Geno Smith returns to Jets in trade with Raiders, source says
Geno Smith was the Jets quarterback in 2014. Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky
The Jets have their new quarterback. It’s their old quarterback.
Geno Smith is returning to the Jets, the team that drafted him in the second round in 2013.
The Jets reached a deal to acquire Smith from the Raiders on Tuesday, a league source said. The Jets will send Las Vegas a 2026 sixth-round pick for Smith and a seventh rounder.
The trade can’t be processed until the start of the new league year on Wednesday, which was when the Jets’ search for a quarterback was expected to heat up. But general manager Darren Mougey was proactive and got a deal done for Smith, who played for the Jets from 2013-16.
The Raiders were going to waive Smith on Wednesday, making him a free agent. They have the No. 1 pick in the draft and are expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Jets didn’t want to let Smith get to free agency and give another quarterback-needy team the opportunity to sign him.
To facilitate the trade, Smith, 35, agreed to restructure his contract. He was owed $18.5 million guaranteed this season. Las Vegas will incur most of the salary. The Jets will pay Smith $3.3 million, according to overthecap.com.
Smith was in the Jets’ facility on Tuesday to take his physical.
The Jets also agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with cornerback Nahshon Wright, according to a source.
Wright is the third defensive back that the Jets have acquired over the past two days. They made adding playmakers in the secondary a priority after becoming the first team in NFL history to go a full season without an interception. Wright picked off five passes for Chicago last season.
The Jets needed to address the quarterback position and give new coordinator Frank Reich someone to lead his offense. Justin Fields is still under contract but is expected to be released soon.
Smith, who threw a league-high 17 interceptions last season, likely will be a one-year bridge quarterback. The Jets have three first-round picks next year and could find their long-term quarterback in the 2027 draft.
The Jets aren’t done at quarterback. They will also sign a veteran backup – perhaps Carson Wentz, who played for Reich in Philadelphia and Indianapolis – and draft one this year.
Smith joins a Jets’ quarterback room that currently consists of Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe. Veteran Tyrod Taylor, who stared four games for the Jets last year, is a free agent.
The Jets drafted Smith with the No. 39 pick out of West Virginia 13 years ago. He started 29 games in his first two years and led the Jets to an 11-18 record in those games. Smith started just one game in his last two seasons with the Jets.
He was sidelined with a fractured jaw in 2015 after a locker room altercation with former teammate IK Enemkpali. Ryan Fitzpatrick was the Jets’ starting quarterback. The following season, Smith tore his ACL in his only start in place of Fitzpatrick.
Overall, Smith threw for 5,962 yards, 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in 33 games with the Jets. The Jets did not re-sign Smith after his contract ran out.
Smith also played for the Giants, Chargers, Seahawks and the Raiders. He had his best years after replacing Russell Wilson in Seattle. Smith threw for 12,226 yards, 71 touchdowns and 35 interceptions over a three-year stretch and made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023.
Seattle traded Smith to the Raiders last year after signing another ex-Jet, Sam Darnold, who led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory. The Raiders gave Smith a two-year $75 million extension. He threw 19 touchdown passes in his only season with Las Vegas. Smith’s 17 interceptions were the second-most of his career. He threw 21 as a rookie with the Jets.
Acquiring Smith was the Jets’ first significant move on offense. They still need to add a receiver and sign a guard after Alijah Vera-Tucker came to terms with the Patriots and John Simpson agreed to a deal with the Ravens.
The Jets have been active in rebuilding their defense. They acquired five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick from Miami on Monday and reached deals with linebacker Demario Davis – Smith’s teammate with the Jets for three years – edge rushers Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare, defensive tackle David Onyemata and safety Dane Belton.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
