Throughout the offseason, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Randy Lange, Susanna Weir and Jack Bell will give their responses to a series of questions regarding the Jets.
Today's question: After Trading For Geno Smith, Where Do the Jets Stand at Quarterback?
EA: The acquisition of Geno Smith comes with both low risk and a high floor. If you account for Smith's past four seasons as a starter with the Raiders (2025) and Seahawks (2022-24), Smith played in 64 games and averaged 3,812 pass yards, 22 pass TDs, 13 INTs and 45 sacks plus a 68.1% completion rate. His 238.3 pass yards per game equate to 4,051 yards over a 17-game season. The Jets are taking on a miniscule cap hit and Smith provides an instant upgrade at the position. With Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe on the roster, and Tyrod Taylor a free agent, it will be interesting to see what the team's plans are at backup QB. Finally, GM Darren Mougey has kept his financial flexibility and draft capital while addressing immediate need. There is NO team in the league more equipped to make a sizeable dent in the next two NFL drafts than the Jets — they have 19 picks and 9 combined in Rounds 1 and 2. If a QB early this year feels too rich, the Jets can take a developmental prospect they'd like to work with. And down the line, they'll be positioned well in 2027. Smith is the right guy at the right time for a team that should be significantly improved.
RL: I like the Geno signing to start to set the table for whatever GM Darren Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn have in mind for this season as well as for 2027. Many will sniff at Smith's overall career numbers and last season with Las Vegas, and as Bill Parcells said: "You are what your record says you are." But also on Geno's record is the recent three-season span as Seattle's starter, and that period says a lot about where he is as a professional quarterback. He led the Seahawks to three winning records and one playoff berth and threw for 4,000 yards in both 2022 and '24 (the Jets have only one 4,000-yard passer in their history, of course, Joe Namath in 1967). And I am sure Mougey and AG assessed Smith's leadership skills and how he might, besides starting and winning a few games this season, help Frank Reich and Bill Musgrave coach up a QBs room that includes young players in Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe not to mention a potential rookie from the '26 draft class. From there, it's play the season the best you can, then we do this all again next year, when the Jets have three first-round picks and a strong QB class awaits. But as Parcells might also say, "Lookist, fellas, those are a lot of hypotheticals." I'll be interested to watch '26 play out before getting hyped up about '27.
SW: The Jets brought in a familiar face when they traded for Geno Smith, a second-round draft selection of the organization in 2013. Along with his four seasons of experience playing for the Green & White, Smith brings experience playing for four other organizations and accolades that include two Pro Bowl selections and AP Comeback Player of the Year honors. Questions remain for Jets when it comes to the quarterback room, however. The team traded Justin Fields to the Chiefs earlier this week, so Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe are the remaining QBs on the current roster. QB Tyrod Taylor -- who replaced Fields during the 2025 season -- is a free agent. Will the Jets add another veteran? Taylor could return, while Will Levis, Cooper Rush and Joe Flacco are some of the other available players. The Jets could also draft a rookie QB with the opportunity to develop under veteran mentorship. QB Ty Simpson, an Alabama product, is one prospect that analysts have speculated could be a fit for the team.
JB: With the veteran Geno Smith penciled in as QB1 after being acquired via trade from Las Vegas, the focus turns to landing a backup capable of stepping in and running the offense of coordinator Frank Reich. Tyrod Taylor remains available in free agency, while the Jets have two other QBs currently on the roster -- Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe. Carson Wentz had been mentioned as a possibility in published reports, but he has re-signed with Minnesota. Ditto Marcus Mariota, who has re-upped with Washington. With GM Darren Mougey showing he can make numerous shrewd trades, does he make a call to Tennessee to see if Will Levis might be available after the Titans signed Mitch Trubisky? Of course there are likely to be options in next month's NFL Draft on Day 3, which include Drew Allar (Penn State), Taylen Green (Arkansas) and Luke Altmyer (Illinois).
