Geno Smith Back With The New York Jets As Their New Bridge Quarterback
Smith was traded back to the team that drafted him in 2013, where his first stint ended after teammate broke his jaw in locker room fight.
Who says you cannot go home again? Geno Smith is going back to the New York Jets, the team that drafted him way back in 2013, in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The teams exchanged sixth- and seventh-round picks on Tuesday, with the Jets sending their sixth to the Raiders. So, the quarterback who was once the team's second-round pick before setting off a long and interesting NFL journey is back in New Jersey — literally.
Smith was reportedly in town Tuesday at the Jets' facility taking a physical.
Jets Acknowledge Trade… Sort Of
And the Jets kind of, sort of celebrated the news on social media.
Smith, who received a $40 million contract last year from the Raiders, was due to make $18.5 million guaranteed money. The Raiders, moving on to drafting Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, planned to release Smith.
That's no longer happening as Smith adjusted his contract for his new team while the trade saved his old team some money. The Raiders will take on $16 million of Smith's money, less than they originally owed, and the Jets will pay $3.3 million, which is a bargain for a starter.
The deal made financial sense for both teams.
Smith is not the long-term answer at quarterback for the Jets.
The team has multiple first-round picks the next two seasons — two this draft and three in the 2027 draft — and should be expected to invest in quarterback with one or more of those (in trade-up scenarios) to address the position.
But Smith becomes the team's right-now bridge quarterback.
So, New York now has the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queensboro, Williamsburg, George Washington and Geno bridges.
(It's free agency, I'm punchy).
Quarterback Geno Smith of the New York Jets looks on from the sidelines after their 24-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium on October 23, 2016, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Full Circle Moment For Geno Smith
It's a full circle moment for Smith. He was the starter for two years in New York in 2013 and ‘14. But he had a terrible incident in which he got punched by a teammate over a disagreement about money and had his jaw broken.
By the time he was healthy, he'd lost his starting job to Ryan Fitzpatrick.
End of Jets career Part I.
Smith, 35, is obviously a different player than he was at age 26 when he departed the franchise. He's played for the Giants, Chargers, Seahawks, and Raiders. And he's been both a starter and a backup.
But Jets fans? They're not different.
They're not going to immediately love this. They've suffered and lost a lot of games — none of them in the postseason recently — and they want a star at quarterback.
Geno Smith is introduced at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on April 07, 2025, in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Smith Wants To Put Raiders Behind
That might not be Smith. He led the NFL with 17 interceptions last season in what was a disastrous tenure with the Raiders that got everyone fired, including Smith himself.
And, yes, that might have been the exception rather than the rule. But the stat is the stat.
So, Smith is going to have to prove himself just to keep from being booed.
One assumes he's aware. He knows the Jets. He knows what playing in New York is about.
He's home again for better or worse.