Geno Smith

Early life

Smith was born to high school students Eugene Smith Jr. and Tracy Sellers in Miramar, Florida on October 10, 1990. His family originally hails from Bimini in the Bahamas. His great-uncle, Danny Smith, was a record breaking All-American hurdler at Florida State, and his cousin Mel Bratton was a star running back at Miami in the mid-1980s. Smith's nickname, Geno, came from his grandfather, who was nicknamed "Big Geno".

Smith was admitted to Norland Middle School's magnet program, which dedicated two hours per day to arts instruction. He went on to attend Miramar High School, where he was coached by former Mountaineer Damon Cogdell. As a junior, Smith passed for 2,200 yards, 25 touchdowns, and three interceptions, and was named second-team all-state quarterback. He was also named second-team all-Broward County as an athlete for 2007. Following his junior year, Smith was invited to the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp in Aliso Viejo, California.

During Smith's senior season, he led his team to the state 6A semi-finals and completed 205 of 338 passes for 3,089 yards and 30 touchdowns while also rushing for over 300 yards. Smith was a first-team all-state selection in Florida Class 6A and a Parade All-American. He was also the No. 1 rated player in Broward County according to the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun Sentinel, and finished No. 2 in the voting for Mr. Florida. Smith finished his career as the third-best passer in Broward County history, and was named to the ESPN Top 150 prospects list. He chose to attend West Virginia over offers from Florida State, South Florida, Boston College, and Alabama.

College career

Smith attended West Virginia University, where he played for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team from 2009 to 2012. Smith was an English major during his time at West Virginia.

Freshman year

Smith saw some action his freshman year as the backup behind senior Jarrett Brown. His first snap in a regular season game came against Auburn; Smith completed five of eight passes for 50 yards and an interception. He would see action again against Syracuse, Marshall, Louisville, and in the Gator Bowl against Florida State. In his freshman year at West Virginia University, Smith completed 32 of 49 passes for 309 yards, a touchdown, and an interception for an 81.1 quarterback rating to go along with 17 carries for seven yards as the backup to starting quarterback Brown.

Sophomore year

2010 was Smith's first year as the starting quarterback. Smith got his first start in the season opener against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, completing 20 of 27 passes for 216 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the 31–0 shutout victory.

With the Mountaineers down 21–6 against in-state rival, Marshall, Smith led his team to a fourth quarter comeback victory. He led the first drive from the Mountaineers' 4-yard line. With help from senior running back Noel Devine, the Mountaineers cut Marshall's lead to eight points. After the Mountaineers' defense stopped Marshall, a punt put the Mountaineers near their own end zone again, starting from the 2-yard line. After completing 9 of 13 passes and scrambling for 20 yards, Smith found tight end Will Johnson in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown. With Marshall still leading 21–19, head coach Bill Stewart elected to go for the two-point conversion. Smith completed a pass to wide receiver Jock Sanders in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion. The Mountaineers went on to win the game in overtime by a score of 24–21. Smith finished the game completing 32 of 45 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown to go along with 14 carries for 13 yards. After two games, Smith led the Big East Conference in passing yards and passing efficiency.

In a 31–17 victory over Maryland, Smith completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 268 yards and four touchdowns. Two of his touchdowns were to Tavon Austin, and the other two were to Stedman Bailey. Smith won his first Big East Offensive Player of the Week for this performance.

In West Virginia's first meeting ever with LSU, the Mountaineers lost at Tiger Stadium by a score of 20–14. Smith completed 14 of 29 pass attempts for 119 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception to go along with five carries for 10 yards.

Smith threw for 220 yards and ran for 19 yards in West Virginia's 49–10 win over UNLV. It was the most points WVU had scored since playing Connecticut in 2007.

During a 16–13 overtime loss to Connecticut, Smith completed 22 of 34 passes for 160 yards to go along with a season-high 64 rushing yards. This was the first game all season where Smith did not throw a touchdown pass. The loss was also the first time Connecticut had ever beaten West Virginia.

Junior year

With the arrival of new West Virginia football head coach Dana Holgorsen and a new passing-based offensive system, Smith saw his passing numbers improve drastically. In the fourth game of the season against the #2 LSU Tigers, Smith set school records for completions (38), attempts (65), and passing yards (463) in the 47–21 loss on September 24, 2011.

With 372 passing yards against the Cincinnati Bearcats on November 12, Smith tied a Big East record with his seventh 300-yard game of the season. He tied the record that was set in 2007 by Brian Brohm of the Louisville Cardinals.

Smith set single-season school records for pass completions (291), attempts (448), and yards (3,741) on November 25 in a win against the rival Pittsburgh Panthers. All three records were previously held by Marc Bulger.

In West Virginia's 70–33 rout of the Clemson Tigers in the 2012 Orange Bowl, Smith tied three individual bowl records: most touchdown passes (six), most touchdowns overall (seven) and total points (42). Smith's 401 passing yards broke Tom Brady's Orange Bowl record of 396 that he set in the 2000 Orange Bowl. Smith also became the Big East single-season passing leader with 4,379 yards, breaking Brian Brohm's mark that he set in 2007.

Senior year

As a senior, Smith put together multiple great statistical performances for the Mountaineers. In the season opening victory over Marshall, he finished 32-of-36 for 323 yards and four touchdowns. In the next game, a victory over James Madison, he finished 34-of-39 for 411 yards and five touchdowns. On September 29 against Baylor, Smith had a career-day, completing 45-of-51 passes for 656 yards and eight touchdowns in the 70–63 victory. In the next game, a victory over Texas, he finished with 268 passing yards and four touchdowns to help lead the Mountaineers to a 5–0 record. After the win over Texas, the season started to falter for the Mountaineers. Despite some solid individual results, Smith and the Mountaineers dropped the next five games. On November 23, Smith had 236 passing yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Iowa State to stop the losing streak. In the regular season finale against Kansas, he finished 23-of-24 for 407 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in the 59–10 victory. In the Pinstripe Bowl against Syracuse, he finished with 201 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 38–14 loss.

Smith finished the season with 4,205 passing yards, an NCAA-leading 42 touchdowns, and six interceptions to go along with 66 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns. After the season, he officially announced his decision to enter the 2013 NFL draft.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Smith received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine where his performance was well received by scouts who highlighted his athleticism and strong arm but noted that his ball placement needed improvement. Smith was widely regarded as one of the top prospects alongside EJ Manuel of Florida State. In the days leading up to the draft, several NFL teams expressed interest in Smith including the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 1 selection), the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 2 selection), the Oakland Raiders (No. 3 selection), the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 4 selection), the Buffalo Bills (No. 8 selection), and the New York Jets (No. 9 and No. 13 selections).

New York Jets (first stint)

Smith was in attendance for the first round of the draft as many analysts and scouts expected him to be taken that night. However, Smith was not selected, and EJ Manuel was the lone quarterback taken in the first round. Smith declined to be interviewed by ESPN afterwards and originally planned to return home but later decided to attend the second day of the draft. Several league executives alleged Smith did not handle the draft process in a professional manner, which caused him to fall out of the first round, while analysts pointed to his late-season decline as a senior at West Virginia, which exposed his flaws, as the primary reason. The following day, the Jets expressed interest in trading up in the second round to select Smith but could not consummate a trade. Despite this, Smith remained available and the Jets selected him with the 39th overall pick. Following the selection, General manager John Idzik stated that Smith would compete with incumbent Mark Sanchez in training camp to determine the starting quarterback.

Smith fired his agency, Select Sports Group, upon the completion of the draft and sought new representation. He signed with Roc Nation Sports on May 22, 2013, with Kimberley Miale serving as his representative. Smith worked out in his home state of Florida during the offseason, prompting questions as to whether or not he had spurned Sanchez by not attending Sanchez's Jets West summer camp in California. Smith and Sanchez dismissed this notion with Sanchez saying that it was "no big deal."

On July 22, 2013, Smith signed a four-year, $5 million contract with approximately $690,000 in workout bonuses.

Smith made his professional debut on August 9, 2013, in the first preseason game against the Detroit Lions. He completed 6-of-7 passes for 47 yards but left the game due to an ankle injury in the second quarter. X-rays showed no structural damage and Smith returned to practice on August 11. Smith started the Jets' third preseason game against the New York Giants completing 16 of 30 passes for 199 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions. Smith was named the team's starting quarterback after Sanchez suffered a shoulder injury against the Giants.

During the season-opening 18–17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Smith completed 24-of-38 passes for 256 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. With only a few seconds left in the fourth quarter, he was hit out of bounds by Lavonte David, which drew a late hit penalty and the Jets went on to score the game-winning field goal. In the next game against the New England Patriots, Smith struggled as he completed 15 of his 35 passes for 214 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions as the Jets lost on the road by a score of 13–10. The following week against the Bills, Smith completed 16 of 29 passes for 331 yards, rushing for a touchdown and passing for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Despite 20 penalties, the Jets powered through and won 27–20. Smith became the first rookie quarterback in franchise history to throw for 300 or more yards in a game.

New York Giants

On March 28, 2017, Smith signed with the New York Giants. During a Week 9 51–17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Smith came in the game in relief of Eli Manning late in the fourth quarter and finished with only two incomplete passes.

On November 28, the Giants named Smith the starter for the upcoming game against the Oakland Raiders, which ended Manning's 210-game starting streak with the Giants. The start made Smith the first African-American quarterback to start for the Giants and the first quarterback to start for both the Giants and the Jets; it also meant every NFL team had started a black player at quarterback, with the Giants being the last team to do so. Making his first start with the Giants, Smith threw for 212 yards and a touchdown but had two first-half fumbles within the Raiders' 30-yard line and the Giants lost by a score of 17–24. On December 5, Manning was renamed the starter.

Los Angeles Chargers

On April 1, 2018, Smith signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.

During a Week 6 38–14 road victory over the Cleveland Browns, Smith made his Chargers debut, completing one pass for eight yards. Overall, Smith appeared in five games during the 2018 season in relief roles.

Seattle Seahawks

Smith signed with the Seattle Seahawks on May 15, 2019.

Smith competed with Paxton Lynch for the backup job behind Russell Wilson. He was released on August 31, 2019, along with Lynch, but was re-signed the next day, earning the backup job. Smith saw no action during his first season with the team.

Smith re-signed with the Seahawks on May 20, 2020. His only appearance came during a Week 14 40–3 victory over his former team, the Jets, as he played out the final 16:26 of the game. Smith completed four of five passes for 33 yards, leading the Seahawks to a field goal on the second of his two drives.

Smith re-signed with the Seahawks for a third season on April 22, 2021. He made his first appearance of the 2021 season in Week 5 against the Rams after Russell Wilson left the game with a finger injury. Smith finished the 26–17 home loss with 131 passing yards, a touchdown (which was his first since 2017), and an interception. Smith was announced the starter after Wilson was placed on injured reserve. In the next game against the Steelers, Smith threw for 209 yards and a touchdown, but lost a fumble in overtime during the 23–20 overtime road loss. Two weeks later against the Jaguars, Smith had 195 passing yards and two touchdowns to go along with two carries for eight yards and a touchdown in the 31–7 victory.

Smith finished the 2021 season with 702 passing yards, five touchdowns, and an interception to go along with nine carries for 42 yards and a touchdown in four games and three starts.

The Seahawks re-signed Smith on April 19, 2022, but the NFL disapproved his new contract that same day after conducting the league's mandatory review; the issue was eventually resolved.

Smith competed against Drew Lock for the starting quarterback spot after the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Broncos in the offseason. On August 26, Smith was announced as the starting quarterback for the season opener against the Broncos. Smith completed 23-of-28 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns in the narrow 17–16 victory. Three weeks later against the Lions, he threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 49 yards and a touchdown in the 48–45 road victory. Smith was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. During a Week 8 27–13 victory over his former team, the Giants, Smith threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

Las Vegas Raiders

On March 13, 2025, Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for the 92nd overall pick (Jalen Milroe) in the 2025 NFL draft. The trade reunited Smith with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. Smith, who had one year remaining on the contract he signed with the Seahawks, did not sign a contract extension with the Raiders upon the deal's initial completion. On April 3, Smith and the Raiders agreed to terms on a two-year, $75 million contract extension.

Smith made his Raiders debut in the season-opening 20–13 victory over the Patriots, putting up 362 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Smith also set a Raiders franchise record for most passing yards in a debut, surpassing the previous record of 317 yards set by Dan Pastorini. Smith led the Raiders to only two wins as the starter, throwing for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and a league-high 17 interceptions.

New York Jets (second stint)

On March 11, 2026, Smith and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft were traded to the New York Jets in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft.

Career statistics

Career highlights

Awards and honors

NFL

NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2022)

PFWA Most Improved Player (2022)

2× Pro Bowl (2022, 2023)

NFL completion percentage leader (2022)

Ranked No. 77 in the Top 100 Players of 2023

NFC Offensive Player of the Month (October 2022)

AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 5, 2013)

NFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 4, 2022)

College

First-team All-Big East (2011)

Second-team All-Big East (2010)

Second-team All-Big 12 (2012)

NCAA passing touchdowns leader (2012)

Orange Bowl MVP (2012)

4× Big East Offensive Player of the Week

3× Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week

2× National Offensive Player of the Week (for week ending September 3, 2012; for week ending September 29, 2012)

Jets franchise records

Most passing yards in a single season by a rookie: 3,046 (2013)

Seahawks franchise records

Highest completion percentage in a single season: 70.4% (2024)

Most passing yards in a season: 4,320 (2024)

Most pass completions in a single season: 407 (2024)

Most pass attempts in a single season: 578 (2024)

Personal life

Smith married his college girlfriend, Hayley Eastham, in July 2015. They were in a long-term relationship before getting married in 2015. Smith and Eastham had a son, Seven Santana Smith (named after his jersey number), on July 17, 2019. Smith's cousin is Ohio State All-American wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Smith is a Christian, frequently posting about his faith on his Twitter account. Prior to the 2023 NFL season, Smith told Peter King that he had adopted a pescatarian diet, having abstained from eating chicken or beef for most of the year to date.

On June 21, 2026, a woman posted a video on Instagram alleging that Smith had physically assaulted her. Soon after, an investigation was launched by police.