{"id":175675,"date":"2026-03-26T07:25:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T07:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/175675\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T07:25:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T07:25:20","slug":"respected-nfl-analyst-is-bullish-on-new-york-jets-qb-geno-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/175675\/","title":{"rendered":"Respected NFL analyst is bullish on New York Jets QB Geno Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York Jets fans were split on the team\u2019s decision to bring Geno Smith back<\/a> to be their starting quarterback for the 2026 season. The former second-round pick by the team led the league in interceptions last season with the Las Vegas Raiders.<\/p>\n

He also has 31 interceptions over the last two years combined, which includes his final year with the Seattle Seahawks.<\/p>\n

Things have changed since Smith last went under center for the Jets, though. The once immature quarterback who found himself embroiled in a locker room scuffle became a respected leader.<\/p>\n

For just a measly late-round selection, the Jets could have done a lot worse for their starting quarterback this season. <\/p>\n

While fans remain skeptical, analysts across the league have begun celebrating the Jets\u2019 acquisition \u2014 not just because of what Smith represents, but because of what he has overcome.<\/p>\n

Analyst praises Jets QB room<\/p>\n

NFL Network\u2019s Brian Baldinger is pretty straightforward when bringing analysis to the table. When a player isn\u2019t performing up to his potential, he\u2019s going to come right out and say it.<\/p>\n

In the case of Smith, Baldinger spoke on T<\/a>he Official Jets Podcast to detail that Smith\u2019s struggles in Las Vegas had nothing to do with the quarterback, but instead, the talent around him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was out there a couple of times, he was the leader,\u201d Baldinger said. \u201cYou know, he played really well last year (67.4% completion percentage, 3,025 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions). I don\u2019t know if any quarterback could have been successful. The offensive line fell apart (Smith was sacked a league-high 55 times). [They lost] their left tackle, lost their left guard. They were a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to see Baldinger\u2019s case against the Raiders. <\/p>\n

Vegas did not have a semblance of an offensive line or receiving core around Smith. When a quality arm like Smith does not have the talent around him to aid when times are tough, an organization gets the kind of year that the Raiders had.<\/p>\n

The Jets don\u2019t have that problem. They have a top receiver in Garrett Wilson<\/a> and an up-and-coming offensive line with two stalwart tackles and one of the better young guards in the game.<\/p>\n

Smith is walking into a much different situation than the one he just left. For the price of a late-round pick, the Jets know the kind of move they are making. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s low risk, high reward,\u201d Baldinger said. \u201cIt can be high reward.\u201d<\/p>\n

If it works out, the Jets will be able to save many jobs on the team and have a true bridge quarterback they can trust. If it doesn\u2019t, then the organization will most likely be a top destination next season with a top overall pick to come. <\/p>\n

Either way, Geno Smith\u2019s future with the New York Jets should be viewed in a measured yet positive fashion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York Jets fans were split on the team\u2019s decision to bring Geno Smith back to be their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":175676,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7013,7640,2679,9,11,430,10,22,12125,7016,7018],"class_list":["post-175675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-free-content","tag-geno-smith","tag-las-vegas-raiders","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-jets","tag-new-york-news","tag-nfl","tag-ny-jets-news","tag-ny-jets-players","tag-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}