Geno Smith’s place in the NFL quarterback pecking order is right in the middle, at least according to one Week 10 ranking.
Nick Shook of NFL.com slotted the New York Jets quarterback 15th among NFL passers heading into the week. That puts Smith one spot ahead of Tennessee Titans QB Cam Ward and one spot behind Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins.
Smith has put together a solid statistical line in his second stint with the Jets. He has thrown for 2,078 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 67.5% of his passes.
The Jets, though, have not turned those numbers into wins. New York is 2-6 after beating the Titans in Game 1 and the Cleveland Browns in Game 5, while dropping games to the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.
Smith arrived in New York after the Jets acquired him from Las Vegas in the offseason. His final year with the Raiders was a rough one, as he led the NFL with 17 interceptions in 15 games.
So far this season, Smith has not done anything to put his job in danger. Still, with Gang Green out of playoff contention, head coach Aaron Glenn could turn to rookie Cade Klubnik soon to get a look at what he can do.
Klubnik went 21/34 for 190 passing yards in the preseason. He did not throw a touchdown pass and had one interception.
Before the 2025 college football season, Klubnik was viewed as one of the top prospects for the 2026 draft, but his stock slipped after he and Clemson struggled. The Jets still used the 110th overall pick in the 2026 draft on him, and despite the fall, Klubnik remains confident in his game.
He closed the 2025 college season with 2,943 passing yards and 16 touchdowns. Over his Clemson career, he totaled 10,123 passing yards and 73 touchdowns.
Smith’s best NFL work came in Seattle, where he earned Pro Bowl nods in 2022 and 2023 and took home the 2022 AP Comeback Player of the Year award.
Even with the Jets holding onto him at the trade deadline, multiple teams tried to deal for Smith. New York kept him, and now the next test is a matchup with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. New York will probably get blown out in that game.
In Other News...
Jets Fans Have A New Reason To Watch This Stretch Closely
The Jets have spent plenty of this season living on the edge, and Aaron Glenns recent comments about the teams close losses only sharpen that picture. There is also a little more movement around the roster, with Will McDonald seeing more playing time and Garrett Wilson back at limited practice, giving the stretch run a few more angles to watch as the team tries to sort out what it has.
There is also some off-field and future-facing news that keeps the Jets in the conversation. The compensation tied to the Andre Cisco trade has been adjusted, Rex Ryan is dealing with misdemeanor charges after a traffic incident, and quarterback prospect Drew Mestermaker has been climbing as a name to know in the draft picture, with his stock now strong enough to draw real attention. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Suddenly Have A Mike Tomlin Question Fans Can't Ignore
Mike Tomlins name is already floating through the usual coaching carousel, and the chatter has only grown since he stepped down as the Steelers head coach and moved into an NFL analyst role with NBC. He has not shut the door on returning to the sideline someday, but he also made clear that he has not spent much time thinking about it, preferring instead to stay locked in on broadcasting and getting better each week in that job.
Still, once a coach with Tomlins rsum is available in any form, the speculation tends to follow him everywhere, including to teams like the Jets, Cowboys, Eagles, Colts and Panthers. For New York, it is the kind of name that naturally gets attention whenever the future of the franchise comes up, even if Tomlin is not publicly treating a comeback as an immediate priority. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Just Added A New Problem For The Jets Secondary
The Bills have spent the season looking for ways to make life harder on opposing quarterbacks, and their latest move only sharpens that edge. By bringing in safety Amani Hooker from the Titans, Buffalo added a proven playmaker to a secondary that already had the Jets thinking carefully about every throw, and now the timing lines up for him to make his first appearance in a Bills uniform against New York in Week 10.
Hooker is no stranger to this matchup, either. He faced the Jets back in Week 1 while still with Tennessee, and he arrives in Buffalo tied for the league lead in interceptions, which gives the Bills another ballhawk to pair with a defense that has been difficult to navigate. For a Jets offense already trying to find clean answers in the passing game, the addition raises the stakes even more when these teams meet again. [Read more 🡒]
