Report: Rex Ryan Considered Trading For Geno Smith After Joining Bills

IK Enemkpali clearly isn’t a fan of Geno Smith. But his new coach apparently is.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Enemkpali is the guy who earlier this week sucker-punched Smith in the New York Jets’ locker room. The Jets promptly released Enemkpali, but new Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan — who coached Enemkpali in New York last season — decided to take a chance and sign him.

Yet Enemkpali wasn’t the only Jet that Ryan had his eye on. According to the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta, the brash head coach briefly considered bringing Smith with him to Buffalo this past offseason.

“Ryan believed in Smith despite all of the quarterback’s flaws,” Mehta wrote. “Shortly after getting the Bills job, he wondered out loud to friends whether the Jets would be open to trading Smith to Buffalo.”

That would have been something.

The Bills obviously went a different route, signing veteran quarterback Matt Cassel to lead a mediocre group that includes E.J. Manuel, Tyrod Taylor and Matt Simms.

So, would Smith have thrived if Ryan brought him along to Buffalo? He’d have better offensive weapons in the likes of LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins, but the stats he put up in two seasons under Rex (25 touchdown passes and 34 interceptions; 71.5 passer rating) don’t give us much reason for optimism.

Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images