Aaron Glenn says QB Geno Smith will lead Jets to 'promised land' - ESPN

PHOENIX — Geno Smith is widely perceived as a bridge quarterback, a placeholder until the New York Jets identify their long-term solution in the 2026 or 2027 NFL draft. Coach Aaron Glenn sees him in a different light.

«I just feel like he's the guy that's going to lead us to the promised land,» Glenn said Tuesday morning at the NFL's annual meeting.

That's quite a statement, considering the Jets were 3-14 last season and Smith threw a league-high 17 interceptions for the Las Vegas Raiders. But he played well enough from 2022 to 1024 with the Seattle Seahawks to make Glenn believe his recently acquired starter is capable of big things.

«Listen, I know he had his struggles,» Glenn 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 Jets acquired Smith in a low-cost trade with the Raiders, sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Raiders (they received a 2027 seventh-rounder in return) and agreeing to pay $3.3 million on his $18.5 million salary. Subsequently, the Jets traded Justin Fields, their 2025 starter, to the Kansas City Chiefs.

With the second and 16th picks in the upcoming draft, the Jets could be in position to select Alabama's Ty Simpson, the consensus No. 2 quarterback prospect. Or they could wait until 2027, when they will have three first-round picks in what is expected to be a talent-rich quarterback class.

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