Geno Smith and Sam Darnold seem to be rooting for one another.
Few can relate to what they’ve been through, having been drafted by the Jets to be their new quarterback only for them to get swallowed up in Gang Green misery.
The two managed to resurrect their careers, and after the Vikings’ win over the Seahawks on Sunday, they showed each other appreciation for what they’ve accomplished.
An NFL Films video showed the two hugging after the game, with Smith telling Darnold, “I love your journey, bro.”
Darnold told Smith to “keep going” as Smith tries to lead Seattle back to the playoffs.
Smith, 34, is in his third year as the Seahawks’ starter, having won Comeback Player of the Year in 2022 when he was a full-time starter for the first time in eight years.
The Jets drafted Smith in the second round in 2013 and he started 16 games as a rookie, throwing for 3,046 yards, 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
The next season, Smith had 2,525 yards passing, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while the Jets went 3-10 in his 13 starts.
That would mark the end of Smith’s time as the Jets’ starter, as he was sucker-punched by teammate IK Enemkpali over a money dispute in August 2015. Smith suffered a broken jaw and never reclaimed the starting job after he recovered. He left as a free agent after the 2016 season, ending a roller-coaster tenure which included missing a team meeting while he was at the movies.
After stints with the Giants and Chargers, Smith joined the Seahawks in 2019 and took over for Russell Wilson after three years as his backup.
Expectations were high for Darnold as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft, but he also struggled, throwing 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions in three seasons, during which the Jets went 13-25 with Darnold starting.
Darnold’s tenure included an unfortunate mic’d-up moment during “Monday Night Football” against the Patriots in which he was caught saying he was “seeing ghosts.”
The Jets traded Darnold to the Panthers in 2021, and while he didn’t fare much better during two years in Carolina, he spent last season as a backup with the 49ers in a reset year before joining the Vikings.
With first-round pick JJ McCarthy suffering a season-ending knee injury during the preseason, Darnold took the reins and has led Minnesota to a 13-2 mark while throwing for 3,776 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
So while the Jets are still searching for their long-term answer at quarterback, two of their former starters have turned their careers around.