In 2026, Geno Smith has the potential to deliver the strongest season from a New York Jets quarterback in quite some time.
The key word there is “potential.” Everyone knows what he is capable of, evidenced by his run with the Seattle Seahawks from 2022-24.
If he is able to revert to that level of play with the Jets in 2026, which seems highly obtainable, two of the Jets’ younger wide receivers are set to benefit significantly: Adonai Mitchell and Arian Smith.
How Geno Smith can fully unlock Mitchell and Smith
Throughout his time with the Seahawks, Smith quickly established himself as one of the league’s top deep passers.
In 2022, his deep pass (20+ yards) grade of 99.2 from Pro Football Focus was the best among 29 qualified QBs (minimum 30 deep attempts). He also ranked second in completion percentage on deep passes that season (47.1%) while throwing the most touchdowns on such attempts (15).
During the 2023 season, he continued to grade out well, as his 95.6 mark was tied for the sixth-highest. Beyond that, his whopping 38.2% big-time throw rate led all QBs. The same trend continued in 2024, grading out tremendously well once again at a 95.1 grade from PFF, ranking fourth.
Now, if he can bring that same level of prowess back to New York for his second stint with the Jets, Mitchell and Smith could be in for career years.
Across his first two seasons in the league, Mitchell has proven to be one of the NFL’s top separators. Over the past two seasons, Mitchell has an ESPN Analytics open score of 80, placing him seventh at the position. He trails only Chris Olave (81), Zay Flowers (82), Stefon Diggs (84), A.J. Brown (84), Tyreek Hill (84), and Malik Nabers (90).
Furthermore, his 15.2-yard ADOT (Average Depth of Target) ranked fourth among qualified receivers last season. However, his full potential has still yet to be unlocked due to the Jets’ terrible quarterback play last year.
The arrival of Geno could also help Arian Smith, a fourth-round rookie last season who struggled to carve out a role on offense. While he was only targeted 16 times, he could take on a larger role this year due to the new quarterback.
Evidenced by the plays inserted above, the Jets didn’t have quarterbacks capable of pushing the ball downfield. There were four games last season where the team didn’t surpass 100 net passing yards, which is just downright unacceptable.
Without a signal-caller capable of taking deep shots, Smith’s role was limited to begin with. Entering 2026, there should be some optimism that he could get on the right track with a quarterback who can maximize his deep speed.
For the first time in a while, the Jets have a quarterback who isn’t afraid, or unable, to let it rip downfield. If Geno can still be the deep thrower he was with the Seahawks, Mitchell and Smith could truly break out with Gang Green in 2026.
