If this former starter is available via trade, he’d make an interesting backup for a QB needy team

Teams have shown "soft interest" in the former second-round pick.

The backup quarterback position is one of the more underrated positions in the NFL in terms of importance. If your franchise quarterback goes down for a significant amount of time, your season rests on the guy behind him.

RELATED: Geno Smith might not even be good enough to be the backup in New York

This thinking has to be on the minds of every GM and coach who reportedly have shown "soft interest" in Jets quarterback Geno Smith.

Geno Smith #7 of the New York Jets in action against the Jacksonville Jaguars during an NFL preseason game at MetLife Stadium on August 11, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

( Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

That soft interest is according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily Newswho writes:

"There is soft interest around the league in Smith. The Jets have fielded inquiries from teams monitoring their surplus at several positions, including quarterback. It's a routine part of the process before final cuts next week."

If the Jets do decide to listen to offers, what could they expect to receive in return for Smith, who's looked nothing like the second-round pick the Jets thought they were getting in 2013?

NJ.com talked to six league sources about Smith, and the consensus is that the Jets wouldn't get much in a trade.  Of those sources polled, just one was willing to give up a pick higher than a conditional sixth-rounder. That source said that an "incredibly needy" team may be willing to give up a fifth-round pick.

 

Smith is in the final year of his rookie contract and had pretty insignificant numbers as a starter, going 11-18 while throwing 27 touchdowns to 35 interceptions and completing 57.9 percent of his passes.

Even still, with the importance of having a competent quarterback on your roster, it stands to reason a team will think hard about pulling the trigger on Smith.

[Gang Green Nation/NJ.com]