‘It’s business as usual,’ Seahawks’ Geno Smith said before the Jets game.

RENTON, Wash. – Geno Smith will face the team he drafted on Sunday when his Seattle Seahawks host the New York Jets at Lumen Field, but the Pro Bowl quarterback didn’t give any impression that he’s considering so-called revenge. Game.

As a must-win.

Smith was asked during his weekly media session on Thursday if there was anything more to the game given his history with the Jets.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Smith said. “I really feel like the importance of it is that we need to win to get to the playoffs. Of course there’s going to be some speculation, some people talk about that. It comes with the territory. It’s expected. I’ve had a lot. I was ready for the Jets, the organization and the organization and the people that are still there. So for me. And it’s business as usual for this team, another week of preparation and a tough challenge for us to go out there and try to get this win. We need it.

Smith spoke fondly of his rocky four seasons with the Jets, which included a 12-18 rookie record and an infamous locker room feud that cost him his rookie job. In the year A second-round pick in 2013, Smith was about to enter his third season when teammate IK Enemkpali punched him in the summer of 2015, leaving him with a broken jaw. While Smith returned late in the season, Ryan Fitzpatrick had a career year that kept him in the starting role for most of the 2016 season.

Smith won’t be a full-time starter again until he beats out Drew Lock this season to replace Russell Wilson. When told how he lost his starting job in New York, he was asked how he was not bitter.

“I think that was an amazing time for me to grow up and become a selfless individual,” he said. “Obviously we have our own goals, and the way things turned out wasn’t in my plan or what I thought would happen, but it happened, and you took the approach that you can’t cry over spilled milk. A good teammate to the people around me, that didn’t let that stop me from helping them succeed in any way. That It’s kind of been my job for a while, being a good teammate and trying to get guys to improve and whatever it takes to help the team win in the offseason.

His time as a backup behind Fitzpatrick has given Smith time to reflect, he said.

“It was the first time I hadn’t played or started since I was 10 years old,” he said. “I’ve been playing football for a long time, I started many seasons, and then, boom, something happened where I had to sit down. It was different, it was challenging, but it also taught me a lot and helped me grow.”

Smith threw 25 touchdowns and 41 interceptions in his first two seasons, third most in the NFL. But between his career day in the 2014 Finals and a strong showing in the 2015 preseason, Smith felt ready to make the jump before a broken jaw ended those hopes.

“I felt really good where I was and I thought I was taking the next step and I’ve had that thought process throughout my career,” he said. “You’re right, I’m so excited. It’s an obvious emergency, things happen and you don’t wish that on anyone. But it was an amazing time for me to learn and practice perseverance and patience. A lot of patience: after all that happened, it took a lot of hard work to even get a chance to compete as a rookie. “I appreciate everything I’ve been through, and I’ve been able to turn it around and make it positive.”

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, perhaps trying to absorb some of the scrutiny on Smith this week, brought an unexpected end to his tenure with the Jets when asked about any discussions he had with Smith about facing his former team. Carroll was fired in 1994 after going 6-10 in his last season as the Jets’ coach.

“We’re actually going to be partners in crime with both of us being there and it just didn’t work out,” Carroll said. “So we’re going to share the experience a little bit.”

The Seahawks have lost five of their six games after a 6-3 start and now sit one game out of the NFC wild-card spot. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives them a 27.4% chance to claim one of the available wild card spots. They shouldn’t be eliminated from playoff contention with a Jets loss, but they’ll need a lot more than beating the Rams in Week 18.

Smith ranks fifth in total QBR at 63.4, which is 20 points higher than his first nine seasons. But his production has picked up of late, throwing just two touchdowns and an interception over the last two games in five weeks. That stretch coincided with a drop in Seattle’s running game.

Carroll, who has been asked to evaluate Smith’s game in recent weeks, said the QB can be “clean” with some mechanics.

“We can clean things up a bit and it’s just the technical stuff that I think will make a difference,” he said. “You always hear him say we have to play better with him to help him in every way. But he knows he can clean up a few things. We’re really being tight, and it’s really on him. Trying to make sure he gives himself the best opportunity to do everything at the highest level.” We’re talking about a few plays here and there, a little footwork and things like that. But it can have an impact.”

Smith is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March when his one-year, $3.5 million contract expires. He also has an additional $3.5 million in incentives and could receive all of that if Seattle makes the playoffs.

Smith was asked if he thought about the future beyond this season.

“My future is going to be great,” he said. “I always think like that… I always think positive on that note. But the future for me is now, today, going out there, practicing well and getting ready for Sunday.”