“Listen, he’s done it. I mean, those years in Seattle, when he was, I think, Comeback Player of the Year. Man, he was up for MVP early in the season. There’s no doubt in my mind that we brought a competent starter here to this team,” the head coach said via Ari Meirov on X.

At the moment, Smith shares the QB room with Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe. Nevertheless, barring any unforeseen circumstances, everything points to him being the natural replacement for Justin Fields starting in Week 1.

A misstep in Las Vegas

Geno Smith’s tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders proved to be a difficult one-and-done experiment characterized by high turnover rates and a lack of protection. Joining the team via trade from Seattle in March 2025, Smith struggled to find his rhythm behind a porous offensive line that allowed him to be sacked 55 times.

While he managed to throw for 3,025 yards and 19 touchdowns, he also recorded a league-worst 17 interceptions, contributing to a disappointing 2-13 record as a starter. Despite a historic debut where he broke a 45-year-old franchise record for passing yards in a Raiders debut, the team’s overall offensive struggles led to his departure.

Glenn needs stability at QB

Heading into his second season as the Jets’ head coach, Aaron Glenn is prioritizing stability at the quarterback position after a tumultuous 2025 campaign. Last year, his offense struggled significantly under Justin Fields, whose season was marred by inconsistency and a league-high sack rate before a knee injury and eventual benching ended his tenure in New York.

In his absence, the Jets turned to veteran Tyrod Taylor to stabilize the unit, and later utilized Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe as the team limped to a 3-14 finish.

A tough schedule ahead for the Jets

Although the exact dates of the games are still unknown, the New York Jets already know their opponents. If this team wants to compete in the AFC East race, it will need to stay strong week after week.

As Smith pointed out, the Jets were “the organization that gave me a chance coming out of West Virginia and really believed in me,” even if things went really sour afterwards. Smith is now a much mature quarterback, and his best version could really help this team.

The quarterback had a much-maligned time with the Raiders, and between the lack of market looking for him, and the Jets needing a cheap quarterback to work with, the reunion was set.

Smith’s past with the Jets is dark

Smith’s past with the Jets has plenty of bad moments. For instance, the second round pick was trusted to bring success to the team and he failed. Smith had a 12-18 record, completing just 57.9% of his passes for 5,962 yards, 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. On the gridiron, Smith was just not good enough to be labeled a franchise quarterback.

Also, the elephant in the room… Smith’s time with the Jets was marked by a “sucker punch” connected by IK Enemkpali that broke Smith’s jaw in two places. This was due to Smith no-showing Enemkpali’s football camp and failing to reimburse him the flight money. Smith missed multiple months and that allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick to become the starter of the team.

Smith needs to prove he still belongs

Hence, not only does Smith need to make things right with the Jets, but he also needs to prove he still has a spot in the NFL. After shining for five years with the Seahawks, he had a very bad stint with the Raiders in 2025. There he got benched and still led the NFL in interceptions. Now at 36 years old, he will try to still prove he belongs as a QB1.

Pete Carroll spoke to Rich Cimini of ESPN, who covers the Jets, Smith’s new team. “I think I see him differently than a lot of people see him,” Carroll said about Geno Smith. “I love him and appreciate him differently.”

But then, he dropped the apologetic part of the message. “He’s a phenomenal quarterback, he really is,” the former Raiders coach said. “We should’ve had him better prepared for the things that happened, and that wouldn’t have happened. I take a lot of responsibility in that. We didn’t prepare him well enough in the offseason even though he looked great and we felt we had everything lined up. It was very, very disappointing for us both.”

Smith will work with an OC known for getting the best of QBs

Frank Reich is the Jets new offensive coordinator. He has a reputation of making the best out of working with underwhelming quarterbacks. Smith right now has been that, and he is looking or redemption. Reich worked with Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan. Rivers and Ryan were in their last stretches.

Reich has had mixed but overall positive results given his quarterbacks. Now, he has to go back into reviving the career of a soon-to-be 36-year-old Geno Smith. The Jets desperately need for this duo to work, otherwise their offense will be very stagnant.

Smith will have a very good couple of weapons to work with

Smith will have a certified top-tier wide receiver in Garrett Wilson. The Ohio State product has had three 1,000-yard seasons. The streak was stopped last year, but he only played in seven games. Now, Smith will have to target Wilson heavily if he wants to succeed.

He also has a very good running back. Breece Hall will also be back. He had 1,065 yards last season. But Hall is not only a good rusher, he is also a very good pass-catcher. Hall has had 350+ receiving yards in his three seasons as a full starter of the team. Hence, he will a viable escape valve for Smith.

Coming off a disappointing campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders, Smith is back in New York—actually, New Jersey—where he started his NFL journey back in 2013. Though excited to have him back in town, the Jets know Smith’s game brings inconsistency with it, and thus acquiring Wentz could help give the team a cushion in case all else fails.

Still, Wentz only appeared in five games in 2025, in which he didn’t exactly play lights-out. Needless to say, a quarterback tandem of Smith and Wentz would mean New York remains filled with uncertainty in 2026. The 2026 NFL Draft has yet to take place, but it’s no wonder why “J-E-T-S” fans are already eyeing the 2027 class, which could have Arch Manning leading the way.

Justin Fields could leave NY Jets

“Justin Fields remains under contract, but that likely will change,” as reported by Rich Cimini of ESPN. Following a scarily inconsistent performance in 2025, the former 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft is trending to search for a new home. It would be the fourth time the quarterback hits the real estate business in his six-year career.

Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets, via Spotrac, which runs through the 2026 NFL season. However, New York may not sit around waiting for his deal to expire. Instead, Jets general manager Darren Mougey may take action into his own hands.

Jets face options when it comes to Fields

If Fields won’t be taken into account by New York, it better figure out a way to escape the quarterback’s $23 million cap hit in 2026. In order to do so, the Jets have different options at their disposal. Most likely, any decision will have to wait until June 1st, when the NFL’s new league year begins.

If the Jets release Fields prior to that date, they would take on $22 million on dead cap. A pre 6/1 trade would save New York $11 million, but it would still take on $12 million in dead cap in 2026. Moreover, finding a suitable trade partner for Fields might be unlikely.

Better options for the Jets and Fields

Thus, the more likely options for the Jets are as follows. On the first hand, they could designate Fields as a June 1st release—or simply release him after that date—which would take on a $13 million dead cap for 2026 and a $9 million hit for 2027. It’s a higher price to pay than a trade, but it’s a far easier decision to pull off.

If the Jets trade Fields after June 1st, then it’d be the best solution. New York would save $20 million as it’d take on $3 million in 2026 and $9 million in 2027 in dead cap. Knowing how much money a trade would save the Jets means any team willing to do business with them will likely lowball them, though.

The 2026 offseason has been wild. Several high-profile names have changed clubs for the upcoming campaign, but few stories are as compelling as Geno Smith returning to the franchise where his NFL career began.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that the Jets have acquired Geno Smith via trade with the Raiders. New York sent a 2026 selection to Las Vegas while acquiring the quarterback and a seventh-round pick. Here are the Jets’ updated picks in 2026.

• Round 1: #2 Overall
• Round 1: #16 Overall
• Round 2: #33 Overall
• Round 2: #44 Overall
• Round 4: #103 Overall
• Round 4: #140 Overall
• Round 5: #179 Overall
• Round 6: #194 Overall
• Round 7: #218 Overall
• Round 7: #219 Overall
• Round 7: #242 Overall

Why the Jets traded for Geno Smith

Geno Smith is returning to where it all started for him in 2013. However, many fans are wondering why the Jets traded for him instead of waiting for the quarterback to become a free agent.

According to Tom Pelissero, the Jets agreed to send a sixth-round pick to the Raiders for the quarterback because Las Vegas will be paying the bulk of Smith’s salary to facilitate the trade. This allows New York to acquire the QB while paying only slightly over the league minimum.

Essentially, if the Jets had waited for Geno Smith to hit free agency, they would have had to offer him a more lucrative deal than they will pay under these circumstances. Furthermore, they avoided the risk of Smith receiving better offers from other quarterback-needy teams.

New York Jets updated quarterback depth chart with Geno Smith

Following the trade, Smith is set to become the QB1, with both Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor poised to be released. Meanwhile, Brady Cook and Hendon Hooker will battle for the backup role in 2026.

However, there is significant uncertainty regarding the Jets’ draft approach. Holding the second-overall pick—and with the Raiders widely expected to select Fernando Mendoza at No. 1—the Jets could have targeted Ty Simpson. Yet, Smith’s arrival may prompt the club to use that high capital on a different prospect, such as Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese.

While likely destinations could be Smith’s reason to be pumped, the fact is that he is not the first player to be absolutely ecstatic to leave the Raiders. After all, Smith was sacked an NFL-worst 55 times. He got absolutely whacked during his time with the Sin City franchise.

Now, Smith posted “God is the GREATEST… THANK U LORD.” It seems like Smith wasn’t eager to be benched by soon-to-be first-overall pick, quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Smith now has to go and pick wisely where he’ll play next.

Smith joins a list of players celebrating their goodbye to the Raiders

Two star wide receivers were also glad to leave the Raiders back in the day. Infamous Antonio Brown posted a clip running up and down his garden after getting cut by the Raiders. Then, when Davante Adams went from Raiders to Jets, he also was very relieved. In fact, when he was still on the Raiders, Adams went viral for saying “I gotta get the f— outta here before I lose my f—— life. I ain’t never been hit this many f—— times in my career. Every game, I get f—– up.”

Now, not only is Smith released, but it’s likely that pass-rusher Maxx Crosby will be traded. Crosby is very unhappy with the organization and it seems like they reached a point of no return. Hence, Crosby could also be happy to leave the team when it eventually happens.

The Raiders are headed towards an imminent rebuild

You know a team goes into rebuild mode when they bring a new, exciting coach, paired with a young, big-time prospect at quarterback, and that’s exactly what the Raiders are doing. They brought Klint Kubiak to become the new head coach and they will draft Fernando Mendoza barring any unprecedented disaster before the 2026 NFL Draft.

They also have a high-upside, second-year running back in Ashton Jeanty, and a young, elite tight end in Brock Bowers. The Raiders’ focus now must be getting a great offensive line to help their young core of players. The defense also must go into rebuilding mode, especially if they get a good package in return for Maxx Crosby.

On Friday, Ian Rapoport reported that the Raiders plan to release Geno Smith at the start of the league’s new year. The move would leave the team searching for a new starting quarterback, potentially creating room for Fernando Mendoza.

Without Smith and while the team waits to see if a move for Mendoza materializes, the Raiders’ current quarterback depth chart lists Kenny Pickett as QB1 and Aidan O’Connell as QB2. However, the AFC West club could still target another signal-caller with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The arrival of Fernando Mendoza looks imminent

By cutting Geno Smith, the Raiders move on from their starting quarterback. While Kenny Pickett is a decent signal-caller, Las Vegas does not intend to let a generational talent slip through its hands.

As the Raiders hold the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, they are in the best position to select a top-tier quarterback. And who would that be? Well, few can argue that Fernando Mendoza is not the best prospect at the position this year.

If everything goes as expected, the Raiders will take Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall. After several years of struggles, Las Vegas could finally secure the franchise quarterback fans have long been waiting for.

The Raiders made a big mistake with Geno Smith

During the 2025 offseason, the Raiders decided to give Geno Smith a lucrative two-year, $75 million contract. They also sent a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire him.

Due to his contract, Smith is still owed $18.5 million by the Raiders. Nevertheless, this decision appears to be aimed at creating room on the roster for Fernando Mendoza.

The release was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN. Smith is still owed $18.5 million guaranteed from the Raiders in 2026. However, this means that while Smith will get the money, teams can negotiate directly with him and look for a bargain deal.

Among the teams that could be interested, the Minnesota Vikings seem to be the most QB-friendly place to go. The fact that they have a top-tier wide receiver room is very good for the QB. However, the Arizona Cardinals are also on the lookout as Kyler Murray’s time might be over, and other teams like the New York Jets could try to make a reunion with Smith as well.

Geno Smith is on his second redemption tour

This is not the first time Geno Smith’s career is at a crossroads. For a long time, he was seen as a veteran with not much to offer. He was a perennial backup, until he got to Seattle and turned his career around. Now, it’s once again a redemption-seeking period for Smith after he had a very underwhelming stint with the Raiders.

In 2025, Smith had 3,025 yards, his lowest number since 2022, and had a league-leading 17 interceptions. Smith didn’t throw that many picks since his rookie year in 2013. He also got sacked a career-high 55 times. That didn’t help him for sure.

Smith’s options should be two teams really…

While Smith now has to wait for offers, his best interest would be to go to either Minnesota or Arizona. The Vikings are the best-case scenario as he goes to a team with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison as WRs, and Kevin O’Connell as the head coach. Sam Darnold used that team to revive and he is now a Super Bowl champion.

The Cardinals, while a good destination, is just a bit below the Vikings. Instead of an elite receiving crew, he would have a very good one with Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride (tight end), and Michael Wilson. Also, instead of O’Connell, he’d get a great mind in Mike LaFleur, albeit a much-less experienced one.

Kyler Murray and Geno Smith have emerged as the primary targets to challenge McCarthy, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN. Murray offers dynamic, dual-threat potential that fits Kevin O’Connell’s scheme, while Smith provides a veteran pocket presence and high-volume passing. Both are expected to be available on the market soon.

This shift signals a “win-now” desire for a roster that has elite talent like Justin Jefferson, for instance. By pursuing established Pro Bowlers, the Vikings are admitting they can’t afford another year of growing pains with McCarthy. Whether McCarthy wins the job or ends up on the bench, the era of him being the uncontested starter in Minnesota appears to be over.

Smith and Murray need a new job

Rumors of both Geno Smith and Kyler Murray going into the QB market are heating up. Smith might lose his job to presumed first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza. As for Murray, the team just seems to be ready to move on from him, with reports that head coach Mike LaFleur wants to reunite with a former player of his.

Murray has more leeway than Smith purely on two factors. Firstly, Murray is 28 years old, while Smith is 35. The other thing is, Smith really regressed in 2025, while Murray barely played due to injury. However, Smith’s stock really suffered last season.

Kevin O’Connell can make miracles with an average QB

Sam Darnold‘s miraculous redemption started with the Vikings under Kevin O’Connell. Hence, Smith could see the Vikings as an ideal spot to revive his career. The same can be said for Murray, in all fairness.

The Vikings have an elite weapon in Justin Jefferson, as well as very solid WR2 in Jordan Addison. That, under O’Connell’s scheme is actually a very good recipe, despite JJ McCarthy’s results. In the end, the Vikings have the tools to become a very good team, but they need a proper QB1.

It appears increasingly likely that Mendoza could soon be wearing black and silver. With the first overall selection, the Raiders are in position to draft the top quarterback prospect in the class — and Mendoza is widely viewed as that player.

That scenario would not bode well for Geno Smith. The veteran joined Las Vegas in 2025, but after a disappointing campaign, speculation has intensified that the franchise could transition to Mendoza as QB1.

Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak gets honest about QB situation

The Raiders are expected to look significantly different in 2026. With Klint Kubiak now leading the team as head coach, the focus has shifted toward fixing the offensive struggles that plagued the club last season — and the quarterback position is at the center of that conversation.

Smith failed to replicate the level of play he showed during his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, raising legitimate questions about the team’s long-term direction. Amid the growing buzz surrounding Mendoza, Kubiak has addressed the uncertainty at the position, signaling that the organization is evaluating every option carefully.

“Looking at all options right now,” Klint Kubiak told reporters this week at the scouting combine. “Watching Geno play last year, obviously very familiar with what he had done before. We’re just kind of putting it all on the table right now, trying to see every possible avenue we can go right now at quarterback. He’s definitely one of those options we’re considering.”

Raiders aware of the pressure that comes with No. 1 pick

Las Vegas understands the responsibility that comes with holding the first overall selection. The franchise has struggled to find stability at quarterback since Derek Carr’s departure, and this draft presents a prime opportunity to secure a long-term solution.

Mendoza’s talent has not gone unnoticed, and even Kubiak has publicly praised his potential ahead of the draft. If the Raiders decide to move forward with the young prospect, it could mark the beginning of a new era — and potentially the end of Geno Smith’s time as the team’s starting quarterback.

The report was released publicly by Ryan McFadden: “QB Geno Smith (right shoulder/back) is not practicing for the second straight day,” the reporter wrote on X. It is notable that the Raiders must now scramble to find an option should Smith be unable to play against the Eagles.

It was already known that he missed practice on December 10th. Ian Rapoport also reported that day that it was increasingly unlikely Smith would be able to play against the Eagles, and the same report revealed that the backup quarterback is the most viable option.

Who would replace Smith if he doesn’t play against the Eagles?

The next name on the Raiders’ depth chart is Kenny Pickett, who is notably familiar with the Eagles’ system, having played with them last season. He also possesses a Super Bowl ring from his time as Jalen Hurts’ backup and appeared in five games for the team.

So far this year, Kenny Pickett has assisted the Raiders in three games, completing only 10 of 24 passes for 105 yards and a single touchdown. From 2024 through the current 2025 season, he has accumulated just 396 passing yards, an indication of his limited playing time as a backup.

The Raiders’ objective should be quite simple: try to close the season with at least one more victory and avoid finishing the year with a significant losing streak, which has been growing since Week 7 and did not halt with the most recent defeat against the Broncos at home.