The day will come when fan bases in other cities will appreciate Daniel Jones being their quarterback, just as the good people of Seattle and the North Country people of Minneapolis appreciate the players currently behind center. Maybe?
Sometimes it's best for everyone involved to get out of it and move on. The Giants haven't hired Jones yet, but he's already been given more life with a team that drafted him higher in the NFL Draft than Geno Smith and Sam Darnold were given with the Jets. Darnold has already taken the Giants to the cabin this season, and Smith will be at Lumen Field for Sunday afternoon's game against the Seahawks.
One of the quarterbacks in Seattle this weekend has found a home after wandering around the NFL. The other one has been staying in the same place for 6 years, but hasn't really put down roots and is much more likely to be somewhere else in 2025 than it is to stay there .
“It's great to see him do what he's done,” Jones told the Post Wednesday while sitting at his locker after practice. “Obviously he's very talented and he's very good at throwing the ball. I didn't see a lot of him when he was younger in the league, but I think he always had that ability and his It's impressive to watch him play. You can see that he sees well, understands what he's looking at, gets the ball in the right spot and throws it well.
“I think every situation is a little different. It helps a lot to be on the same page with your peers, build it together, build chemistry, spend time on the job, and have guys you can trust. Some people I think we've seen that in our players.”
Darnold is currently the NFL's highest-rated quarterback for the undefeated Vikings, but Smith, at the helm of a 3-1 team, is in one of the biggest rebuilding projects at the quarterback position the league has ever seen. be. So what does it mean that the former Jets saviors have found another team to save?
How much do the Seahawks trust Smith? He leads the league in pass attempts (159), completions (115) and passing yards (1,182). Sure, he has big weapons in receivers DK Metcalf, Jackson Smith-Njiba, Tyler Lockett, and tight end Noah Fant, but no matter how skilled, everyone can target the ball. It is not possible to deliver to. Last week, Smith stood tall in the pocket and completed 38 of 56 passes for 395 yards in a 42-29 loss at Detroit.
It was truly a turning point in my career. Smith was something of a punchline for the Jets — and not just because he got punched out by his teammates once — going 12-18 with 28 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions in four years. The only reason he wasn't forced out of town is because the Giants signed him in 2017 as a backup to Eli Manning and traded the green for blue to keep Smith in town.
Smith's short tenure with the Giants was so unpopular with the public that one game in which he started in place of his beloved Manning caused an uproar, and coach Ben McAdoo and general manager, who approved the transfer, Jerry Reese was fired the next day. day.
The league was not filled with believers. Smith sat on the Chargers' bench behind Philip Rivers in 2018 and behind Russell Wilson in Seattle in 2020 and 2021. When Wilson's 10-year run with the Seahawks came to an end, there didn't seem to be any compelling succession plans for the franchise. Geno Smith? It's not a joke.
It worked out well for the 33-year-old, who has persevered despite expectations and abuse.
“That's another guy you don't want to be around all the time,” said Giants backup Drew Lock, who was Smith's teammate in Seattle last season. “A guy who’s been through what he’s been through, there’s nothing you can throw at him that’s going to shape him at this point.”
Locke said Smith showed no psychological scars. Now you have to look at him differently, as he has stood up.
“Yeah, I think we have to do that,” coach Brian Daboll said. “Sometimes you go through tough times. It seems like a lot of quarterbacks have been through a fair amount of that in recent years. He's played football in a lot of different places and he's really used to it. He's a veteran player who makes really good decisions and throws the ball well.
“You can see in the game how he bounces back. The first game against Denver, the sack on the first play, the interception on the next play. He just keeps chuck-chuck. I love him and his career. , I have a lot of respect for his journey in this league, the way he's played, and the way he's leading this team right now.”
The Jones careers and journeys continue right where they started. No one knows how long it will last. There can be no second act unless there is a way out.
