3 benchmarks Geno Smith must hit in Jets homecoming season

On one hand, the New York Jets got unlucky that there were no viable options at quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft this year. On the bright side, they got Geno Smith as a bridge option and improved other areas of the roster.

In March, the Jets acquired the 35-year-old and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2026 sixth-rounder and will pay him $3.3 million on an expiring deal next season after renegotiating his contract.

He'll get the chance to bounce back with the franchise that drafted him in 2013 after leading the NFL with 17 interceptions thrown last year.

Smith likely isn't New York's quarterback of the future, as the organization has three first-round picks in what's expected to be a deeper class at the position next offseason. But if the veteran has an effective campaign, it'll help the Jets establish a winning culture in the second year of their rebuild and increase his value for his next contract.

Luckily for both Smith and the team, he had productive seasons with the Seattle Seahawks from 2022 to 2024, totaling 12,226 passing yards with 71 touchdowns against 35 picks on a 68.3 completion percentage over that span. Those seasons provide a blueprint for how he could produce in his return to New York.

Here are three statistical benchmarks Smith must hit for 2026 to be a success:

Geno Smith must reach 4,000 passing yards

Smith passed the 4,000-yard threshold in 2022 and 2024, which is more times than all Jets quarterbacks in franchise history combined. The only one who did it was Joe Namath in 1967.

Others have come close, as Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed 3,907 yards when New York went 10-6 in 2015, its last winning season. Aaron Rodgers also tallied 3,897 yards in 2024.

Smith becoming the first Jets quarterback to hit that milestone in almost 60 years would not only be a sign of progress for a passing offense that ranked 32nd in the league last season, but it would be a symbol of changing times for a squad that hasn't made the playoffs since 2010.

Geno Smith must have at least a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio

Smith reached this mark in 2022 and 2023, when he recorded 30 touchdowns against 11 picks and 20 touchdowns against nine picks, respectively. Other than Rodgers in 2024, the last Jets quarterbacks to notch a 2:1 ratio were Josh McCown in 2017 and Fitzpatrick in 2015.

This would be another sign of changing times for an offense with plenty of young talent outside of star wideout Garrett Wilson and veteran running back Breece Hall.

Young players like wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, left tackle Olu Fashanu, right tackle Armand Membou, and rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq would benefit from an offense without turnover issues, as they need as many reps as possible to develop.

Geno Smith must complete at least 65% of his passes

This is another threshold that is common around the NFL, but not for the Jets. The last quarterback to reach that mark over a full season for the team was McCown in 2017, and Brett Favre in 2008 before that.

However, Smith has a 65.2 career completion rate and has almost passed that number in each of his last four seasons. The 6-foot-2, 221-pounder completed 64.7% of his attempts in 2023.

More efficient passing means more touches for Wilson, Mitchell, Sadiq, rookie wideout Omar Cooper Jr., and tight end Mason Taylor. New York needs everyone on that list besides Wilson to ascend, so it can't afford for Smith to be less accurate than usual.

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