The New York Jets made one of the more strange moves of the NFL offseason so far by bringing back their former quarterback, Geno Smith. He has had a roller coaster of an NFL career, but his first stop was with the New York Jets, who drafted him in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has grown a lot since that moment, and it's possible it could be a good sign for Smith to be back in New York.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter was one of the first to report that Geno Smith was heading back to New York in a trade with the Raiders. He also framed it as a good sign for the Jets because after leaving the Seahawks, they ended up with Sam Darnold. Then he also leaves the Raiders in a position to draft Fernando Mendoza with the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Schefter said, “Geno Smith is the reason that Sam Darnold is in Seattle today. Once he demanded a trade, the Seahawks pivoted and acquired Sam Darnold, who led them to a Super Bowl title. Geno Smith wound up in Vegas, through no fault of his own; they had the worst record in the league this year. They’re going to get Fernando Mendoza. And now Geno Smith is going to be in New York, where they may have the chance to get one of the aforementioned quarterbacks in the draft class of 2027. One of those great young quarterbacks, while Geno holds down the fort this year.”
It is also worth noting that Schefter praised Smith overall as a quarterback and was not being sarcastic. “So Geno Smith has been a good quarterback, Schefter explained. “He’s been a two-time Pro-Bowl quarterback, but he’s also left teams better off when he’s left than when he got there.”
The goal for the Jets is to get a quarterback of the future, so with Geno Smith coming back, he allows the Jets to be somewhat competitive in 2026, while still planning for the 2027 NFL Draft, especially because it is supposed to be loaded at quarterback and they have picks.
