The New York Jets have lost wide receiver Arian Smith for the season.
Head coach Aaron Glenn told the media on Wednesday, September 23, that Smith underwent ACL surgery and will miss the rest of the year.
Smith got injured during the Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers 20-17.
A Disappointing Run for Smith
Smith, 24, entered the league as the No. 110 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft. He won a pair of National Championships in college at Georgia.
In college, Smith struggled with drops. Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote in “The Beast” that Smith “was the only Power 4 player with double-digit drops in 2024.”
Those drop issues followed him to the NFL. During his rookie campaign in the NFL, Smith was targeted 16 times, catching seven balls for 52 receiving yards.
Through the first two games of the 2026 season, Smith has only been targeted once. That pass came during the Week 1 contest against the Tennessee Titans. Smith was running a crosser wide open; Geno Smith hit him, and Smith dropped the ball.
So as a wide receiver, Smith has been a huge disappointment. The saving grace for Smith has been his abilities on special teams as a gunner. However, that came under the microscope during the Week 2 loss to the Packers.
The Jets were leading by three points, 17-14, with just under five minutes remaining in the game. Gang Green punted to the Packers’ 18-yard line.
Smith had a chance to secure the open-field tackle at the 20-yard line. He whiffed. Green Bay return specialist Skyy Moore juked him and took it 63 yards in the other direction. The Packers scored a field goal on that drive to tie the game. Green Bay eventually won in overtime.
Smith’s Future With the Team Is Murky
The former Georgia product only has two years remaining on his $5.2 million rookie contract after this season. He has struggled at wide receiver, he has struggled on special teams, and now his future with the team is very much up in the air.
For now, Smith will miss the rest of the football season, but will remain on the team as he rehabs from his injury.
The Smith selection turned a lot of heads when the pick was made because it aggressively went against consensus.
NBC Sports analyst Connor Rogers at the time said it was a “massive reach.”
“Legitimate track speed on tape. He was a track guy, but he is still a track guy. That’s the problem for me. 10 drops in 2024. I mean that is a 16.7% drop rate on catchable targets. That is one of the worst rates in college football. Not in the draft, in college football. He doesn’t track well, concentration [and] body control struggles, a body catcher, the routes don’t have tempo. It’s nice when you have 4.3 wheels, can you tempo your routes?” Rogers openly questioned in April of 2025. “I thought this was a sixth-round player … I don’t understand that pick.”
It’s fine to go against the majority, but you better be right. This is a black mark on the resume of Jets general manager Darren Mougey. An early-day-three pick that appears to be a big bust.
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