The New York Jets appear to have a starting quarterback (or at least a competitor for the job).
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Jets have acquired Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders. ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds that New York is sending a 2026 sixth-round pick for Smith, while the Raiders are attaching a 2026 seventh-round pick along with the 35-year-old quarterback.
Smith had two years remaining on his contract, with cap hits of $26.5 million in 2026 and $39.5 million in 2027. However, according to Pelissero, the Raiders are eating the bulk of Smith’s contract, and the Jets will have him for “a little over the league minimum” in 2026.
Recent reports indicated that Smith was expected to be released by Las Vegas. Instead, the Jets offered a late-round pick swap to skip the line for the veteran signal-caller.
Smith was selected 39th overall by New York in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. Thirteen years later, he returns as a possible bridge quarterback for an organization that still hasn’t made the playoffs since before Smith was drafted.
After an unsuccessful four-year run with the Jets (2013-16), Smith bounced around as a backup for the Giants (2017) and Chargers (2018) before landing with the Seahawks. After two years as Russell Wilson’s backup in Seattle, Smith beat out Drew Lock for the Seahawks’ starting quarterback job in 2022.
Across three years as Seattle’s primary starter, Smith started 49 games, leading the Seahawks to a 27-22 record while making the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023. Overall, Smith finished his Seahawks career with a 68.5% completion percentage, 76 touchdown passes, 36 interceptions, 7.4 yards per pass attempt, and a 95.9 passer rating.
Smith was an above-average starting quarterback in Seattle. In 2025, though, the Seahawks dealt him to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick after failing to agree on a contract extension. The Seahawks replaced Smith with another former Jets quarterback, Sam Darnold, and proceeded to win the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, Smith crashed down to Earth in the desert. Across 15 starts for the Raiders, Smith led the team to a 2-13 record while leading the league with 17 interceptions. He tossed only 19 touchdowns, threw for 6.8 yards per attempt, and had an 84.7 passer rating, his lowest as a multi-game starter since his 2014 season with the Jets.
Now, Smith returns to New York as the Jets’ momentary penciled-in starting quarterback. The Jets may still add competition for Smith in free agency, as some reports have indicated that the team plans to add two veterans, with Carson Wentz being a name they are commonly linked to. The team may also select a quarterback in the NFL draft.
For now, though, Smith is the Jets’ QB1—just as he was well over a decade ago.
There was a time when Jets fans would have been ecstatic to hear that Smith would still be starting for the team in 13 years. It’s come to fruition, although the circumstances are just a tad different from what fans may have envisioned in 2013.
Head into the closet and dust off those No. 7 jerseys.
