Geno Smith’s up-and-down career has most recently hit a valley. Significant questions remain about whether he can rekindle the mid-career magic that made him a two-time Pro Bowler. Smith initially found it after his first stint with the New York Jets.
Former sports agent Joel Corry, now an analyst for CBS Sports, noted, “Smith didn’t resemble the player who was named 2022’s NFL Comeback Player of the Year last season.”
“He led the NFL with 19 interceptions. Smith’s 84.7 passing rating was 30th in the NFL. His performance played a major role in the Las Vegas Raiders securing the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft with 3-14 record, which was used to select Indiana University Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza,” Corry wrote on September 11, noting the trade that brought the veteran QB back to New York.
“Scheduled to make $26.5 million in the first year of a two-year, $75 million extension (worth up to $84 million through incentives and salary escalators) signed in conjunction with his March 2025 trade to the Raiders from the Seattle Seahawks, Smith took a pay cut to $19.5 million and his 2027 contract year worth $39.5 million was deleted in the process.”
“It starts with wins and it ends with wins. Win as many games as we can.”
That sparked a clear warning for Smith about his Jets redux in 2026.
“Smith, who turns 36 in October, can’t afford to have another season like 2025,” Corry noted about the Jets starting QB. “If he does, his days as a starting quarterback will be numbered.”
Geno Smith Warning Comes Down After Speculation About Jets’ Aaron Glenn
Smith is not the only Jets figure that is under pressure this coming season. Jets head coach is as well, following a 3-14 first season at the helm.
“It’s tough to be a defensive-minded coach when the defense isn’t any good. The Jets were a disaster on that side of the ball in 2025, becoming the first team in modern NFL history to finish without an interception. Trading away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams obviously didn’t help matters, but in his first year as a head coach, Glenn struggled with his handling of Justin Fields and the New York media,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote on September 3.
“Glenn then fired 12 of his assistant coaches after the season, including both of his initial picks at coordinator. The Jets made major talent upgrades over the offseason, including three first-round picks and what could end up as nine new veteran starters across both sides of the football. It was difficult to blame Glenn for what happened last season, but if the Jets don’t show major signs of improvement in 2026, it might be tough to find arguments to keep Glenn around for a third season in North Jersey.”
“Winning. Hands down. Effort. Discipline.”
The reality is that the 2026 Jets offense could be closer to what the defense was in 2025. That is, before the Gardner and Williams trades. That would undoubtedly spell bad news for Smith, though that same Jets deficiency could also go in his favor.
As much as Smith struggled with the Raiders, there were plenty of failings around him.
He set career highs in completion percentage (70.4%) and passing yards (4,320 yards) in 2024. That was with the Seahawks. He made his last Pro Bowl trip in 2023.
Former Agent Warns New York Jets Quarterback Geno Smith