Veteran QB Geno Smith Returns to Jets to Aid Playoff Push

Quarterback Geno Smith has returned to the New York Jets, the team that drafted him in 2013, aiming to help end the franchise's 15-year playoff drought. The 35-year-old veteran was acquired in an offseason trade after a challenging season with the Las Vegas Raiders, marking an unlikely reunion with the organization where his career began.

Smith's initial tenure with the Jets was turbulent, highlighted by a 2015 locker room incident where a punch from then-teammate IK Enemkpali broke his jaw, an event that altered his career trajectory. After leaving New York, he found success with the Seattle Seahawks, winning the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022 and earning two Pro Bowl selections. His recent season in Las Vegas, however, was difficult, as he threw a league-high 17 interceptions.

The Jets, coming off a 3-14 season, sought a veteran quarterback after a one-year experiment with Justin Fields. The team sent a sixth-round draft pick to Seattle for Smith, also receiving a seventh-round selection in return. Upon his return, Smith described feeling a sense of surrealism, recalling the hallway he first walked down as a rookie and the memories of his initial NFL experience.