Jets receive harsh reality check on current quarterback room

Arguably, the biggest question facing the New York Jets entering the 2026 offseason was the quarterback situation. After the failed Justin Fields experiment, the Jets needed an adult in the room, and they got one in Geno Smith.

Sure, Smith isn't considered to be an elite quarterback at this point in his career. He's 35, and coming off one of the worst seasons he's ever had in Las Vegas, but he's still an upgrade over what the Jets trotted out last year.

Despite the addition of the former Jets draft pick, the quarterback room still isn't the greatest it's ever been for New York, and in contrast with the rest of the league, it's hard to have faith in the Jets' long-term plan under center.

FanSided's Christopher Kline decided to rank the NFL's quarterback rooms after the first wave of free agency, and to little surprise, the Jets rank near the bottom.

Jets quarterback room ranked 29th in the entire league

Kline has only three teams behind the Jets with worse quarterback rooms, and it's the Fernando Mendoza-less Las Vegas Raiders, Aaron Rodgers-less Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cleveland Browns, who boast Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel as their top options.

"New York will put more talent around him (Geno Smith) than Vegas did, to be clear, but Smith has always been a boom-or-bust quarterback on some level. He does not figure to age with the utmost grace in this league. Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe, meanwhile, are extremely mediocre backups."

Christopher Kline

Setting Smith aside for the moment, Kline is absolutely right that the Jets have little to no depth behind their starter. Brady Cook looked unplayable down the stretch last season, as any undrafted quarterback understandably would, and Zappe is a career journeyman with nine starts under his belt.

The Jets are going to get themselves a veteran backup at some point; they essentially have no choice. But as long as Smith stays healthy, they should be fine for at least 2026.

People are down on Smith, understandably so. He led the league in interceptions last season, but even former Raiders head coach Pete Carroll has said that it wasn't all on the quarterback. It would've been hard for anyone to succeed in Las Vegas last season.

The quarterback room will surely get some reinforcements over the next few months. A veteran to back up Smith seems likely, and maybe the Jets even take a dart throw on a rookie in the 2026 NFL Draft.

But it's obvious Jets brass has their eye on 2027 as the year they'll solve their long-term quarterback problem, armed with three first-round picks in a loaded draft class.