TRUE COLORS
The Giants signed one former Jet this week, and now they are looking at another.
Free-agent quarterback Geno Smith visited the Giants on Saturday, a source confirmed. Smith, who spent the past four years with the Jets, could join Brandon Marshall across town, to serve as Eli Manning’s backup.
Smith, 26, started 30 games for the Jets after the team took him in the second round of the 2013 draft. He lost his starting job in August 2015, when he suffered a broken jaw after teammate IK Enemkpali punched him in the locker room over an unpaid debt.
Smith sat on the bench behind Ryan Fitzpatrick the past two years. He started one game last year, when Fitzpatrick was benched, but tore the ACL in his right knee in the second quarter against the Ravens.
Smith’s recovery from the injury and subsequent surgery will be an important factor for any team interested in him. In an interview with the NFL Network last month, Smith said he should be ready for training camp.
“I’m about five months in, heading into month six,” Smith said. “I should be on schedule to be a full-go during camp when
that comes around, and I’m good with that. Maybe not do as much in organized team activities as far as on-field stuff, but we’ll see how it goes.”
The Giants are in the market for a backup to Manning — with Ryan Nassib, who is coming off of elbow surgery, hitting free agency. The backup quarterback market is thin. Smith could thrive in an environment where he could learn from Manning for a year or two and try to hit the market again. The Jets and Smith have not ruled out his return, but a change of scenery might be the best thing for Smith.
Smith hopes to be a starter but told NFL Network he understands he probably will need to be a backup somewhere.
“I’m open to it,” Smith said. “That’s not my goal. … I was brought into this league, I was brought to the Jets, to be a certain caliber of player, and being injured for two years has kind of taken that away from me. My mistakes were shown on the field my first two years, then me getting better has kind of been behind the scenes.
“The next time I step on the field, it will be what people expect. People want to see you get better. They want to see you move past your mistakes. I’ve done that. I’ve just done it behind the scenes.”
Smith has completed 57.9 percent of his passes over four years, throwing 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He started all 16 games as a rookie in 2013 and started 13 in 2014 before losing the job in 2015 after the punch.
Smith would be the latest Jet to make the move across town. The Giants signed Marshall to a two-year deal this week after the Jets released him. Last year, the Giants signed free-agent Damon Harrison, who spent his first four years with the Jets.