Geno Smith goes back in time and makes a surprise return to the New York Jets, who have found a new starting quarterback.
The Jets are acquiring Smith, who was the team’s second-round draft pick in 2013, from the Las Vegas Raiders, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
According to an official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, New York also plans to receive a 7th round pick and send a 6th round pick to Las Vegas. That’s because it can’t be made official until the new league year begins on Wednesday.
Las Vegas is likely targeting Fernando Mendoza, a quarterback from Indiana who is widely expected to go No. 1 in the NFL Draft. Smith’s days with the Raiders predate the trade, even if it meant releasing him.
But now the Raiders get something in return, adding more options to a draft haul that includes 11 picks.
And the Jets, who are looking to rebound from a 3-14 first season under Aaron Glenn, have a starting quarterback.
ESPN reports that the Jets and Smith have reached an agreement to renegotiate the remainder of his two-year, $66 million contract.
New York still has Justin Fields, who started nine games in his first season with the team, but he will now assume a backup role if he is not released. The Jets could also add another veteran backup. Tyrod Taylor is set to become a free agent, leaving Brady Cook, who struggled while starting the final four games as a rookie, and Bailey Zappe on the roster for Smith and Fields. The Jets could also consider drafting a quarterback they can develop.
Smith will hope to find the magic he had in Seattle, where he revitalized his career under coach Pete Carroll. He quarterbacked the Seahawks to three consecutive winning seasons.
After the Raiders hired Carroll last year, one of his first moves was to bring Smith to Las Vegas. Neither went as planned. Smith was sacked 55 times behind a shaky offensive line and threw 17 interceptions, a league high last season.
Carroll was fired after the season.
With the Jets, Smith will work with offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who Glenn hired in January to run the offense. New York has several playmakers for Smith to work with, including wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who is coming off a knee injury, and running back Breece Hall, who received the franchise tag after rushing for more than 1,000 yards for the first time in four NFL seasons.
It’s an exciting next stop in the long and sometimes strange NFL journey for the 35-year-old Smith, who became the Jets’ starter as a rookie after incumbent Mark Sanchez suffered a shoulder injury in a preseason game. Smith has had his ups and downs, but showed some promise before breaking his jaw in a locker room altercation with teammate IK Enemkpali during training camp in 2015. Ryan Fitzpatrick took over as the starting pitcher and remained in that position for most of the next two seasons.
After tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the 2016 season, Smith spent the next season with the Giants. There, he made headlines when then-coach Ben McAdoo decided to start him against the Raiders, ending Eli Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive starts.
Smith spent one year with the Chargers before signing with the Seahawks and reviving his career, initially as Russell Wilson’s backup. He took over as Seattle’s starting pitcher in 2022 when Wilson was traded to Denver, and Smith was named the NFL’s AP Comeback Player of the Year after throwing a career-high 30 RBI passes.
The two-time Pro Bowl selection threw for 22,168 yards with 124 touchdowns (28 for the Jets) and 89 interceptions.
Smith is the second familiar face to return to New York since the NFL’s legal free agency manipulation period began Monday. The Jets agreed to a two-year, $22 million contract with linebacker Demario Davis, a 2012 third-round pick, with $15 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. He spent the past eight seasons in New Orleans and this will be his third season in New York.
Leading up to the Smith deal, the Jets’ trade of Miami’s Minkah Fitzpatrick for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick highlighted a busy first day that included trades for Davis, defensive tackle David Onyemata, and edge rushers Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare.
