Prior to the 2013 NFL Draft, Geno Smith was considering the best quarterback coming out of college football. Some draft experts had him pegged to be the No. 1 overall pick or at least the first quarterback taken off the board. However, the first round came and went and Smith was still sitting in the green room at Radio City. The only quarterback drafted was E.J. Manuel to the Buffalo Bills. Smith eventually went to the New York Jets in the second. The repercussions of that fall are beginning to take place as Smith has reportedly fired his agent Jeff Nalley out of Select Sports Group.
Smith left the building at the end of the first round upset and confused. He told ESPN he would not be returning for Day 2 of the draft, but ended up changing his mind and walked out on stage to shake the commissioner's hand when the Jets draft him as the No. 39 pick overall.
The financial difference between a first-round pick and a second-round pick is drastic. His contract with the Jets will be expected to be somewhere around a $5 million contract with $3 million in guaranteed money. A first-round pick would earn at least $7 million with around $5 million in guaranteed money. Even with Smith being selected high in the second round, his contract will be nowhere near the size that someone like Manuel will earn.
Smith was aware that he had the chance of being taken in the first round, which is why he accepted the invitation to be present at the draft in the first place. It can be assumed that his agents did not properly prepare him for the chance that he might not be selected in the first 32 picks. Normally, an agent prepared the client for any possible outcome just in case. New York Daily News reports that Smith fired his agent because he believed he should have and would have been taken in the first round.
Per NFLPA rules, Smith must now wait at least five days before he is allowed to hire a new agent. Smith already received scrutiny for telling ESPN he did not want to come back for Day 2 of the draft. Many said he cannot handle pressure or adversity. Firing his agent immediately after the draft sends the exact same message.