Thirteen years after drafting Geno Smith, the Jets haven’t found a surefire solution to their quarterback woes and are bringing the 35-year-old back to New York for another shot.
The Raiders and Jets reportedly agreed to the trade on Tuesday sending Smith back to his original NFL team in return for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick.
The Jets also will receive a seventh-round pick (No. 2019 overall) along with Smith, who was awaiting his release by the Raiders before the start of the league year on Wednesday.
With an opportunity to head back to the Jets, Smith, 35, reportedly agreed to restructure his contract. ESPN reported the Raiders are paying most of the remaining tab, limiting New York’s financial commitment to just over the league minimum for veteran players.
The Jets selected Smith in the second round (39th overall) of the 2013 draft out of West Virginia. He played his first four seasons for the Jets and completed 57.9% of his passes for 5,962 yards and 28 touchdowns with 26 interceptions in 33 games (30 starts) from 2013-16.
Las Vegas is projected to use the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
There was urgency for the Raiders to trade or release Smith with an $8 million guarantee in his contract due to hit the books March 13.
Smith threw a league-worst 17 interceptions and completed 67.4% of his passes for 3,025 yards with 15 touchdowns in 15 starts last season. The Raiders were 2-13 in games he started and Smith was sacked a league-high 55 times.
Smith has completed 65.2% of his passes for 22,168 yards and 124 TDs with 89 interceptions in 109 regular-season games (98 starts) with the Jets, New York Giants (2017), Los Angeles Chargers (2018), Seattle Seahawks (2020-24) and Raiders.
His only playoff appearance was in 2022 with the Seahawks, a 41-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC wild-card game. Smith was honored as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year that season and made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023.
