As if the story around Geno Smith's broken jaw - a broken jaw which will apparently cost him the next six to 10 weeks - couldn't get any weirder/sadder/more ridiculous for the New York Jets and their fans, it seems Smith's injury has pushed GM Mike Maccagnan and head coach Todd Bowles to reach out to free agent NFL quarterback Rex Grossman, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com.
Yep. You read that right. Rex Grossman.
Grossman last took an NFL snap in 2011, when he appeared in 13 games for the Washington Redskins and threw for 3,151 yards, 16 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. While Grossman was on the Skins for 2012 and 2013, he saw no game action and eventually wound up in the Cleveland Browns for last year's training camp. The team released him just prior to the start of the 2014 season.
Part of the reason for the team's need to go out and sign Grossman or one of the other available quarterbacks is the fact that veteran journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick currently comprises all of the established NFL production on the Jets roster at signal-caller. After Smith's injury, recent draft selection Bryce Petty has been touted by some as a kind of, "well he couldn't be any worse," option, but to hear NFL.com's Jeff Darlington tell it, he very well could be much, much worse.
Per Darlington, Petty is "not even close" to being ready to handle a starting role. That seems to jibe with just about everything that was said or written about Petty prior to the 2015 NFL Draft. An athletic marvel with good size, Petty performed in Baylor's spread attack in college and lacks much of the conceptual understanding and many of the general skills necessary to be even a moderately successful quarterback at the NFL level.
In short, it's likely to be another long season in New York/New Jersey and Smith, unknown quantity though he may be, still represents the franchise's best chance at a winning record next year.
Interestingly, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that after the altercation with IK Enemkpali, Smith was pretty badly banged up. Per Mehta, sources close to Smith suggest the young quarterback may not even be able to "give his side of the story in clear detail" or "even talk" right now.
Yikes.
