There's a misconception surrounding Jets quarterback Geno Smith .
The 36-year-old veteran signal-caller has led Gang Green to a 1-1 record through the first two weeks of the season and has helped New York become a league-average offense -far better than the one that finished dead last in 2025.
Still, there's little respect for the team out in Florham Park. Smith has a role to play in that as a journeyman quarterback coming off a down year with the Raiders.
It's with the Raiders that this perception of Smith took hold, and it's something he's worked hard this season to correct. Through two games, it's safe to say that the Jets QB's work has paid off.
No quarterback in the league had thrown more interceptions in the previous two years combined than Smith. His 32 INTs with the Seahawks and Raiders told the story of a veteran quarterback who couldn't stop throwing the ball into harm's way .
Or at least, that was the perception. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Smith made it clear: just because the numbers said one thing, doesn't mean it's always true.
"You guys got to watch film. You say interceptions, you got to watch film; you can't just go off the stat sheet," Smith said after practice. "Interceptions can come in a number of ways; turnovers can happen in a number of ways. But the key thing is that we protect our team by protecting the football-that's first and foremost. That's something that I'm always mindful of."
Geno Smith isn't concerned that interceptions are an issue for him, especially when context matters. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Raiders were one of the worst teams in football without a quarterback. They had the worst offensive line and a receiving corps that was truly devoid of talent. Even the most elite quarterbacks would have struggled to make things work.
Smith may not be an elite signal-caller like Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen , but his production has been solid through the Jets' first two games. Here's a comparison to other Jets starters over the last few years:
Geno Smith:70% completion percentage, 462 yards, 1 touchdown
Justin Fields :57% completion percentage, 245 yards, 1 TD
Aaron Rodgers :60% completion percentage, 343 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Zach Wilson : 54% completion percentage, 310 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs
The numbers aren't going to win many awards, but Smith has been the best starting quarterback the Jets have had in years.
Even with one key thing to work on.
On no given day for the Jets should star wide receiver Garrett Wilson be second on the team in targets, just one additional one over special teams ace Isaiah Williams . That's what happened on Sunday, though, when Wilson and Williams finished with seven and six, respectively.
The Jets need to do a better job of getting the ball to their best players. But again, Smith made it clear that perception is not always reality.
"(Garrett is) a big piece in our offense and so we want to get him the ball as much aspossible. You have to be mindful of the defense is aware of that as well, so my job is to read the defense and get the ball, distribute the ball to the guys and overall-whoever touches the ball-it goes where it goes."
And if Wilson is frustrated with the lack of targets through two games, he isn't showing it.
"Garrett's done a great job of staying engaged in the game plan, and he's a guy I look for as much as I can," Smith said.
There is no denying the Jets will find ways to get the ball to Wilson, who's up to 136 receiving yards and a TD on 11 catches through two games. There will be few games where he is eclipsed in overall targets (at least there should be), but it is clear that Smith is the right quarterback for the job going forward.
If Smith continues to play as he has, the Jets will be far better this season than anyone truly expects. Needless to say, it's time to put all concerns to rest until they become a legitimate issue.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jets/onsi as Geno Smith Is Doing (and Saying) All the Right Things to Erase Jets Fans' Early Concerns .
