FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Brandon Marshall was only a few feet away from Geno Smith when the quarterback was sucker punched by a teammate. It was Aug. 11, 2015, a routine day in the New York Jets' locker room -- that is, until a simmering dispute over $600 exploded into violence.
Smith was decked by linebacker IK Enemkpali, who delivered an uppercut that sent him into his locker and changed his career trajectory. In an instant, he went from QB1 to front-page headline.
Marshall was stunned by what he witnessed that day. Over time, he has gained appreciation for the way Smith, now back for a second stint with the Jets, has responded.
"You see what happened; something like that usually crushes guys -- it's over and it's done," the now-retired Marshall said. "You go to New York City, you lose it all and you're embarrassed, right? Your jaw is broken and you shut down and it's over.
"But, no, he stayed the course. [He went from the role of] backup, backup, backup, backup, backup and -- boom: 'They wrote me off, but I didn't write back' -- one of the greatest moments over the last 50 years. His grandkids are going to see that when the NFL puts out the 50 best clips from the sideline."
He was referring to Smith's viral comment from a post-game interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters after his 2022 Week 1 victory for the Seattle Seahawks -- his signature season in a career that has included more rises and falls than a volatile week on Wall Street.
The 2022 AP Comeback Player of the Year is back with the team that drafted him in 2013, trying to stage yet another comeback after a disappointing season with the Las Vegas Raiders that raised some of the old questions about Smith, known as interception prone.
But those who know Smith say this is when he's at his best. Most athletes feed on doubt and criticism; for him, they're essential nourishment. His career started with a perceived slight -- he fell to the second round of the draft -- and he has collected similar receipts over the years.
"He has this freaking, like, boss tenacity and leadership where guys are going to respect him," said Marshall, who lived with Smith for a few months before the 2015 season. "You can't push Geno over. That is needed in the locker room, especially today."
THINGS DIDN'T END fondly in New York for Smith.
He went 11-18 with 34 interceptions in two seasons as the Jets' starter, getting the job because of an injury (Mark Sanchez's season-ending shoulder surgery in the 2013 preseason) before losing it to Ryan Fitzpatrick because of his forementioned broken jaw.
Smith moved to the New York Giants in 2017 and became the guy who replaced Eli Manning for one game, ending Manning's Iron Man streak at 210 consecutive starts -- an infamous decision by Ben McAdoo that led to the coach's ouster.
It's almost surreal that Smith is back where he began, trying to lift a franchise that hasn't enjoyed a winning season since he was injured and replaced by Fitzpatrick. There's something oddly karmic about Smith's return, something very Jets-ian. It would be a legacy-altering comeback if he can right the wrongs of his first incarnation.
"That would be like a story in a movie, right?" Smith said. "[It would be] kind of like one of those superhero movies."
The Jets have been looking for their Captain America since Joe Namath left them a half-century ago.
When Smith takes the field for the season opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 13 (1 p.m. ET, CBS), he will become their eighth different Week 1 starter in the last 11 years. His last season-opening start for the Jets was 2014 -- a 12-year separation. No quarterback in the Super Bowl era has had a longer gap between opening-day starts for a single franchise, according to ESPN Research.
Digest this: He needs 332 passing yards to move past Zach Wilson for 10th place on the team's all-time list -- a factoid that could evoke a variety of emotions from Jets fans, impatiently waiting for a franchise quarterback.
Can Smith, discarded by the 3-14 Raiders after a league-high 17 interceptions that landed them his year's No. 1 pick, pull off another comeback?
"You've seen [Sam Darnold] come back and succeed elsewhere," said Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles, Smith's second NFL coach. "You've seen [Baker Mayfield] come back and succeed elsewhere. You've seen quite a few guys. Daniel Jones has made a resurgence. Geno has played enough football. Maybe he's at the right place at the right time."
Thing is, quarterbacks usually write their comeback stories after playing for the Jets -- see: Darnold and Smith 1.0 -- which means history is against him. Truth be told, it's against the entire franchise, which has the longest-running playoff drought (15 years) among the major sports in North America.
If Smith, 35, is haunted by the past, he's not letting on.
"I really cherish this opportunity," he said, knowing it could be his last chance as an undisputed starter.
Smith seems earnest, as teammates and coaches have lauded his approach. He's "the alpha in the room," according to wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr., who, like Smith, was raised in the Miami area, called him a big brother. He said it's an honor to play with him. Several players, many of whom are 10 years his junior, said they grew up watching him.
There's genuine respect for Smith's longevity, ability to overcome adversity and knowledge of the game. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich will be Smith's fifth different playcaller in the last four years, a head-spinning amount of instability. The upside is that he's seen just about everything from an X's and O's standpoint.
"I always say the 'it' factor is the combination of a lot of confidence and genuine humility, and he's got both of those," Reich said.
Smith wasn't always perceived this way. Early in his career, he experienced some "young" moments, including a missed team meeting in San Diego because he forgot about the three-hour time change.
When Marshall arrived in 2015, he noticed in Smith a "raw ability to lead."
"It wasn't fine-tuned when I got there" Marshall said. "He was still young and immature in some areas."
Marshall shared his experiences, stressing how the starting QB must be an "executive figure" that commands respect from the locker room but also can maintain a good relationship with the coaches and front office.
Smith said he leads through sound preparation and passion, not rah-rah speeches. He wants his teammates to "feel" him in the huddle. He has acknowledged personal growth throughout his career, once saying "[I] chose to let [the Enemkpali incident] fuel me to become a better man and a better player."
His humbling journey has included backup jobs with the Giants (2017), Los Angeles Chargers (2018) and Seahawks (2019-2024). He sat for three years in Seattle before he got his big shot.
"The reason I fell in love with him was because I learned how he competed in a way that made him so unique," said former Seahawks and Raiders coach Pete Carroll, who named Smith to replace Russell Wilson in 2022. "Every single day he prepared like he was going to play the very next play. It wasn't like he moped or he took a break. I mean, he was on it always."
A FEW YEARS ago, Smith and linebacker Demario Davis got into a deep conversation on the NFC team bus at the Pro Bowl. They had spent three seasons together with the Jets (2013-2015), so there was common ground. They didn't talk much about football, though; it was about life and family. They never could've imagined they'd be teammates again.
Davis, then a New Orleans Saints standout, was struck by how much Smith had matured from their days in New York.
"You have to go through a certain amount of life to get that," said Davis, who, like Smith, returned to the Jets in 2026. "You can't just buy it."
Smith has experienced a lot of life, good and bad. Once an aspiring artist, he probably could paint a mural of his career. Presumably, it would be a fascinating blend of bright and dark hues, representing the highs and lows. He might have pursued a career in art, but his uncle Antwan got him into football and that was all she wrote. To borrow Geno's famous line, he never wrote back.
Those tight spirals that he throws? Smith credited his uncle, who also had him watching Tom Brady and Peyton Manning film at a young age. Maybe it's no coincidence that "he operates and moves around like he's freaking Peyton Manning or Tom Brady," according to Marshall.
Manning and Brady never played as poorly in their mid-30s as Smith did last season in Vegas, where he finished 30th out of 33 qualified passers in EPA per dropback. Carroll, fired at the end of the season, said it wasn't Smith's fault, claiming it was a combination of coaching mistakes, a poorly constructed offensive line and bad luck.
"Our guys up front ... got murdered," Carroll said of the linemen, two of whom (Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith) are now members of the Jets.
Smith's pass protection was bad -- the Raiders allowed the most sacks -- but he also struggled in a clean pocket. In fact, he was under duress on only five of his 17 interceptions, according to Next Gen Stats. Most of them were either bad throws or bad decisions or both.
In a thin quarterback market, the Jets considered Smith and Tua Tagovailoa, among others, before executing a low-cost trade for Smith, envisioning him as a bridge to the talent-rich 2027 draft.
Coach Aaron Glenn wasted no time in naming Smith his starter, and he really took it up a notch when he proclaimed in March that Smith would take them to "the promised land."
But the odds are stacked against Smith, which is how he likes it. He's not a young pup anymore. He's a 13-year survivor, having gone from "Oh, gee!" to O.G.
"It means that I've been in this league a while," he said. "And I intend to stay here."