Geno Smith is officially the QB1 of the New York Jets.
Head coach Aaron Glenn emphatically confirmed that during a conversation with NFL Network’s Judy Battista at the Annual League Meeting.
“No doubt about it,” Glenn told Battista. “He’s our guy.”
The green and white acquired Smith in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. Currently, the Jets have three quarterbacks on the roster:
- Smith
- Brady Cook
- Bailey Zappe
Glenn Breaks Silence on Smith Trade
“It means to have a bona fide starter come in and lead this offense to where it needs to go. Listen, he’s done it, you know, a couple of years. 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,” Glenn responded when asked what it means to have Smith back in the building via Battista. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we brought a competent starter here on this team. I look forward to him getting in the building.”
Smith, 35, will turn 36 during the 2026 season. The former West Virginia product was a full-time starter in his first two seasons with the Jets in 2013-14. Then there was a seven-year gap before he returned to the starting lineup on a full-time basis in 2022.
Over the last four years, he has been a full-time starter with the Seahawks and the Raiders, respectively.
During that most recent stretch, Smith has completed 68% of his passes, has thrown for 15,251 passing yards, and has a 90 touchdown to 52 interception ratio.
Glenn’s Words Confirm Whispers Behind the Scenes
Up until AG spoke with Battista, there had been no public statements about Smith being the QB1 in 2026 for the Jets.
However, ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed what he was hearing behind the scenes on the subject matter.
“Geno is the guy. I’ve talked to some other agents who represent backup quarterbacks — obviously, they have to bring in a backup at some point. They were told that Geno is the guy. Now, I’m sure Geno was told, ‘Look, there’s a chance we may draft someone.’ So I think he is totally prepared for that, but right now, even though no one has said it publicly, they have said it to other agents, and they have said it privately, Geno Smith will go into the season as the QB1,” Cimini revealed on the new “Jets Collective” podcast.
Glenn confirmed that report at the Annual League Meeting by crowning Smith publicly as his starting quarterback.
AG Dodges Questions About Adding a Young QB
Who else will be added to the Jets’ QB room in 2026?
When Battista asked AG about the potential of selecting a young quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft, he dodged the question.
“We have to come out this year with really good players,” Glenn told Battista, “and that’s the only thing that we think about. Whoever that is.”
It’ll be a fine line for the Jets to balance. They need to win games immediately to preserve some jobs on 1 Jets Drive. However, they also have to be thinking about the future and specifically the long-term QB solution.
Aaron Glenn Delivers Strong QB Geno Smith Jets Announcement