Jay Z has not been so busy landing Robinson Cano his mammoth contract he has forgotten about his other clients. Jets quarterback Geno Smith said Thursday his agent gave him some advice during a recent three-game slump that helped him through it.
“I talk to Jay a lot,” Smith told The Post. “He gave me some good advice. He told me to not take [criticism] personally. It’s not that people don’t like me. It’s not at me. It’s the position that I’m in. Just realize the position that I’m in comes with a lot of scrutiny. You can’t take it personally. You just have to live your daily life.”
Smith hired Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports to represent him in the spring after firing his initial agents following the NFL Draft. Smith received criticism for the move, but he said Thursday it was the right move for him.
“It’s been great,” he said. “I think I made the absolute correct choice. Some of the best people I’ve met, great mentors from all areas. They treat me with so much class, my family and everyone. It was definitely a great move.”
Smith is the highest profile football player Roc Nation has. Cano put their baseball representation on the map with his 10-year, $240 million deal with the Mariners this month. Smith said there was a misconception he only chose Jay Z because he thought he would be more marketable with the superstar rapper as his agent.
“It’s not really about him helping me as far as marketing goes,” Smith said. “My play on the field gets me the things off the field.”
That play on the field has been better lately. After going through a three-game stretch in November and early December when the Jets lost three straight and Smith failed to throw a touchdown pass, had a completion percentage at or under 40 percent and threw six interceptions, Smith has rebounded. He has played much better over the last three games and hopes to close out his rookie season with a strong performance Sunday in Miami.
“He had to get better,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “You’ve got to hit every step. It’s not an elevator. You can’t just punch a button and get there. He just had to keep climbing step-by-step and we did as a team as well. I think he’s been up to that challenge and the results speak for themselves.”
Ryan praised how Smith has handled the New York market and what he has done on the field.
“I think as far as his play, he’s come a million miles,” Ryan said.
Smith played one of his best games last week against the Browns, rushing for a touchdown and throwing two more. It was his first game without a turnover since early November.
Jay Z was not the only person to give Smith some advice to get him through the bad spell. Linebacker Demario Davis told Smith to just accept he is a rookie and not try to do too much.
“I would say that I was definitely trying way too hard,” Smith said. “I was trying to be the Peyton Mannings and the Drew Breeses. That’s just my competitive spirit. The best advice I was given was just continue to be a rookie. Even Peyton and Drew had these same ups and downs. They had to learn from it. Those are the things I had to learn from as well.”
Smith, 23, now returns to South Florida where he grew up. He lived just a few miles from Sun Life Stadium and could see it from his house. He played there two years ago in college and led West Virginia to an Orange Bowl victory over Clemson. Smith had seven touchdowns that day (six passing, one running) in a 70-33 win.
“It was a good day,” Smith said. “It was pretty awesome.”
No one is expecting seven touchdowns on Sunday, but Smith could convince some of the doubters he has a chance to be the long-term answer at quarterback with a strong outing. The Jets’ first meeting with the Dolphins on Dec. 1 was the last game of Smith’s slump. He was benched at halftime that day. Since then, he has shown his teammates his resiliency.
“I just kept working at it,” Smith said. “I didn’t come in here with my head hung low or feeling sorry for myself. I think that showed my teammates that no matter what I was going to be the same guy. Eventually we started to play well and build that confidence, and we’re playing a little better now.”