The race to lead the NFL in interceptions in 2026 starts with an uncomfortable truth: this is one of the league’s most punishing jobs, and even the best quarterbacks can get buried by turnovers.
That’s why Geno Smith is sitting near the top of the board. After leading the league with 17 interceptions in 15 games for the Raiders in 2025, Smith now heads to the Jets for a second stint with the team.
The veteran will turn 36 this October, and DraftKings has him listed as the favorite at +950. Brock Purdy follows at 10/1 (+1000), with Trevor Lawrence next at 11/1 (+1100).
The rest of the list is packed with familiar names and a few longer shots: C.J. Stroud and Baker Mayfield are both 14/1 (+1400), Josh Allen is 15/1 (+1500), Malik Willis and Dak Prescott are 16/1 (+1600), Tyler Shough is 17/1 (+1700), Cam Ward is 18/1 (+1800), and Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, Sam Darnold, Patrick Mahomes and Drake Maye are all 22/1 (+2200). Bo Nix, Justin Herbert and Daniel Jones sit at 25/1 (+2500), while Jaxson Dart, Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford are 28/1 (+2800).
Smith has history working against him, though. No quarterback has finished first in interceptions in back-to-back seasons in nearly 40 years, with Vinny Testaverde the last to do it in 1988 and 1989 with the Buccaneers. And if Smith struggles again, the Jets may not wait long before turning to rookie Cade Klubnik, the Clemson product they took in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
There’s also the matter of how rare it is for one Jets quarterback to handle the whole season. Over the last 13 years, that has happened only three times: Smith in 2013, Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2015 and Aaron Rodgers returning from an Achilles injury in 2024.
Still, the best value on the board may be Bryce Young.
Young is coming off his strongest season as a pro in 2025, when he set career highs in completion percentage at 63.6%, passing yards at 3,011 and touchdowns at 27, while also taking a career-low 27 sacks. But the turnover history is still there. He has 30 interceptions in 46 career games, has been picked off at least nine times every season and has a career high of 11 interceptions in 16 starts.
The situation around him is also part of the case. The Panthers will be without starting right tackle Taylor Moton indefinitely because of a blood clot in his lung, and rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell tore his LCL and will miss the entire 2026 season. Young does have reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan, but if the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft misses time, Carolina’s passing game would be in trouble, especially with limited proven help behind him.
There’s one more factor: the Panthers went 7-3 in one-score games last season, and that kind of edge often doesn’t last. If that swings back the other way, Young could be forced into more risky throws late in games.
The pick here is Young at 22/1 (+2200), with a projection of 16 interceptions to lead the league in 2026.
In Other News...
Jets Backup Quarterback Debate Just Got A Lot More Uncomfortable
The Jets quarterback room has taken on an oddly delicate feel after the team decided to carry only two passers on its active roster, leaving Cade Klubnik as the backup behind the starter while Bailey Zappe sits on the practice squad. Klubniks preseason didnt exactly settle the matter, and that has made his place on the depth chart feel less like a firm judgment and more like a roster call the team had to make.
Around the league, Klubnik is one of three rookie quarterbacks serving in backup roles, but the bigger question for the Jets is whether he actually won the job or simply ended up there because of how the roster broke. With the regular season approaching, that uncertainty hangs over a position where the margin for comfort is usually thin and every decision gets scrutinized a little harder. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Defense Suddenly Faces A Bigger Week 1 Concern Than Expected
Jarvis Brownlee Jr. may be front and center for the Jets sooner than expected in Week 1, with uncertainty surrounding DAngelo Ponds availability leaving New Yorks slot corner spot in a more fragile place than the matchup plan probably anticipated. Brownlee, acquired from the Titans during the previous season, is the next man up if the Jets need help inside, and that alone adds an extra layer to a game that already carried some early-season intrigue.
The assignment could be a tricky one, too, because Brownlee may end up across from Titans slot receiver WanDale Robinson, who led the league in slot receiving yards last season. Brownlees numbers have been mixed, and the Jets do not have much proven depth waiting behind him, so this is the kind of early test that can quickly ripple through a defense if the coverage structure does not hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Mason Taylor Is Giving The Jets A Tough Week 1 Decision
Mason Taylor has spent training camp doing exactly what the Jets needed from a young tight end: making himself hard to ignore. He caught 17 passes from Geno Smith in team drills, more than any other Jets tight end, and his workload has reflected both his receiving ability and the coaching staffs confidence in his blocking.
His rise has also been helped by Kenyon Sadiq working back from a hernia recovery, which opened more opportunities for Taylor to climb the depth chart. The question now is how much of that camp momentum carries into the regular season, especially with other offensive weapons around Smith and a week-one plan that still has plenty of moving parts. [Read more 🡒]