Geno Smith’s return to the New York Jets has already produced one of the strangest sights of training camp: the quarterback running drills in what looked like creepy red contact lenses.
The explanation, though, was a lot less eerie than the look suggested. After practice on Thursday, Smith told reporters the custom eyewear is part of a UV protection setup meant to cut down on glare.
“It blocks out the sunlight,” the 35-year-old quarterback explained to the media crowd. ‘It’s something that we’ve been doing,’ he added.
Smith said the gear helps when he’s throwing in bright conditions, and he added that the contacts change the way the field looks. According to team medical specialists, the lenses tint his entire field of vision a bright yellow.
‘It’s just something we’re trying out, just to see what it was like,’ he added. ‘I like it, so we’ve been sticking with it.’
The unusual look drew immediate reactions from reporters on the scene, who joked that his eyes had a borderline sinister appearance. Smith, though, brushed off the concern with a smile.
The veteran quarterback is back with the Jets after a March 2026 trade from the Las Vegas Raiders. New York sent a 2026 sixth-round draft pick to Las Vegas and received Smith along with a 2026 seventh-round pick.
It’s a homecoming for Smith, who was originally drafted by the Jets in 2013. After the team moved on from Justin Fields, leadership and offensive coordinator Frank Reich viewed Smith as the right fit for the short-to-intermediate passing game they want to run.
Smith arrives in New York as a 35-year-old veteran with plenty of mileage and, by the team’s view, the kind of experience needed to steady the offense. He’s also coming off a rough 2025 season with the Raiders, a year that made every practice rep this summer matter even more.
So far, the early returns at camp have been encouraging. Smith is reportedly operating at a very high level in Reich’s system, and he said he’s excited about the schematic advantages built into the new offense.
During the 2025 regular season with Las Vegas, Smith started 15 games and threw for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Despite the questions that followed him from that season, the Jets believe they’re seeing the version of Smith they wanted back when they made the move.
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