Jets fans will love Geno Smith's confidence as New York return becomes official

The New York Jets decided to turn back time in order to find a way to become competitive, bringing back former second-round pick Geno Smith after his resurgent second act as a starter ended with a disappointing 2025 season as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Smith had a rough season for the Raiders, so much so that they parted ways after one year, as they plan to go full steam ahead with Fernando Mendoza. That hasn't done much to dent the confidence Smith has in himself despite all of the adverse circumstances.

In an interview with Josina Anderson after the trade was agreed to, Smith believes that he could have remained in Las Vegas in a veteran advisory role alongside Mendoza, but he wanted to go somewhere that had a team willing to give him one last chance to be a starter.

"I probably could’ve stayed with the Raiders in a mentor role," Smith said, "but where I’m at in my career, I really believe I’m one of the better QBs in the league...I wanted a team that was gonna believe in me and have my back. How ironic that it turned out to be the Jets."

Geno Smith's confidence should fire up Jets fans after trade

In his three seasons as a starter in Seattle, Smith went 27-22 in his starts, made the playoffs, and threw 71 touchdowns against just 35 interceptions. The Jets are clearly banking on Smith as someone who gets back on the right track in New York's offensive structure.

With a much better offensive line than what was provided to him in Las Vegas last season and a worthwhile collection of skill position players that will soon be supplemented in the 2026 NFL Draft, the offensive infrastructure among Frank Reich's unit is much better than what Chip Kelly put forth last season.

Smith also isn't tied to the Jets in a way that prevents them from making future quarterback moves. If they want to use an NFL Draft pick on Ty Simpson this year or wait until 2027, Smith's cheap contract means that New York can keep all of those options open.

While the odds of Smith getting back to his prime are slim, he should provide the Jets with a level of competency they haven't had since even the washed Aaron Rodgers season in 2024. If nothing else, the Jets should be a respectable team in the 2025 season.