When Geno Smith fell to the second round of the NFL Draft, there was going to be some repercussions. The once-projected first round selection was none too happy when he saw his stock fall all the way into another round. Step one of Smith seeking revenge was to fire the agents that had convinced him of his top-10 status. Now completing interviews with several agencies, one new company is reaching out to the rookie quarterback. Jay-Z's newly formed Roc Nation sports agency has wrapped up a meeting with Smith in hopes of making his dreams come true in the concrete jungle.
Smith was originally signed with Select Sports Group, but dropped them like he dropped out of the first round. He has just finished two days of meetings with potential suitors, once of which was Roc Nation. The presentation was made by a certified NFLPA agent that works closely with Jay-Z's company. This raises the question of how involved the rapper will actually be as an agent and the recruitment of potential athletes. He is not a certified agent yet so per NFL rules, he is prevented from persuading athletes to the agency. However, Smith can sign with Roc Nation for non-football representation, making the whole situation rather murky.
One agency Smith has not discussed signing with is Athletes First, the agency that represents Mark Sanchez. It is possible that the two quarterbacks did not want to fight for agent love like they will be fighting for a starting job. Sanchez does not want his agents helping his top competition.
A decision from Smith is not expected until possibly next week due to Jets rookie camp happening over the weekend. This will be the team's first chance to watch Smith in action without other quarterbacks being a distraction. He will get a chance to start studying the playbook in hopes of being the Week One starter for New York.
Signing with an agent will be the first steps in Smith getting back into the good graces with the media. After a slew of draft drama, Smith has made headlines for more negative reasons than for positive. As a rookie quarterback entering into a media-crazed city and competing in one of the more well-documented quarterback competitions, Smith needs a good agency to have his back. If there is one person that knows the New York media like the back of his hand, it's Jay-Z.
