Geno Smith “eager to make things right” with the Jets

Geno Smith didn’t meet expectations when he was installed as the Jets’ starting quarterback after being drafted in the second round in 2013, so it is hard to argue with his feeling that no one “could have imagined” that he’d be back with the team in 2026.

The NFL can take some crazy turns, however, and Smith is again a member of the Jets after this week’s trade with the Raiders. Smith spent his final two seasons with the Jets as a backup and his failure to make good on his first chance to lead the team’s offense was on his mind at a Thursday press conference in New Jersey.

“Just to come back now, to have an opportunity to continue to play this game that I love so much, and to be part of that organization again — the organization that gave me a chance coming out of West Virginia and really believed in me,” Smith said, via the team’s website. “Although it didn’t go exactly as planned, somehow, someway, we got back here. And I’m eager to make things right if I can.”

Smith spent five more years as a backup before returning to starting status with the Seahawks in 2022 and reviving his career. He said on Thursday that his unusual career path has “helped me grow mentally, emotionally, physically as well as just cerebrally as a quarterback” and the Jets are hoping to reap the benefits of how Smith has changed since his first time in their uniform.