Despite leading the NFL in interceptions during a turbulent season with the Raiders, Geno Smith appears poised to take the New York Jets to new heights in his second stint, according to his coach, at least.
While Smith’s reunion with the team that drafted him is widely viewed as a short-term answer to the team’s quarterback questions, head coach Aaron Glenn suggested he is the right quarterback to end the Jets’ league-leading playoff drought.
"I just feel like he's the guy that's going to lead us to the promised land," Glenn told reporters Tuesday at the NFL's annual meeting in Arizona.
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The Jets won just three games last season and have not reached the postseason since 2010. Smith returns after throwing 17 interceptions with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Smith had some success leading up to his move to Las Vegas, earning a second consecutive Pro Bowl selection in 2023 with the Seattle Seahawks. After missing the playoffs in 2024, he was traded to the Raiders.
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Glenn acknowledged the ups-and-downs of Smith's career.
"Listen, I know he had his struggles," he said. "I think a lot of quarterbacks, they have their struggles.
"But I do know this: He understands exactly what happened last year. I don't want to get too far into that because I wasn't there, obviously, with the Raiders. But I do know that, man, there are some things that he knows he can correct. He's at fault on some of those, but there are some things that he knows that he's going to get better at, and I look forward to him doing that."
The 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class continues to be highly touted. However, Glenn doubled down on the present and his belief in Smith as "the perfect guy to fit exactly what we're going to do" from an offensive standpoint.
"I think he's going to create some damage because of the arm talent," Glenn continued. "And, man, he's grown so much as far as his smarts, as far as IDs, as far as protection and things like that."
After throwing 21 interceptions against 12 touchdowns in his rookie year, Smith evened his touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2014, throwing 13 in each category. A broken jaw he sustained in an altercation with a teammate sidelined Smith for several weeks in 2015. After continued uneven play, he eventually lost his job permanently.
Glenn said the Jets considered Smith’s history before the trade but concluded it would not be "a detriment to us as an organization." He added Smith welcomed the return, calling it a "full-circle moment."
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