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Geno Smith is currently in the midst of a breakout year as the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks.
The former second-round pick turned NFL journeyman has thrown for 3,433 yards, 25 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in his ninth NFL season.
But the path to this point wasn’t easy. Smith was a star at the University of West Virginia before the New York Jets selected him 39th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. Smith immediately won the Jets’ starting job but struggled over his first two seasons, not throwing more touchdowns than interceptions in either year.
He then served as a backup in New York for two seasons before bouncing around the league. Eventually, he found his way to Seattle where he served as Russell Wilson’s backup in both 2020 and 2021. But when Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos this offseason, Smith finally got his second chance.
It’s safe to say he’s made the best of it. Smith has been a revelation for the Seahawks. But one NFL star knew all along just how good he could be.
Geno Smith Crushed Travis Kelce’s Dreams Of Ever Being A Quarterback
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. He’s made seven Pro Bowls and was named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team.
He already holds the record for the most 1,000-yard seasons by a tight end with seven and barring something preposterous, he’ll run that number to eight this season.
But what many don’t know is that Kelce was once a signal caller. He played quarterback in high school as Cleveland Heights (OH) and hoped to do so in college. That is, until he attended a camp with Geno Smith.
In the latest episode of his New Heights podcast alongside his brother Jason, Kelce told the story of how Smith ended his dreams of being a college quarterback.
As the story goes, Kelce attended a 7-on-7 camp at West Virginia University in hopes of earning a scholarship from coach Rich Rodriguez. Smith was also in attendance at the camp and his performance put Kelce to shame.
“I just remember seeing him throw the ball and I was just sitting on the sideline like ‘man, I ain’t got that,'” Kelce said. “I could throw it a little bit but that ball ain’t flying out of my hand like that.”
Kelce says he left the camp emptyhanded while Smith got a scholarship offer and the rest was history. The camp didn’t work out for Kelce, but it seems like things worked out okay for both players in the end.