On August 11, 2015, Leonard Williams was startled to find himself in the Jets' locker room.
And it makes him even more grateful of Geno Smith's extraordinary career trajectory
from the Jets quarterback who received a sucker punch from teammate IK Enemkpali on that particular day to the Seahawks quarterback
who will start the 2022 Pro Bowl when his team plays Williams' Giants on Monday night.
Williams praised Smith's ascent to signing a three-year, $75 million contract in March, saying, "It's awesome to see.
Because he was the Jets' starting quarterback when I first entered the league, learning that he had been punched in the locker room when I was just a rookie was a crazy eye-opener for me.
Smith's battle with Enemkpali over a reported debt of $600 left him with a broken jaw and sent him on the path to become a backup quarterback for various teams
Williams remarked, "He kind of got his opportunity taken away from him at that point and he was trying to climb back." "Seeing him in a system that's working well for him is really cool."