How Jets QB Geno Smith Could Impact the team in 2026
Ross Johnston evaluates the potential impact that Jets QB Geno Smith can have on this team on and off the field.
Video Transcript
What can veteran quarterback Geno Smith actually bring to the Jets while he's on his one-year, three point three million dollar deal?
I think he can actually have a really solid impact on the Jets, and more so off the field than on.
So Jets wide receiver AD Mitchell was asked about Geno Smith in a press conference this week and said, "The guy is just a true natural leader.
He has this presence about him.
It's just what you want from a quarterback.
That's the best way to sum it up."
And now look, Geno Smith is thirty-five years old, and the Jets have a very young roster.
Their age average is at twenty-five point eight years, so Geno Smith has about roughly a decade of experience in the NFL compared to the rest of the Jets roster on average.
Plus, Geno Smith has experience of already having been a Jet and played in New York with that media, in that market, and with those expectations.
Now for starters, everyone knows Geno Smith is not the Jets long-term future at the quarterback position and is likely not going to be here in twenty twenty-seven.
But he can bring you average quarterback play this year for one on the field, and also, I think he's a better band-aid quarterback than Justin Fields for sure when you talk about the veteran age, experience, and everything that comes with that.
And I don't think, you know, there's no expectations like when the Jets brought Aaron Rodgers in and that whole thing went down.
I mean, there's low expectations for him for that position, but the knowledge and what he can provide to his teammates could be immeasurable.
You've also got a young quarterback in that room in Cade Khlebnick who could be the future, maybe he couldn't, I don't know.
But you've got a veteran quarterback like Geno ahead of him that he can watch and learn from, you know, how to be a Jet, how to manage the media, the expectations, how to play quarterback in the NFL.
Because say what you want about Geno Smith, he's carved out a fairly decent career for himself considering that he's still playing and being a starter right now.
And for all intents and purposes, I know it's just one drive of a preseason game, but Geno Smith looked really good the other night against the Steelers, who actually played some starters on their defense.
Geno didn't miss a single pass, led a touchdown drive, and that was that.
So the dude can clearly still play to a degree.
Now, how consistent can he be during the season?
That is yet to be determined.
And what will Frank Reich's offense look like?
Who knows?
But if he can just bring the Jets average quarterback play, you combine that with what he can do off the field for these guys in the locker room, I think the Geno Smith, you know, round two era for the Jets could be a real success when we look at it, you know, three or four years down the line.
Let's just say this, it's way better than paying twenty dollar-- twenty million dollars a year for Justin Fields, and it is way better than bringing in, you know, a future Hall of Famer and having all that expectation just for it to come kick you in the face.
I think we should be excited about Geno Smith with the Jets this second time around.
Who knows what they'll be on the field this year?
Probably still gonna struggle a decent amount.
But again, this is all about the future and what you can propel the Jets into two or three years down the line.
