Frank Reich delivered some powerful words when asked about his starting quarterback, Geno Smith.
“I think he fits perfect,” New York Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich said. “I’ve liked Geno from day one. When he was coming out of West Virginia, I had a high grade on Geno. I had not met Geno before here, and I’m kinda glad because I am even more impressed with him now, meeting him in person. I feel his resilience, his toughness, [and] I always think the No. 1 attribute in any quarterback that you can need, especially when you’re coming to turn something around, is you need someone who is tough. Tough mentally, tough physically, and I feel that from Geno on every front.”
“I think his experience the ups and downs that he has been trough and he’s had great success and had to deal with some tough seasons. If you play in this league long enough, everyone is going to face that. If you’re the right kind of leader, you come out of it better. I think that’s the version of Geno Smith that we are getting. We’re getting the best version of who he is, and I think his best football is ahead of him,” Reich explained.
Reich Had Influence on This QB Choice
ESPN’s Rich Cimini joined me on “Boy Green Daily” earlier this offseason. Shortly after Reich was hired, Cimini explained to me that Frank would have a massive influence over who the Jets acquire at the quarterback position.
A little over a month after my interview with Cimini, the Jets officially acquired Geno Smith in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.
On the surface, the jokes wrote themselves.
This would be Smith’s second stint with the team. The first one did not go well and was highlighted by Smith getting punched in the jaw in a locker room altercation that completely changed the trajectory of his career.
Eventually, that sent Smith out the door, and he traveled around the league as a backup quarterback until he reemerged with the Seattle Seahawks.
Smith enjoyed some great success in Seattle when he took over as the QB1. However, the 2025 season with the Raiders was a disaster.
Smith led the league in interceptions (17) and was the most sacked quarterback in the league (55), per ESPN.
NFL Network’s Judy Battista told me on “Boy Green Daily” that there was an unbelievable amount of dysfunction in that building, and it wasn’t all Smith’s fault that the season went in the direction that it did.
While that may be true, the nonbelievers in the audience are going to suggest that last year was the first sign of a decline for the 35-year-old passer with more of it to come.
If Reich Is Right, Jets Are Set for Historic Season
Reich said Smith’s best football is ahead of him. Smith, when he spoke to the media, struck a similar tone, saying the Jets are getting a better version of him in 2026 than Seattle got a few years earlier.
If those words are true, Smith will shatter some longstanding Jets franchise records. Smith’s single-season career highs:
- Passing yards: 4,320
- Completion percentage: 70.4%
- Passing touchdowns: 30
The passing yards and completion percentage would be the best marks in franchise history. The passing touchdowns would be the second-best mark in team history.
Jets OC Frank Reich Delivers Emphatic Geno Smith Message