Before he got the hook in New York, Geno Smith ate a hook in the locker room.
Whether it's by injury, poor play or tumult surrounding him, the veteran quarterback has been dealt gut punches his entire NFL career. But one punch, one very, legitimate strike, actually altered his NFL career irrevocably.
MORE: Geno Smith career timeline from NFL Draft to Seahawks
On Aug. 11, 2015, Smith was (right) handed — literally, handed — a punch from the hands of Jets defensive end IK Enemkpali, opening the door for backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to take the job and run with it. And run with it, he did.
Smith has settled into a nice career with himself, even after an up-and-down start resulted in him getting more backup opportunities than starting jobs. But, Smith earned an opportunity to pen the next chapter of his career with the Seahawks as their starter in 2022, helping lead Seattle to the playoffs.
Here's where — and why — his career took an unfortunate left turn.
Why was Geno Smith punched?
On Aug. 11, 2015, Jets head coach Todd Bowles announced that Smith had suffered a broken jaw after a locker room altercation with another player. Bowles had described the hit as a "sucker punch."
As it turns out, Smith was decked by defensive end IK Enemkpali, and for a pretty dumb reason.
Smith had promised to attend Enemkpali's football camp, with Enemkpali paying his fare to fly down to Texas. The tickets were worth $1,200, with the sides agreeing to go 50-50 on the price.
The quarterback had not attended the camp after a bike accident landed Smith's brother in the hospital few days prior. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Smith had promised to pay back the $600 to Enemkpali, but apparently not quick enough for the defender, who deposited a right hand on his jaw, instead.
Our @AdamSchefter says the reason for Geno Smith's broken jaw stemmed from $600 that Smith owed his Jets teammate. pic.twitter.com/QiWBPLlEuL
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 11, 2015
There are conflicting reports to whether or not Smith actually goaded Enemkpali into throwing the punch: A former New York Jets beat writer reported that Smith pointed his finger in Enemkpali's face, him to throw hands.
Other teammates say that Smith had been holding out paying back Enemkpali, rather than just paying him the money he was owed outright. Instead, the debt lingered for a month, leading up to the Jets' preseason opener vs. the Lions.
Unfortunately for Smith, the punch fractured his jaw, and he would miss the team's first two games of the season, and a red-hot Ryan Fitzpatrick would grab the starting job from the third-year quarterback. Fitzpatrick would have the most prolific passing season for a Jets quarterback in franchise history.
Smith would play in the Jets' Week 7 loss to the Raiders, relieving an injured Fitzpatrick. He would throw two touchdowns and an interception in the loss. Smith would stay on with the Jets the following season, again relieving Fitzpatrick and earning a start. Smith would suffer a torn ACL, and that would be the end of his Jets career.
Hours after the Punch Heard 'Round Florham Park, Enemkpali was released by the Jets. The next day, former Jets head coach and current Bills head coach picked up Enemkpali, in an underrated and hilarious element of the whole ordeal. Ryan would make Enemkpali a captain for a matchup vs. the Jets that season, in Ryan's return to MetLife Stadium.
🎥: Geno Smith said he doesn't take it personal that IK Enemkpali is the #Bills captain (cc: @NewsdaySports) #jets pic.twitter.com/HbtPwLk3Pl
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) November 10, 2015
Enemkpali never played another down of pro football after the 2015 season.
Smith floated around the league with the Giants, Chargers and Seahawks, eventually being handed the keys to the Seattle franchise in the wake of the Russell Wilson trade to the Broncos.
One punch changed the course of two careers — it just worked out far better for one guy.
As an aside: Coincidentally, Eric Decker was on that Jets team in 2015.
