Jets reunite with QB Geno Smith in trade with Raiders

NEW YORK — Who says you can’t go home again?

The Jets are acquiring quarterback Geno Smith from the Raiders, and a seventh-round pick, in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.

Las Vegas was expected to release Smith after the start of the new league year on Wednesday. The Jets were looking for a veteran quarterback after Justin Fields struggled last season.

Although the Jets could have signed Smith for the minimum in that case, they would have had competition from other teams, like the Vikings, to sign him.

The 35-year-old will now return to the place where it all started for him.

The trade will become official after the start of the new league year on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Smith, who received $40 million last year from the Raiders, was due to make $26.5 million in 2026. Prior to the trade, Smith reportedly agreed to restructure his contract. The Raiders are still expected to pay the bulk of it, and the Jets will pay Smith the veteran minimum.

The Jets selected Smith early in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft out of West Virginia after he was initially projected to be a first-round pick. He attended the opening night of the draft at Radio City Music Hall only to have to sit and never hear his name called.

“We drafted Geno Smith because he has exceptional talent,” then GM John Idzik said at the time. “Let’s get him in a situation where we can help him and develop that. Let’s see where that goes. We’re not here to predict what level he’s going to be.”

He eventually started 30 games during his four seasons with the club.

Smith was born and raised in South Florida, and it appeared the Dolphins were a possible destination. But any dreams of a homecoming came to an end after Malik Willis agreed to a three-year, $67.5 million contract.

However, Smith’s time as the Jets' starting quarterback did not go well on and off the field. He passed for 5,962 yards, 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in 33 games. Smith went 12-18 as a starter with the Jets and completed only 57.9% of his passes.

Then, Smith and the Jets’ relationship soured for good when Smith suffered a broken jaw in a locker room altercation with teammate IK Enemkpali in August of 2015. Then Jets coach Todd Bowles said the young QB had been “cold-cocked and sucker-punched” by Enemkpali. Smith needed surgery to repair the damage

Bowles didn’t provide exact details about the incident, but according to reports at the time, the altercation was over $600 in airfare and limo fees that Enemkpali covered so Smith could attend his charity event in Pflugerville, Texas. Bowles did say the situation “had nothing to do with football” and was “very childish.”

Prior to that incident, Smith missed a crucial Saturday night team meeting in 2014 before a game against the Chargers due to time-zone confusion. While the Jets were in San Diego, he mistakenly miscalculated the three-hour difference between Eastern and Pacific time zones.

Smith started just one more game for the Jets after the infamous punch — during the 2016 season — before leaving in free agency to sign with the Giants.

After bouncing around as a backup, Smith became the Seahawks starting quarterback in 2022 after they traded Russell Wilson to the Broncos. In 52 starts in Seattle, he passed for 12,961 yards, 76 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. Smith was selected to two Pro Bowls (2022, 2023) while with the Seahawks, and the Jets will hope he can return to that form. During those two seasons, Smith averaged 25 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions.

After the Seahawks acquired another ex-Jets QB, Sam Darnold, last offseason, Smith was traded to the Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick. He then signed a three-year, $75 million contract.

But Smith has been among the league leaders in interceptions the previous two seasons. That includes his lone season with the Raiders, where Smith registered a league high 17 interceptions. He finished with 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and was 37th out of 42 qualified quarterbacks in Total QBR last year (34.1).

However, Smith played behind arguably the league’s worst offensive line with the Raiders. He was sacked 55 times, which tied Titans quarterback Cam Ward for the most in the league. With the Raiders expected to draft Fernando Mendoza first overall in next month’s draft, Smith became expendable.

Now the Jets have found their veteran bridge option in Smith on a low-cost deal while trying to find their quarterback of the future in 2027.

After signing him to a two-year, $40 million contract last offseason, the Smith trade likely means the end for Fields’ time with the Jets. Fields was benched after going 2-7 and passing for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.

Gang Green also has Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe under contract. But they are also expected to add another veteran and potentially select a quarterback during the 2026 draft. They also hold four picks (No. 2, No. 16, No. 33, and No. 44) in the top 50 in this year’s draft.

Free agent Carson Wentz has been rumored as an option because he played for the Jets’ new offensive coordinator, Frank Reich, with both the Eagles (2016-17) and Colts (2021).