Geno Smith is back where his NFL career began, but CBS Sports isn’t exactly putting him in the top shelf of quarterbacks.
Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports slotted the New York Jets veteran into tier six, calling Smith a placeholder. DeArdo pointed to what he described as a rough 2025 season and noted that Smith still found another starting job in the Big Apple. But the warning was clear: if this year looks anything like what happened in Las Vegas, his run as a starter could be short-lived.
"After a nightmarish 2025 season, Smith still managed to land another starting opportunity in the Big Apple, where his NFL career started," DeArdo wrote. "It's safe to say, though, that Smith's starting days will be in the rearview mirror if this season mirrors what happened in Las Vegas."
Smith is trying to reset after leading the NFL in interceptions last season with the Las Vegas Raiders. His track record, though, has had brighter stretches. The best football of his career came with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022 and 2023, when he earned Pro Bowl nods in both seasons and won the 2022 AP Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Now with the Jets again, Smith brings plenty of experience. The West Virginia product enters the next season with 22,168 passing yards, 124 passing touchdowns and 89 career interceptions, along with a 42-56-0 record as a starter.
Not everyone around the Jets is focused on the rankings. New offensive coordinator Frank Reich has been impressed with what he’s seen from Smith so far, especially the quarterback’s mind for the game.
"It's hard for me right now to not be overly, what's the word, effusive with praise, but I am just so impressed with Geno," Reich said, via Jets.com. "I know we haven't played any games yet, we've got a long way to go, we've got a lot to prove.
But man, he is on point. His preparation is top-notch, his football mind is elite, the way he's communicating in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage and the way he communicates in the quarterbacks room."
There’s also a telling number behind Smith’s résumé: every time he has started at least 13 games in a season, he has topped that mark, which has happened six times.
The Jets went 3-14 in Year 1 of the Aaron Glenn era. Now, with Reich running the offense and Smith back under center, Year 2 offers a very different kind of test.
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