Should the Jets bring back Geno Smith in 2017?
As the New York Jets get ready for one busy offseason ahead, they should part ways with quarterback Geno Smith once and for all. His fifth-year option shouldn’t be picked up in 2017.
The big question mark at quarterback continues for the New York Jets heading into 2017. While the experiment with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was a complete and utter disaster in 2016, even Geno Smith was unable to get much of anything going in his favor. Smith also, unfortunately, suffered a torn ACL injury as a starter this season.
It’s a shame really since there was hope that Smith would be able to silence his critics once and for all by playing with better support around him. Throughout his entire tenure with the Jets, Smith was thrown to the wolves too soon when he was first drafted and simply entered a bad situation with the franchise.
The Jets are notoriously known for mishandling future potential franchise quarterbacks as Smith joins the list of many others that were never developed the right way. With Smith’s inconsistency as a whole and now with him recovering from a torn ACL injury, the Jets are more than likely going to let him hit free agency in 2017.
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It’s no secret that the history and well, the relationship between both the Jets and Smith have been a rocky one. Smith has always done his best to hone his craft each and every offseason but unfortunately, immaturity and bad decisions will ultimately be what defines him.
Frustration isn’t easily handled by everyone but again, Smith never really got a chance to play with top talent around him and every time he played, left much to the imagination.
His off-the-field distractions also didn’t put him in a great position with higher-ups, either. It’s unsure what kind of offers await Smith should he hit free agency but it’s safe to say that the Jets will likely not retain his services for 2017.
There is no telling what general manager Mike Maccagnan is planning for the most important position on the team but both Smith and Fitzpatrick are likely goners. That leaves quarterbacks Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg as the only two left under contract for 2017.
Whether Maccagnan decides to draft yet another quarterback, make a blockbuster trade for a high-profile one, or even let Petty be the main guy moving forward, all remains to be seen. Either way, we more than likely have seen the last of Smith wearing a Jets uniform.