✈️ Jets Air Traffic Report Week 9: The Geno Smith and Frank Reich marriage is falling apart

All season, we've theorized about who is to blame for this New York Jets' offense. Geno Smith or Frank Reich.

Fortunately, this past Sunday's game in Kansas City taught us... nothing. Nothing at all.

The relationship between quarterback and offensive coordinator in football is like a marriage. It requires chemistry, understanding, empathy, communication - everything but flowers (though it might not hurt). For Smith and Reich, it's becoming clear that the two simply aren't soulmates.

The Geno Smith/Frank Reich experiment was admirable, but it's failing

If Smith's sideline outburst during Sunday's game in Kansas City weren't proof of this enough, the performance certainly was.

Excluding the team's Week 4 game against the Bears, where the offense had the ball for less than a cat nap, the Jets offense put on its worst display of 2026 against the Chiefs.

The unit posted season lows in points, total yards, and pass yards, while Smith had his worst completion percentage, average yards per attempt, passer rating, and QBR.

At times this season, select moments have hinted at the state of this OC/QB companionship. Even more specifically, which of the pair isn't holding up their end of the vows?

When absolutely nothing seems to work, however, as was the case against the Chiefs, assigning blame feels like an exercise in futility.

At this juncture, we're probably better off just citing irreconcilable differences and figuring out who gets the house.

Frank Reich is trying his best

Already being without Garrett Wilson, I'm not sure what I was expecting from this Jets offense, but whatever it was, it didn't happen.

That being said, I did actually like a lot of what it appeared the Jets were attempting to do.

Quick screens to rookies Omar Cooper Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq, the early red zone playcalling, and the well-constructed/poorly executed flea-flicker, to me, were signs that Reich was trying his best to meet the moment.

If Smith had thrown a better ball to an open Adonai Mitchell on the back line of the endzone to cap off the team's impressive opening drive with a statement touchdown, who knows how different things would look.

As it is, the ultimate outcome was only another blueprint for how to lose a football game.

If it talks like a duck, and walks like a duck, its probably divorce

When it comes to Reich and Smith, I think I've finally figured out the issue.

Coming into the situation, both probably expected a different version of the other. One based on relative history, in their defense.

Reich prepared an offense built to leverage Smith's gunslinging aggressiveness, dialing up shot plays and deep throws tailor-made for a liberal quarterback.

Smith, conversely, transformed himself into the conservative, ball-security overlord he figured an NFL dinosaur like Reich would want.

To make matters worse, at this stage in the season, both are seemingly playing more for their next chapter than they are for the Jets.

To his credit, Smith's new maturity as a protector of the football is doing wonders for his league image, showing that he's ready to serve as a safe veteran backup for other teams.

For Reich, as the Jets pulled him out of involuntary retirement for this season, he's likely thinking more about returning to his comfy recliner than he is about finding resolution.

As a result, it feels like an example of right one, wrong time for these particular iterations of the two league vets.

More importantly, it's become obvious that both are becoming guilty of the same, insoluble flaw - an unwillingness to compromise.

Think about the children

It's always hard to give up on something, but it's infinitely harder when you recognize genuine effort from the other side.

The fact that Reich reminds me of my late grandfather, and the pride I have for Smith and his evolution as a quarterback, makes this sting.

However, while this year has given me hope that both will find happiness elsewhere (in Reich's case, maybe it's a nice community with like-aged folks), I think we've reached that point in the movie and marriage where the music fades, and those three little words are uttered-- "this isn't working."

Overall Rating: 3.9 💔

Like a Miley Cyrus/Beyoncé collab. You've both grown so much, and should be proud. But watching you try to sing over each other is starting to get awkward, and it's time to cut a mic.

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