It sounds as if Jets general manager John Idzik and quarterback Geno Smith have had a few chats lately.
Idzik, appearing at Jets House in midtown Saturday, said he has spoken to Smith about two recent incidents that landed Smith in the headlines — one involving a woman he met on the Internet and the other an incident on an airplane.
“We’ve talked a lot about when you’re in the NFL and when you’re a quarterback in the NFL and when you’re a quarterback in a big market such as New York, all eyes are on you 24/7,” Idzik said. “I think Geno is experiencing this firsthand. I’ve kept in close contact with him. I think this is part of learning how to deal with those things. We’ve addressed him. He’s addressed them. No concerns really that way. It’s how to deal with your celebrity and visibility that goes along with the position.”
Idzik said he is not concerned about Smith’s judgment, but hopes these incidents served as a learning experience for Smith as he enters his second season in the NFL.
“I think sometimes you can describe things,” Idzik said, “but until you actually experience them, then they start to carry more weight.”
Even though Smith is learning on the job, Idzik said the Jets did not take Smith’s off-the-field actions lightly, even if he is just one year into his career.
“I don’t think we view any free passes,” Idzik said. “We hold our players to a high standard. That’s on the field and off the field. That’s part of acting like a Jet. It’s not just playing like a Jet. It’s acting like a Jet. Everyone understands that.”
Smith had a mistake-filled rookie year that ended with him being the lowest-rated passer in the NFL. He declined to discuss the off-field incidents Saturday at an appearance at Jets House.
Idzik said the Jets front office and coaches have been meeting, preparing for the 2014 Draft and offseason.
“We’ve kind of put a stamp on 2013,” Idzik said. “We take our time evaluating that player by player and really staff member by staff member. We went through it pretty thoroughly the last couple of weeks, just tied that up. We overlapped that with a little bit of draft prep. The college scouts will be coming in soon. We’ll delve back into that. In tandem with that, we’re obviously getting ready for free agency, our own guys that are up, their contracts are up, we’ll be paying attention to them. There’s a lot of sticks in the fire right now.”
Idzik would not say what the team plans to do with quarterback Mark Sanchez, a likely salary cap casualty. Idzik also would not discuss the contract status of defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson. The team must decide by May whether to pick up an option on Wilkerson for the 2015 season or sign him to a long-term deal.