How Geno Smith can shatter Jets' quarterback records in 2026

Can Geno pull it off?

Charlie Baduini

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Jets have their starting quarterback for the 2026 season, bringing in former draft pick Geno Smith back into the fold for another go-around in New York.

Smith isn't the same quarterback he was when he started his career with the Jets in 2013; in fact, he's a two-time Pro Bowler and won Comeback Player of the Year in 2022. Aaron Glenn is hoping his new quarterback will lead the team to the "promised land."

He may not lead the team to the Super Bowl in 2026, but there is a chance Smith could make Jets history under center.

New York hasn't had many prolific passing seasons from their quarterbacks. Joe Namath's 4,007 passing yards in 1967 still stand the test of time as the most in team history, and Ryan Fitzpatrick's 31 touchdown passes in 2015 don't sound like much, but it's the most the Jets have ever gotten out of a signal caller in team history.

Considering Smith's somewhat recent numbers with the Seattle Seahawks, he has a real good shot at having the best season for a quarterback in team history.

How Geno Smith can break Jets quarterback records

Smith has thrown for more than 4,000 yards twice in his career, in 2022 and 2024 with Seattle. He's never eclipsed more than 30 touchdown passes in a season, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could do it in the modern-day pass-happy NFL.

In order for Smith to break Namath's passing yards record, he would have to throw for roughly 236 passing yards per game, which, as previously mentioned, is something Smith has already done on two separate occasions in his career.

His 3,025 passing yards in 2025 may be cause for concern, but as everyone knows, the Las Vegas Raiders weren't exactly the ideal situation for any quarterback last year.

If Smith wants to break Fitzpatrick's touchdown passes record, it will take a little more luck. His career high is 30, set in 2022.

To get to 32, which would be one more than Fitzpatrick's 2015 record, Smith would have to throw 1.88 touchdown passes per game, meaning he'd need at least two per game, which doesn't sound outrageous.

Smith has a real shot at achieving this, behind a much-improved offensive line, playcaller, and (hopefully) weapons. Maybe by the time 2026 is all said and done, Namath and Fitzpatrick will have to step aside atop the Jets' record books.

Charlie Baduini

Charlie Baduini covers the New York Jets as a site expert for The Jet Press and FanSided. He is a sports journalist based in Northern New Jersey with a wide variety of sports reporting experience in print and broadcast journalism. Baduini’s byline can also be seen on Heavy and The Sporting News, where he covers several teams across the NFL and NBA. His work has been featured in Heavy, Athlon Sports, The Sporting News, Yahoo Sports, MSN, and Yardbarker. He also serves as a seasonal intern for ESPN, working as a production assistant for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony every year since 2022. Baduini has been a Jets fan for as long as he can remember, with his family's fandom dating back to the 1960s when his grandfather, Louis, became a season ticket holder. His family has since held on to the tickets to this day. He is an avid fan of the New York Knicks and New York Mets.