Unlike in other sports, trades in the NFL are a pretty rare occurrence and when they do happen they are usually minor, involving draft picks and fringe starting players. However, according to ESPN Seattle Seahawks insider Brady Henderson, back in 2016 then Bills head coach Rex Ryan tried to trade former first round pick quarterback E.J. Manuel to the Jets for former second round pick quarterback Geno Smith.
Now nobody would consider this a blockbuster trade, as at the time both quarterbacks were struggling and were reduced to back up roles and the idea was to have a fresh start for both players. However, had this trade actually have gone through, it may have changed the NFL landscape and the league could look vastly different today.
For starters, had Geno been traded to the Bills back in 2016 and had the success that he is currently having this season for the Seahawks, then the Bills probably do not draft Josh Allen in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft and who knows where he may have ended up. As for Manuel, perhaps a change of scenery could have helped his career in New York, instead he bounced around the league for a few years before ending up on television.
In the end, the trade never went through and Geno Smith ends up being the winner here. Although he has been a backup for the last several seasons, Smith has had a career resurgence this year in Seattle as he was recently named to his first Pro Bowl. He currently leads the NFL in completion percentage at 70.7 and has an impressive 27 passing touchdowns along with 3,886 passing yards with still two games remaining to add to his totals.
The Seahawks will take on Geno’s former team, the New York Jets this Sunday in Seattle and try to improve their playoff positioning as well as put a dent in the Jets playoffs hopes.
