PHOENIX — On the first day of the NFL Annual Meetings, Jets coach Aaron Glenn named Geno Smith his starter for 2026.
“No doubt about it,” Glenn said to NFL Network columnist Judy Battista. “He’s our guy.”
Following a quarterback carousel featuring Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Brady Cook, the Jets acquired Smith in a trade with the Raiders. They sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Raiders for Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Fields was then traded to the Chiefs a week later. Cook and Bailey Zappe are the only other quarterbacks on the Jets current roster.
The Jets were looking for a veteran to fortify their quarterback position and landed on Smith after the Raiders were set to release him. The Raiders are expected to draft Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick.
They could still draft a quarterback in April’s draft. But Smith will be their starter moving forward.
During his lone season with the Raiders, Smith, 35, struggled while passing for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and a league-high 17 interceptions. A lot of his struggles stemmed from the Raiders’ horrific offensive line. But Smith was also inconsistent with his accuracy and decision-making.
Before playing for Las Vegas, Smith resurrected his career over five seasons in Seattle. He was selected to back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2022 and 2023 after finishing with 7,906 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions during that span. But in his final season with the Seahawks in 2024, Smith finished with 15 interceptions, the second-most in the league that season.
“It means to have a bona fide starter come in and lead this offense to where it needs to go,” Glenn said about Smith. “Listen, he’s done it, you know, a couple of years. I mean, those years in Seattle, when he was, I think, Comeback Player of the Year.
“Man, he was up for MVP early in the season. There’s no doubt in my mind that we brought a competent starter here on this team. I look forward to him getting in the building.”