Geno Smith just gave the Jets another reason to confront their quarterback reality

Anyone expecting New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith to emerge as perhaps the league’s unlikeliest MVP since Kurt Warner might want to re-evaluate how they actually believe the 2026 season will play out.

The consensus is nonetheless that the Jets upgraded at quarterback by reuniting with Smith, even after a down year with the Raiders. Justin Fields is in Kansas City, and Tyrod Taylor left for the Packers, and the Jets confirmed months ago that Smith will start against the Titans in Week 1.

Not everyone is feeling the good vibes, though. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote that the Jets’ quarterback room is their greatest weakness.

“Behind Smith, the Jets have Bailey Zappe, Brady Cook, and rookie fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik,” Knox said. “It is not a group that should inspire confidence in Jets fans.”

In fairness, the team itself rarely inspires confidence in Jets fans.

Are the Jets’ quarterbacks really their biggest weakness?

The Jets joined the Browns, Cardinals, and Falcons as the teams that Knox believes are weakest at quarterback.

But of those four teams, I’d only argue that it’s absolutely true for the Browns. I would much rather have Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew as my top two quarterbacks than Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. 

No one is saying that Smith is going to suddenly turn into an MVP frontrunner. Claiming that quarterback is the Jets’ greatest weakness, though, feels like a cop-out and an easy excuse to laugh at Aaron Glenn’s club.

I would argue that kicker is a far greater concern given Jason Sanders’ unexpected arrival. The Giants cut Sanders during offseason workouts, less than three months after guaranteeing him only $300,000. That should have been extremely telling, and the Jets can only hope that he still has something left in the tank. 

But if we’re having to question whether kicker is a problem, then you’ll understand my skepticism about quarterback being the Jets’ biggest weakness. If anything, Smith turned it into one of their strengths because he’s a durable veteran with years of starting experience.

The Jets are not always the Jets. In other words, we don’t need to pretend that the Jets are always awful at everything or, in the case of some top-100 player rankings, that they don’t exist. 

And that’s the reality that the Jets must accept. Regardless of what happens at quarterback, they’ll likely be criticized because Smith isn’t “the guy” or the long-term answer. Never mind the fact that the Jets haven’t had a winning season in over a decade and are seeking nine wins by any means imaginable. 

And, regardless of how Knox feels, let the record show that the Cade Klubnik Hype Train is still rolling through East Rutherford.

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