Jets name Geno Smith starting quarterback
A New Era for the Jets’ Quarterback Room
Since the conclusion of the 2025 NFL season, the New York Jets have undergone a complete transformation in their quarterback room. After cycling through three starting quarterbacks last year, head coach Aaron Glenn has already made his decision on the 2026 starter, as reported by Judy Battista of NFL Network.
The Jets have moved on from Justin Fields, while Tyrod Taylor and Hendon Hooker have left in free agency. This leaves only undrafted rookie Brady Cook as the sole returning quarterback from last year’s roster. The first addition to the team came in the form of Bailey Zappe, a former starting quarterback for the New England Patriots. After leaving New England, Zappe spent time with the Chiefs and Browns before signing a reserve/futures deal with the Jets in February.
The final quarterback to join the room was a familiar face—Geno Smith, who the Jets acquired by trading a sixth-round pick to Las Vegas for a seventh-rounder and the quarterback they drafted in the second round out of West Virginia 13 years ago.
A Long History of Struggles
The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since the 2010 season. In the 15 campaigns since then, New York has had a losing record in all but three of those seasons. The first of these was an 8-8 campaign the season after their last playoff appearance. The second and third occurred during Geno Smith’s tenure when he led the team to an 8-8 record as a rookie in 2013 and when he backed up Ryan Fitzpatrick in the 2015 10-6 campaign. Since then, the team has endured 10 straight losing seasons.
Smith experienced a resurgence in Seattle, where he earned Pro Bowl honors in two consecutive years and helped the Seahawks achieve three winning seasons. However, his lone year in Las Vegas was a difficult one. He failed to reach 20 touchdowns for the first time since reestablishing himself as a starter in the NFL, led the league with 17 interceptions and 55 sacks taken, and won only two of 15 games as a starter. This performance led to the Raiders receiving the No. 1 overall pick, which they used to draft his eventual replacement.
Coach Glenn’s Confidence in Smith
Despite the challenging year, Glenn has expressed unwavering confidence in Smith. During an interview with Battista, he called Smith a “bonafide starter,” adding that “there is no doubt in (his) mind that (they) brought a competent starter” to the team. When asked whether Smith would be the starter, Glenn quickly replied, “No doubt about it, he’s our guy.”
According to Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York, while Smith may be the starter this year, the 35-year-old is not the future at the position. Despite hosting passers like Ty Simpson and Drew Allar in recent weeks, Hughes believes the team will focus on building a strong roster around the quarterback position this year. The future at quarterback, he suggests, will likely be whoever the Jets decide to draft in 2027.
A Bridge to the Future
For now, Smith serves as the bridge starter, carrying the team until his successor is drafted and, potentially, until that player is ready after sitting and learning for a bit. Returning to where his journey began, Smith has the opportunity to help pave a successful path for the Jets’ next potential franchise quarterback, guiding them away from the challenges he faced as a talented young passer who needed time to develop.
