Geno Smith is already Jets' biggest winner of the 2026 NFL Draft

As was the case when he first joined the New York Jets in 2013, Geno Smith’s second stint in the green and white comes amid a rebuild.

This time, though, Smith isn’t the young, highly-touted prospect hoping to end a decades-long search for a franchise quarterback.

Instead, Smith is tasked with starting ahead of whoever the Jets select in this month’s NFL draft, whether it’s Alabama’s Ty Simpson or Miami’s Carson Beck. Although nothing is guaranteed until draft weekend, all signs point to the Jets once again taking a quarterback.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn has publicly committed to Smith as the starter — not that Smith should care much, seeing as he’s already won both the battle and the war.

Geno Smith still wins regardless of which quarterback the Jets draft

When the time comes, Smith — as all starting quarterbacks do — might say all the right things about how confident he is in the Jets and how he’s the right man for the position.

Perhaps most importantly for Smith, he gets paid either way. The Raiders are covering $16.2 million of his salary, and the Jets gave him a $3.3 million signing bonus.

Sounds pretty good, right? Just ask Kirk Cousins, who made out like a bandit for most of last season in Atlanta. 

To be clear, we’re not suggesting that Smith is greedy or selfish. Far from it.

However, Smith is taken care of whether the Jets take a quarterback on Day 1 or Day 3. He’s a 35-year-old who doesn’t appear in a rush to retire.

Barring disaster, Smith should join Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco in the veteran backup quarterback club. Those two will almost always be on rosters if they want to keep playing.

Smith is the perfect stopgap option for a bad team. The Jets aren’t tied to him beyond this year, and they’re not exactly close to a playoffs-or-bust mentality.

And, if anyone in the building does have that mindset, then they need a reality check. 

Jets fans must continue asking themselves what the true best-case scenario is for 2026. Objectively speaking, this is not a playoff-caliber roster.

At best, the Jets are the third-best team in the AFC East — and if they are, then they’re not too far ahead of the Dolphins. 

That’s not to say Jets fans should root for a 3-14 season. Tanking is never the answer.

More than anything, the Jets need Smith to be competent and to stay healthy. Granted, those are the bare minimum of expectations.

The bare minimum is fine, though, especially when you have nearly $20 million coming your way.