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Despite leading the NFL in interceptions during an up-and-down season with the Raiders, Geno Smith appears ready to take the New York Jets to new heights in his second stint, at least according to his coach.
While Smith’s reunion with the team that drafted him is widely seen as a short-term answer to the team’s quarterback questions, head coach Aaron Glenn suggested he was the right quarterback to end the league-leading Jets’ 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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New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn during a game against the Denver Broncos on October 12, 2025, in London. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
The Jets won just three games last season and haven’t reached the playoffs since 2010. Smith returns after throwing 17 interceptions with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Smith enjoyed some success before his move to Las Vegas, earning a second straight 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.
“Look, I know he’s had a hard time,” he said. “I think a lot of quarterbacks struggle.
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith passes the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during a game at MetLife Stadium on October 23, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Al Pereira/Getty Images)
“But I know this: He understands exactly what happened last year. I don’t want to go too far because I wasn’t there, obviously, with the Raiders. But I know this, man, there are some things that he knows he can fix. He’s at fault on some of them, but there are some things that he knows he’s going to get better at, and I can’t wait for him to do that.”
The 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class continues to be highly touted. However, Glenn doubled down on the present and his confidence in Smith as “the perfect guy to fit exactly what we’re going to do” from an offensive standpoint.
Geno Smith (7) of the Las Vegas Raiders walks on the field after halftime of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“I think he’s going to create some damage because of his arm talent,” Glenn continued. “And, man, he’s grown so much in terms of intelligence, in terms of ID cards, in terms of protection and things like that.”
After throwing 21 interceptions against 12 touchdowns in his freshman year, Smith evened out his touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2014, throwing 13 in each category. A broken jaw he suffered during an altercation with a teammate sidelined Smith for several weeks in 2015. After continued uneven play, he eventually lost his job for good.
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 that Smith welcomed the return, calling it “coming full circle.”
