Geno Smith is back where his NFL story began, and now he’s walking into the season with a ranking that says a lot about how the league sees him right now.
Ahead of the new year, NFL.com analyst Nick Shook slotted Smith at No. 21 among starting quarterbacks, putting him in the same tier as Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles, Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans, and several others. For a Jets team trying to squeeze credibility and competence out of its quarterback room, that’s a notable place to land.
Smith’s return to New York comes after an offseason trade brought the veteran quarterback back to the franchise that drafted him years ago. The Jets are not being pegged as a playoff team, with 2026 framed as a rebuilding year, and the organization has not reached the postseason since the 2010 season. Still, the plan is straightforward: win as much as possible and see whether Smith can help stabilize the offense.
There is reason for the Jets to believe the ceiling is higher than people might expect. Smith has had stretches in his career where he looked like a real difference-maker, and New York is hoping that version shows up again. The presence of Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall gives him real weapons to work with, and that could make the offense more dangerous if Smith keeps things under control.
That last part matters. Smith’s season with the Las Vegas Raiders was defined by the kind of mistakes that can sink drives and stall entire games. He finished with 3,025 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions, and the turnovers clearly dragged down the offense.
If he cleans that up, the fit in New York gets a lot more interesting. Smith already proved he can play at a high level during his time with the Seattle Seahawks, where he made two Pro Bowls. If he gets back to that form, the Jets could become one of the more surprising teams in the league.
New York opens the 2026 season on the road against the Tennessee Titans this coming weekend. A win there would give the Jets an early jolt and a little momentum to carry into the rest of the year.
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Manning is still years away from the NFL, and the whole idea remains speculative for now, but it is easy to see why the name pops for a team like the Jets. Any conversation about their future eventually comes back to quarterback, and this one puts a major spotlight on a potential prize that could change the direction of the franchise if everything lines up the way draft watchers imagine. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team always under the microscope at quarterback and still looking for difference-makers in the trenches and on the back end, the idea of landing that kind of draft capital would be a major development. Of course, it is still only a projection, and a lot would have to break right for the Jets to reach that kind of draft-day haul, but it is the sort of early glance at the future that can get fans thinking about how quickly the roster could be reshaped. [Read more 🡒]