Jets fans have reason to feel a little better about Geno Smith than they might have a year ago, even if nobody is ready to pretend this is a sure thing.
Smith has always been one of the league’s more divisive quarterbacks, the kind of player who can flash real ability and still leave people asking whether he’s the answer. That tension has followed him for years, and it only got louder after last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, when things went sideways for a team that, as the source material notes, simply did not have much talent around him.
That context matters. It’s easy to pin a bad season on the quarterback, but the Raiders were in rough shape, and Smith’s struggles there don’t erase the more encouraging stretch he put together with the Seattle Seahawks. Those years are a big reason he got paid the way he did, and they’re also why some Jets fans are willing to give this another look.
In a recent The Athletic poll, there was enough belief in Smith to suggest this isn’t being viewed as a hopeless bet. Nobody is crowning him, but there is some confidence that he can settle in as a decent option in New York, even if the early weeks don’t look clean.
“Smith was the best of some mostly unappealing options this offseason. Yet, he’s not far removed from an extremely productive tenure as the Seahawks' starting quarterback from 2022-24.
If Smith can play closer to his Seattle form than the one he showed in Las Vegas, the Jets have a chance to have a legitimately fun, explosive offense. Smith showed some flashes during the spring but the real tests won’t come until the games start.
“From the Jets' perspective, at least they’re not tied to Smith beyond this year. If he’s bad, they can move on and draft someone in 2027.
If he’s good, they can explore bringing him back - and it would be a great story. It is fair to wonder just how bad Glenn can afford his quarterback to be since there currently aren't any other great alternatives in the building,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic wrote.
That last part is the real comfort for New York: the setup doesn’t lock the Jets into Smith long term. If it goes poorly, they can turn the page. If it goes well, they’ve got a chance to keep him around and maybe build something off it.
For now, the best outcome is obvious. Smith plays closer to the version that showed up in Seattle, the offense looks dangerous, and the Jets get wins out of it.
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Baileys college production is part of why the excitement has come so quickly, and the early conversation around him is less about whether he can help than how fast he can become a difference-maker. For the Jets, a strong rookie season would already change the tone around the defense, but the bigger question is whether Baileys ceiling is high enough to make New Yorks investment look even smarter before the season is over. [Read more 🡒]