Geno Smith 'Fits Perfect' with Jets, New OC Frank Reich Says of QB After Raiders Trade

New York Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich believes in the team's new quarterback.

"I think he fits perfect," Reich said of Geno Smith, per Maura Carey of the Associated Press. "I feel his resilience, his toughness. I always think the No. 1 attribute in any quarterback that you need, especially when you want to come and turn something around, is you need someone who's tough—tough mentality, tough physically. I feel that from Geno on every front."

While Smith is a new face for the 2026 Jets after they acquired him via trade from the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason, it is not his first time with the franchise.

In fact, New York selected him in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft, and he was the team's primary starter during the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.

He did not live up to expectations, though, and went 11-18 as a starter before he was benched in 2015 after breaking his jaw in a preseason fight with a teammate. From 2015 through 2021, he was primarily a backup for the Jets, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks.

Yet just when it seemed like Smith may never get an opportunity to be a surefire starter in the NFL, he got that chance with Seattle and made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2022 and 2023 before throwing for a career-high 4,320 yards in 2024.

Smith overcame plenty of adversity to reach that point, and now he will have to overcome more after leading the league with 17 interceptions last season with the Raiders and again finding himself on the move.

"If you play in this league long enough, everyone's going to face (adversity), and if you are the right kind of leader, then you come out of it better," Reich said. "I think that's the version of Geno Smith we're getting. We're getting the best version of who he is, and I think his best football's ahead of him."

There's a mix of proven and young talent around him with Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Omar Cooper Jr., Mason Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq.

If Smith can rediscover the form he showed with the Seahawks, perhaps the Jets can surprise people and contend in the AFC East. Reich seems to believe he is the quarterback who can help make that happen.