The New York Jets have one of their top quarterback targets in sight.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed in a column on Friday, March 6, that the Jets will “definitely” be in the mix for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith.
Smith, 35, will be released by the Raiders “barring a trade before the start of the new league year,” ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter posted. A potential last-second trade is viewed as an unlikely result.
Smith has spent 13 years at the NFL level. He has appeared in 109 games and has made 98 starts. With those opportunities, Smith has completed 65.2% of his passes, has thrown for 22,168 passing yards, and has a 124 touchdown to 89 interception ratio.
The Smith-Jets Reunion Is a Very Real Thing
Rosenblatt wrote a long-form column explaining which quarterbacks are “most likely” going to join the Jets this offseason.
The two “front runners,” as he called them, were Smith and Arizona Cardinals backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Brissett has a year left on his contract with Arizona and would have to be acquired via trade. Smith would be a free agent addition.
Smith is a name that NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY revealed that he has heard “more, more, and more” associated with the Jets.
“The Jets will absolutely be interested in him,” Hughes explained on “Jets Final Drive.”
“I think [the Jets] get Geno done,” Hughes predicted later in the show.
A Massive Discount at the Game’s Most Important Position
Smith is set to be cut by the Raiders. He is still owed $18.5 million guaranteed from Las Vegas in 2026, per Schefter.
Rosenblatt explained, “Because of offset language, whatever he signs for with his next team would be subtracted from what the Raiders owe him — so he’ll almost certainly sign for a minimum salary.”
Smith Sweepstakes?
Hughes explained on “Jets Final Drive” that the Jets won’t be the only team in on Smith.
“While the Jets do like Geno from what I have been told, that has to be a two-way street, and Geno Smith, from my understanding, has a lot of affinity for the Miami Dolphins. If Geno is given his perfect scenario of where he would play, he would prefer to play for the Dolphins,” Hughes said.
“That is understandable. That is where he is from; it’s a place that he has always kind of wanted to get back to, but do the Dolphins have interest in him? Because Miami is also in on Malik Willis, does Geno want to be a backup quarterback? There is a chance that the Dolphins swoop in and take Geno Smith,” Hughes added.
Smith was born and raised in Florida. He didn’t leave the area until after he graduated from high school and went to play college football at West Virginia.
One of the Craziest Reunions of All Time
If Smith actually joins the Jets this offseason, it would be one of the most unbelievable reunions in history.
The former West Virginia product was selected by the Jets as a 23-year-old with the No. 39 overall pick in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. He spent the first four years of his career with the green and white.
After his run with the Jets, Smith went on a six-year sabbatical as a backup quarterback around the NFL. In 2022, he emerged from the shadows as a full-time starter, and he hasn’t looked back.
Smith isn’t the young kid he was when he first entered the league. He is now a 35-year-old veteran quarterback. While he is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, there might still be some magic left in that arm.
“Smith is a gunslinger who still has something left in the tank — from 2022 to 2024, league-wide, he ranked fourth in yards, eighth in touchdowns, third in completion percentage and first in lowest percentage of off-target throws (7 percent),” Rosenblatt wrote.
Jets Are ‘Definitely’ in the Sweepstakes for 124 TD QB, Says Insider