Geno OK with not being the Giants’ Mann

PROFESSOR Eli, meet Geno, the eager pupil.

That’s how ex-Jet quarterback Geno Smith explained his Monday signing with the Giants on a reported one-year, $2 million deal after passing a weekend physical: a “perfect scenario” with an opportunity to learn from “a Hall of Fame quarterback” in Eli Manning.

“I want to carry my notepad around and whatever I see Eli doing, whether it’s in the classroom, on the field or off the field, I want to write it down,” Smith said in a Giants release. “Because he’s a guy you can model yourself after.”

Smith, 26, who is recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered last October, also called his signing “an opportunity to be on a real good team, a winning team, (and to) get healthy.” He sounds excited about the potential for stability playing in East Rutherford, and he said his knee is “doing great.”

“We’re being cautious,” Smith said. “I’m at that stage where I’m feeling healthy enough that I can push it. But I have to be smart about it and not do anything that will cause me setbacks.”

Of course, Smith’s signing with the Giants, where he is competing for a backup job at best, no doubt indicates how low the Jets’ 2013 second-round pick’s stock has dropped. Especially coming off an injury, Smith was not going to find an NFL team willing to bring him in to start.

But clearly Smith is trying to turn this into a positive: If he can’t start, he’ll try to find a fresh start.

“Geno has a great, positive attitude,” GM Jerry Reese said in the release. “And he’s looking forward to learning and competing in our QB room.”

The Giants now have veteran Josh Johnson, whom they resigned Friday to a two-year deal, and Smith as the primary competition for the backup job behind Manning. Reese could draft a quarterback, too, since he admittedly is looking for Manning’s successor. And Keith Wenning, a 2014 Ravens sixth-round pick with no regular-season experience, is on the practice squad.

The Giants’ best-case scenario is for Manning to play every snap, and that’s usually how this plays out: Manning has started 211 consecutive games, including both regular season and playoffs. Smith acknowledged the reality he likely won’t see the field.

“We expect that to continue,” Smith said of Manning’s durability. “I’m not coming aboard expecting anything else.”

So what this really seems to be about is a chance for Smith to rebuild himself physically and mentally in a new, encouraging environment with a recent history of success. Smith cited the opportunity to learn from Giants QBs coach Frank Cignetti, head coach Ben McAdoo and Manning as huge reasons for his decision.

“I think it will work out tremendously for me,” he said.

Smith’s off-field behavior was far from exemplary in four seasons as a Jet: In January 2014, he was kicked off a plane at LAX for refusing to get off his cell phone. In fall 2014, he cursed out a fan after a home loss and then missed team meetings in San Diego, blaming the three-hour time change. Then in August 2015, Smith had his jaw broken by former teammate IK Enemkpali, who sucker-punched Smith in the locker room over a $600 debt.

Smith's failure on the field, though, has had a much greater impact on the quiet market for his services in free agency: He has just a 12-18-0 career record as a starter, with a 57.9 career completion percentage (501-for-866, 5,962 yards), 28 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions.