There’s a common theme among the top New York Jets faces heading into the 2026 season.
Head coach Aaron Glenn, starting quarterback Geno Smith, and even new offensive coordinator Frank Reich have all been counted out at one time or another.
For one reason or another, the Jets have their head coach, play-caller, and quarterback taking on all comers with their back against the wall. It’s a big reason why all three chose to be together during the offseason.
Perhaps that’s just one reason why Reich can’t help but realize Smith might be the quarterback he’s wanted all along.
Reich’s belief in Geno
Reich has been around some of the best quarterbacks in the league during his career. He began his coaching career as an intern with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 under Peyton Manning.
It was with the San Diego Chargers that he first had the chance to serve as an offensive coordinator, working with Philip Rivers. When he returned to the Colts as head coach, he had Andrew Luck. Even in Philadelphia, the play of Carson Wentz was closer to an MVP candidate than the player he became later in his career.
Those quarterbacks — Manning, Rivers, Luck, and Wentz — share similar intangibles. All had big arms and were considered big throwers of the football.
Geno Smith also features those intangibles. That’s why Reich, among many other reasons, is excited to work with him in his offensive scheme.
“I think he fits perfectly,” Reich said. “I feel his resiliency, (and) his toughness. I always think the No. 1 attribute in any quarterback that you need, especially if you want to come and turn something around, is you need someone who’s tough.”
Smith was the Jets’ second-round quarterback from the 2013 draft. After a short stint with the team that was marred by plenty of off-field drama, he found homes with the Giants, Seattle Seahawks, and Las Vegas Raiders.
It was in Seattle with the Seahawks, however, where Smith rebuilt his image as a quality quarterback — and a quality leader.
“If you’re the right kind of leader, then you come out of it better, and I think that’s the version of Geno Smith we’re getting,” Reich said when discussing Smith moving beyond his early-career struggles. “We’re getting the best version of who he is, and I think his best football’s ahead of him.”
At 64 years old, Reich knows he has things left to prove after a disastrous run with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. That’s part of the reason why he’s able to connect well with Smith.
They both want to show the league they can still dominate in their respective roles.
Reich’s offensive vision
Reich and Smith are joining a Jets offense in desperate need of veteran leadership. They were dead last in the league in passing in 2025, and fourth-worst overall and in points.
While he won’t divulge exactly what the scheme will look like, Reich believes his unit must focus on a key principle.
“There’s a very clear vision of what we’ll do and how we’ll do it,” he said. “And everything will be done to accentuate what the players do best.”
Last season, the Jets openly paraded their desire to run the football. They signed quarterback Justin Fields in free agency for that very philosophy. It was considered a mistake across the board, though, because other teams understood how to stop the Jets offensively and did so with ease.
Reich doesn’t want to be as predictable this season, even if the emphasis stays the same.
“It’s certainly going to be no secret or surprise to say that we’re going to want to run the football, and so we’ll continue to emphasize that,” Reich said. “But you also have to find ways to be dynamic in the passing game and be excellent in situational football, and the way to do that is to create problems that the defenses can’t solve.”
Reich has the quarterback he wants this year. The Jets believe they have the play-caller they have needed.
If both work out, there just might be light at the end of the tunnel for the team going forward.
