The Jets are still hunting for a real answer under center, and in 2026 that search is somehow still going on. Geno Smith is slated to open the year as the bridge starter while New York waits to see what the 2027 quarterback class looks like, but there’s obvious risk in that plan. Smith was horrendous for the Las Vegas Raiders last season, and if he keeps sliding in New York, Aaron Glenn may need a backup plan fast just to keep the season from getting away from him.
That’s where one of the wildest comeback ideas in the NFL picture comes in: Andrew Luck.
NFL.com recently ran through the league’s craziest possible player returns for 2026, and Jeremy Bergman landed on the former No. 1 overall pick as a fit with the Jets. The hook is simple and bizarre in equal measure - Luck, now the general manager of Stanford football, reconnecting with former Colts head coach Frank Reich in New York.
"Currently the general manager of Stanford football, Luck is just 36 years old, younger than three starting QBs in the NFL in 2026 (Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins). Luck is set up pretty nice now that he's no longer getting walloped by pass rushers, but if he ever wished to live to his generational potential, there's still time. Though his old gig is currently occupied by Danny Dimes, Luck can reunite with former Colts boss Frank Reich in New York as a Geno Smith escape hatch and potential bridge."
Jeremy Bergman
Luck has been retired since the 2019 preseason, when he shocked the league by walking away. Since then, there have been plenty of rumors and reports about the Colts and other teams trying to coax him back, but nothing has changed that reality. The odds of an actual comeback still look tiny.
Still, the idea is easy to understand. At 36, Luck would instantly be the most talented quarterback the Jets have had since Joe Willie Namath.
In his last season, he threw for 4,593 yards, 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, and helped win 10 games. For a Jets team searching for stability, that kind of production would be franchise-altering.
It remains an alternate-universe fantasy more than a real possibility. But if New York is looking for an emergency answer, Luck is the kind of name that makes people stop and imagine what might have been.
In Other News...
One Offensive Problem Still Stands Between Saints And The NFC South
Ben Solak of ESPN sees a path for the Saints to climb back to the top of the NFC South in 2026, and the logic is easy enough to follow. The division has been shaky, New Orleans was competitive at the end of the 2025 season, and there is real optimism around Tyler Shough entering his second year with a better supporting cast around him.
The lingering question is whether the offense can do enough to make that projection matter. The Saints have spent the offseason trying to sharpen the attack, but the run game remains the part that could decide whether this team turns a hopeful forecast into a division title chase or settles for another year of what-ifs. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Gleasons Message To Chris Johnson Will Hit Saints Fans Hard
Chris Johnsons ALS revelation landed with a familiar and painful force for Saints fans, because the league has long known the disease through Steve Gleasons battle. Johnson shared his diagnosis in a recent interview, and the news immediately brought Gleason back into the conversation, not as a football figure this time but as someone who has lived the same cruel reality since 2011. For New Orleans, Gleason has become more than a symbol of resilience, and his response carried the kind of weight only this community can fully appreciate.
Gleason has used his platform to back Johnson publicly while also pointing to the work of his foundation for people living with ALS, a reminder that the fight goes well beyond one player or one team. His message was rooted in solidarity and hope, the kind of support that matters when a former star is still trying to absorb how far the disease has advanced. For Saints fans, it is another hard reminder of how ALS keeps testing people who once seemed larger than the game itself. [Read more 🡒]
Easton Kilty Faces A Defining Saints Camp Battle Up Front
Easton Kilty is back in New Orleans and trying to make the leap from developmental project to real roster candidate as he enters his second NFL season. The undrafted offensive tackle spent most of his rookie year on the practice squad after signing with the Saints in 2025, then returned on a reserve/futures deal that kept him in the mix heading into camp.
Now the battle gets more complicated, because Kilty is trying to carve out a place on an offensive line the Saints spent the offseason trying to strengthen. He brings a solid college rsum from North Dakota and Kansas State, but camp is where that background has to turn into proof, and for Kilty the next few weeks will go a long way toward showing whether he can stick when the competition tightens. [Read more 🡒]