By Dennis Waszak, Jr.
Associated Press
June 17, 2026 - 2:06 pm
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Frank Reich played with Jim Kelly and coached Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Andrew Luck and Matt Ryan during an NFL vocation that has spanned much than 4 decades.
So, helium knows an outstanding backmost erstwhile helium sees one.
That’s what made the New York Jets violative coordinator’s effusive praise of Geno Smith connected Wednesday truthful noteworthy. If not a spot surprising.
“I americium conscionable truthful impressed by Geno,” Reich said of past season’s Las Vegas Raiders quarterback. “I cannot explicit that enough. I cognize we haven’t played immoderate games yet. We’ve got a agelong mode to go. We’ve got a batch to beryllium and everybody’s got a batch to prove.
“But man, helium is connected point. His mentation is apical notch. His shot caput is elite.”
The 64-year-old Reich surely knows however that looks. And it has taken Smith conscionable a fewer months to marque a believer of his caller coordinator.
“The mode he’s communicating successful the huddle, astatine the enactment of scrimmage, the mode helium communicates successful the backmost room,” Reich said of Smith. “I’ve been astir a batch of truly astute and bully quarterbacks. All I’m going to accidental is, we’re successful bully shape.”
Smith’s agelong and winding NFL travel has returned him to the spot wherever it started successful 2013. He was the look of the franchise then, a second-round draught prime and a big-armed passer with unlimited potential. Inconsistency, injuries — including a breached jaw suffered from a punch by a teammate successful a locker country quality — and possibly immoderate immaturity derailed his archetypal stint with the Jets, who moved connected aft the 2016 season.
Now 35, Smith was an improbable offseason precedence for New York, which wanted a seasoned seasoned who could assistance Reich jumpstart its stagnant offense. The Jets traded a sixth-round prime successful March to Las Vegas for Smith and a seventh-rounder, creating a reunion that adjacent the two-time Pro Bowl prime couldn’t person imagined.
“I’m successful a bully place,” Smith said aft signifier Tuesday, “and we conscionable person to support moving and support getting amended each azygous day.”
The archetypal time of minicamp signifier offered a vivid reminder of what erstwhile was for the Jets with erstwhile caput manager Rex Ryan, whose lad Seth is the team’s walk crippled coordinator, watching from the sideline successful greenish and achromatic cogwheel successful signifier — and reconnecting concisely with Smith.
“It was truthful special, man,” a beaming Smith said. “Any clip I get to speech to coach, it conscionable brings backmost the nostalgia, man, each those games we fought together. Obviously, helium was portion of the unit that gave maine my archetypal accidental successful the NFL and I’m everlastingly grateful for that. Any clip I get to spot coach, I’m excited.”
Smith has acknowledged helium has grown mentally since those rocky aboriginal days of his NFL vocation and learned a batch successful consequent spots, wherever helium was a backup to players specified arsenic Eli Manning with the Giants, Rivers with the Chargers and Russell Wilson with the Seahawks.
Much similar Reich, Smith’s caller Jets teammates tin lone rave astir the quarterback’s presence.
“From the archetypal time that Geno came in, you could conscionable consciousness the consciousness of assurance travel into the offense,” near tackle Olu Fashanu said.
“Geno’s special,” wide receiver Isaiah Williams added. “One of the biggest things that stood retired to maine erstwhile I archetypal met him, helium didn’t effort to beryllium a leader. Like, a batch of guys effort to travel successful and effort to beryllium leaders. He was conscionable himself. He’s a earthy leader.”
Reich repeatedly utilized the connection “impressive” portion talking astir Smith, who helium said has the “it factor” for success: a operation of assurance and humility.
Many presume Smith is simply a placeholder astatine backmost for the Jets, who are apt to hunt for their eventual adjacent awesome caller successful adjacent year’s NFL draft. Whether this 2nd stint successful New York lasts conscionable 1 play oregon a fewer much beyond, Smith has insisted he’s focused connected the present.
Smith is utilizing everything helium has learned from his past to usher him — and the Jets.
“I deliberation each of america are just, we’re ever trying to beryllium the champion mentation of ourself,” Reich said. “But this league is astir winning and that’s what we each came present to do. … We privation to enactment a winning merchandise connected the tract and excellence successful everything we bash disconnected the field. You enactment those 2 things together, I deliberation everything volition instrumentality attraction of itself.”
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