Jets' opponent could give Geno Smith more than enough fuel for revenge

Geno has a shot at redemption in 2026.

Charlie Baduini

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith has had a bumpy road over the last few years of his NFL career, being dumped by two of his teams over the last two seasons.

It's why the Jets were able to get him so cheap this offseason, swapping Day 3 picks with the Las Vegas Raiders for the veteran quarterback's services.

Smith is likely to have the best supporting cast in his recent career in New York this upcoming season, and a chance to reestablish himself as one of the better starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

Even better, he'll have a chance to prove to the team that let him go that they made a mistake writing Smith off too early.

Jets QB Geno Smith will face Raiders, Seahawks in 2026 season

The Jets don't know exactly when they'll face them, since the 2026 schedule isn't set to be released until Thursday night, but Smith will have the chance to exact his vengeance over the Raiders, his most recent team.

Las Vegas, while ripe for vengeance, didn't necessarily make a mistake this offseason either. They have the No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza, and veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins as their veteran backup.

The Raiders were never going to opt for Smith over Mendoza, but they could have held onto the veteran in favor of Cousins, considering they seem to be planning on sitting the Heisman Trophy winner to start his NFL career.

Smith could've been the stopgap starter in between the present and future, but Las Vegas clearly wanted to get rid of their one-year starter as soon as possible.

In all fairness, the 2013 second-round pick didn't have the greatest year in 2025. He led the league in interceptions and had his worst statistical output since his early days in New York.

But it would've been hard for any quarterback to succeed in that environment, and Smith still has the chance to get revenge on his former team this upcoming season.

It's on him to turn back the clock and play his best ball when he takes on the Raiders in 2026.

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.