The Jets are turning to their quarterback past to make it through the present.

A source confirmed the team agreed to a trade with the Raiders on Tuesday to acquire quarterback Geno Smith, who was drafted by the Jets in 2013 and spent the first four years of his career with the team. The Jets sent Las Vegas a sixth-round pick for Smith and a seventh-round pick.

As part of the trade, Smith agreed to restructure his contract, and the Raiders are eating most of the deal. He had two years and $66 million remaining on his contract before the restructure. Now, the Raiders will pay him $16.2 million and the Jets are on the hook for $3.3 million.

Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith in November 2025. Getty Images

The Raiders were expected to release Smith at the start of the league year Wednesday, and the Jets could have signed him then, but general manager Darren Mougey decided to make a trade a day earlier to avoid any competition for Smith. The Vikings were believed to be interested in him as well.

Smith was at the Jets training center Tuesday and passed a physical, according to a source. The trade cannot be made official until 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Geno Smith during a Jets game in 2016. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Smith is the favorite to be the starter for the Jets in 2026. The team still has 2025 starter Justin Fields under contract, but they are expected to release him. With Smith in the fold, the Jets can now turn their attention to finding his backup. Carson Wentz, who has ties to new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, is viewed as the favorite for that job. The Jets also could draft a quarterback next month, but it would likely be on Day 2 or Day 3.

The expectation is the Jets will try to find their franchise quarterback in the 2027 draft when they have three first-round picks and the class is expected to be loaded, unlike this year. But they need to get through 2026 first, and that is where Smith’s return comes in.

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Smith, 35, had one dismal season with the Raiders after finding success with the Seahawks in 2022 and 2023. He had 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions last year for Vegas in a tough situation where the offensive line was terrible, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was fired during the season.

The Jets took Smith in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. That was so long ago that Rex Ryan was the head coach when it happened. Smith is the second Jet from that time period to rejoin the team, joining Demario Davis, a 2012 Jets draft pick, who agreed to a deal Monday to return.

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Smith’s first run with the Jets was rocky. He was the starter from 2013 through the 2015 preseason when a locker room altercation with teammate IK Enemkpali ended with Smith having a broken jaw. That opened the door for Ryan Fitzpatrick to become the starter, and he led the Jets to a 10-6 record, their last winning season. In 2016, Smith replaced Fitzpatrick as the starter midway through the season but tore his ACL in his first start.

Smith left the Jets in 2017 and spent the next four years as a backup with the Giants, Chargers and Seahawks. He became Seattle’s starter in 2022, when he had 4,282 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. Smith’s play has slipped since then. He leads the league in interceptions (32) over the past two years.

The Jets need to hope that he can recapture the form he showed in 2022 and 2023.

“Complete full-circle moment back to where it all began,” Smith told NFL Network in a text. “I’m excited to connect with my new teammates and coaches and everyone in the building as well as build a new relationship with the fan base and community.”