Jets QB Geno Smith has signed a one-year sponsorship deal with NY2O, the first athlete endorsement for the N.Y.-based water brand. "This is our first athlete endorsement deal, and we plan on growing that family in the near future," said NY2O President Elias Slubski. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Slubski described the deal as "a firm one-year deal" with an option to extend. "Geno Smith is an awesome personality,” Slubski said. “He is the starting quarterback of the New York Jets. We are premium bottled water that comes from New York. So the branding is very important.” Smith will be featured in social media and retail and digital advertising as part of NY2O's "Greatness is No Accident" campaign, as well as make appearances for the company. The New Dutch Water Co. launched NY2O in '09 and it became the official water of Roc Nation in July. That deal sees the brand served in Roc Nation’s 40/40 clubs, as well as to Roc Nation musical artists on tours. Smith is a Roc Nation Sports client and Roc Nation President & Chief Strategy Officer Michael Yormark negotiated the deal for Smith, Slubski said. "They wanted a New York athlete to be their official spokesperson and when they looked at the marketplace and thought about their brand positioning and their tagline 'Greatness is No Accident,' It became very clear that Geno was the perfect fit," Yormark said. Smith also has endorsements with Under Armour and New Era. Yormark said that they expect to have an another deal to announce in the coming weeks. "There is a high probability it could be in the banking category," Yormark said. But he added there would not be many more announcements after that for Smith this season. Yormark: "After we secure three or four deals for Geno, we want him to pause. Because clearly his No. 1 priority is taking care of business on the field."
