New York Jets: Brandon Marshall chose Geno Smith

One of the New York Jets’ best moves this offseason was the trade made with the Chicago Bears to acquire Brandon Marshall.

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Marshall was a fourth-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, but shortly after being drafted, Marshall emerged as a talented wide receiver. In his rookie season, Marshall would totaled 20 receptions, 309 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns. For a fourth-round pick the numbers Marshall was able to accumulate as a rookie were pretty impressive.

After his rookie season, Marshall would go on to have three fantastic seasons with the Broncos. From 2007-2009, Marshall totaled over 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in every season.

After the 2010 season, Marshall would be traded to the Miami Dolphins for two second-round picks in the NFL Draft. Marshall would only play two seasons with the Dolphins, and he didn’t have quite the impact that they would have liked. In two seasons with the Dolphins, Marshall totaled 167 receptions, 2,228 receiving yards, but only nine receiving touchdowns.

Marshall’s time would come to an end in Miami after the 2011 season, as he was traded to the Chicago Bears for two third-round picks. Marshall would regain his dominance with the Bears, as in the 2012 season he totaled 118 receptions, 1,508 receiving yards, and 11 receiving touchdowns. Marshall would go have another Pro Bowl season in 2013, as he totaled 100 receptions, 1,295 receiving yards, and 12 receiving touchdowns.

Last season, Marshall battled some injuries which led to a drop in stats on a poor Bears team. In 2014, Marshall totaled 61 receptions, 721 receiving yards, and eight receiving touchdowns.

With the change in the Bears’ coaching staff and front office, Marshall was able to choose his new team essentially, and he chose Geno Smith and the Jets.

“I was really shocked at the intelligence, how smart he was,” Marshall said to Judy Battista of NFL.com. “I had known him as a player from afar. I didn’t know his football IQ was so high. He had crazy passion. When I talked to him, I fell in love with the conversation. I said, this is a real opportunity, we have a great defense, great pieces on offense. If we can come together and gel, we may not be the best in Year 1, but if we can be effective and not turn over the ball, we can be in every game.”

Chemistry is a very important part of a team, and so far Marshall and Smith seem to have a great relationship.

“We’re growing every single day,” Marshall said to Battista. “I look at it like a little brother. Rooming with him has really speeded up that process. We look at each other a different way. It just makes you want to fight that much harder. We have our ups and downs as far as trying to learn the offense — he wants me to look for a back-shoulder and I’m running down the field — but I’ve got to say, in the last two weeks, we’ve made a pretty significant jump. We’re starting to see the game the same way. It comes from hours and hours of communication, or walking through it at the house.”

Smith has been without great weapons in his first two seasons with the Jets, but the addition of Marshall instantly turns the Jets’ wide receiving corps into a great one. Marshall is looking to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2014 season, and help his new team and young quarterback improve in 2015.

Next: Who is the best QB of all-time for the Jets?

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