On Tuesday afternoon, the New York Jets made a splash by trading for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith, exchanging late-round draft picks in the process. The move begins Smith's second tenure with the Jets, after being drafted there in the second round back in 2013.
Now, Smith has shared his immediate reaction to the news via a text with NFL insider Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network on X, formerly Twitter.
“Complete full circle moment back to where it all began. I’m excited to connect with my new teammates and coaches and everyone in the building as well as build a new relationship with the fan base and community,” said Smith, per Rapoport on X, formerly Twitter.
Smith signed with the Raiders prior to the 2025 season after a surprising career renaissance with the Seattle Seahawks, but ultimately, his tenure in Las Vegas turned out to be a disaster, as he fell toward the bottom of the league in several quarterback statistics, and opened the door for the Raiders to have the number one pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, where they are expected to select Fernando Mendoza out of Indiana.
The Jets didn't have much success in their own right in the quarterback department in 2026, as the Justin Fields experiment crashed and burned. New York has the number two overall pick in the upcoming draft behind the Raiders, but the class isn't exactly considered to be ripe with quarterback talent behind Mendoza, so at this point, it seems likely that Smith will be the team's starting quarterback heading into week one.
The Jets and their fans will hope that Smith is able to recapture some of the magic that he had during his tenure with the Seahawks, and put his time with the Raiders fully in the rearview mirror.
The 2026 season will begin in September.
