith led two long touchdowns drives in the second half, the second of which occurred in the final minutes of the game, that propelled the Seahawks to a 20–17 win. Smith finished the game with 227 passing yards and the two aforementioned touchdowns as well as two rushing yards. The last-minute touchdown drive came just one week after Lock led one of his own against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
in an identical 20–17 outcome. In Week 18 against the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
, Smith threw a touchdown and a go-ahead two-point conversion (both to Tyler Lockett) in the fourth quarter in 21–20 win. He finished the game 189 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and 28 yards rushing. Smith finished the season with 3,624 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions along with 155 yards rushing and a touchdown. He also threw an NFL record seven go-ahead touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and overtime during the season and posted the league's best Total QBR over the final six weeks. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive season.


2024 season

In Week 4 of the 2024 season, Smith passed for 395 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the 42–29 loss to the Detroit Lions. On the road against the 49ers in Week 11, Smith led the Seahawks on an 11-play, 80-yard drive, capped off with a 13-yard touchdown run to put Seattle ahead with 12 seconds left as they won 20–17. Smith finished the year with 4,283 passing yards, breaking his own Seahawks single-season record from 2022. He also broke Seahawks records for single-season passing attempts and completions, with 573 and 400, respectively. In winning 10 games, posting a season-long completion percentage of over 70%, and setting a new personal best for yards thrown in the season, Smith earned $6 million worth of incentives.


Las Vegas Raiders

On March 13, 2025, Smith was traded to the
Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...
in exchange for the 92nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. The trade reunited Smith with former Seahawks head coach
Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach for the NCAA's ...
. Smith, who had one year remaining on the contract he signed with the Seahawks, did not sign a contract extension with the Raiders upon the deal's initial completion. However, on April 3, Smith and the Raiders agreed to terms on a two-year, $75 million contract extension.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Postseason


Jets franchise records

* Most passing yards in a single season by a rookie: 3,046 (2013)


Seahawks franchise records

* Highest completion percentage in a single season: 70.4% (2024) * Most passing yards in a season: 4,320 (2024) * Most pass completions in a single season: 407 (2024) * Most pass attempts in a single season: 578 (2024)


Personal life

He married his college girlfriend, Hayley Eastham, in July 2015. His son, Seven Santana Smith, named in honor of his jersey number, was born on July 17, 2019. Smith is a
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, frequently posting about his faith on his
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account. Prior to the 2023 NFL season, Smith told Peter King that he had adopted a
pescatarian Pescetarianism ( ; sometimes spelled pescatarianism) is a dietary practice in which seafood is the only source of meat in an otherwise vegetarian diet. The inclusion of other animal products, such as eggs and dairy, is optional. According to res ...
diet, having abstained from eating chicken or beef for most of the year to date. Smith’s cousin is
Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...
all-American wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.


See also

* List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders


References


External links

*
Las Vegas Raiders bio

West Virginia Mountaineers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Geno 1990 births Living people American Christians American football quarterbacks American people of Bahamian descent Las Vegas Raiders players Los Angeles Chargers players Miramar High School alumni National Conference Pro Bowl players New York Giants players New York Jets players Sportspeople from Miramar, Florida Seattle Seahawks players Players of American football from Broward County, Florida West Virginia Mountaineers football players NFL Comeback Player of the Year winners