Geno Smith's Injury Status for Jets vs. Bucs Amid Foot Issue Revealed in New NFL Rumors

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith will not play in his team's preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home on Friday due to foot soreness, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, who provided more information.

Rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik will get the start, and the rest of the first-stringers will play, per Garafolo.

The Jets have high hopes for Smith after they brought the veteran back into the mix via trade from the Las Vegas Raiders last March.

"I just feel like he's the guy that's going to lead us to the Promised Land," head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters at the annual league meeting last April, per NYJets.com contributor Jack Bell.

Glenn added: "Listen, he has a fresh start and I look forward to the way he's been operating, I do, because he really, really wants this. And just going through the process of getting the quarterback, that was something that stood out to me about him. He wants to be here. And when you have guys that really want to be here, want to be Jets, that only makes it better."

The Jets selected Smith with a second-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft. He started two seasons with the Jets before serving as a backup in 2015 and 2016.

Smith was a backup for the New York Giants in 2017 and the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018 before landing with the Seattle Seahawks to be Russell Wilson's understudy.

In 2022, Smith got his chance to start after Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos. He enjoyed a phenomenal season, throwing 30 touchdowns and completing an NFL-high 69.8 percent of his passes.

Smith started two more seasons for Seattle before being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Last year was more of a struggle for Smith, who threw an NFL-high 17 interceptions for the 3-14 Raiders.

However, Smith now gets a fresh start back with the Jets. Fans will have to wait to see him return to the field, but sitting him on Friday is certainly a prudent move.

New York opens its regular season on Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Tennessee Titans.