Buffalo Bills

Report: Ryan considered trading for Geno Smith after getting Bills job

Published Aug. 13, 2015 12:00 p.m. ET

foxsports

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan will take a lot of criticism for the way he handled his quarterbacks, namely Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith. Through it all, though, Ryan always backed Smith and had the upmost confidence in his quarterback.

The situation didn't allow for the Ryan-Smith era to flourish past two seasons, but that doesn't mean Ryan wasn't open to a reunion.

According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, after joining the Bills, Ryan wondered if Smith was available for trade.

Ryan believed in Smith despite all of the quarterback’s flaws. Shortly after getting the Bills job, he wondered out loud to friends whether the Jets would be open to trading Smith to Buffalo.

This new report may not mean much, but it does show Ryan's confidence in Smith as a quarterback. And had the Bills traded for Smith, he would have never been punched by his teammate, forcing him to miss six to 10 weeks. On the other hand, who knows if Smith would have beaten out the trio of Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor, and EJ Manuel.

(h/t New York Daily News)