Aaron Glenn says QB Geno Smith will lead Jets to ‘promised land’

PHOENIX — Geno Smith is widely perceived as a bridge quarterback, a placeholder until the New York Jets identify their long-term solution in the 2026 or 2027 NFL draft. Coach Aaron Glenn sees him in a different light.

“I just feel like he’s the guy that’s going to lead us to the promised land,” Glenn said Tuesday morning at the NFL’s annual meeting.

That’s quite a statement, considering the Jets were 3-14 last season and Smith threw a league-high 17 interceptions for the Las Vegas Raiders. But he played well enough from 2022 to 1024 with the Seattle Seahawks to make Glenn believe his recently acquired starter is capable of big things.

“Listen, I know he had his struggles,” Glenn said. “I think a lot of quarterbacks, they have their struggles.

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“But I do know this: He understands exactly what happened last year. I don’t want to get too far into that because I wasn’t there, obviously, with the Raiders. But I do know that, man, there are some things that he knows he can correct. He’s at fault on some of those, but there are some things that he knows that he’s going to get better at, and I look forward to him doing that.”

The Jets acquired Smith in a low-cost trade with the Raiders, sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Raiders (they received a 2027 seventh-rounder in return) and agreeing to pay $3.3 million on his $18.5 million salary. Subsequently, the Jets traded Justin Fields, their 2025 starter, to the Kansas City Chiefs.

With the second and 16th picks in the upcoming draft, the Jets could be in position to select Alabama’s Ty Simpson, the consensus No. 2 quarterback prospect. Or they could wait until 2027, when they will have three first-round picks in what is expected to be a talent-rich quarterback class.

Neither Glenn nor general manager Darren Mougey wanted to look that far ahead. On Monday, Mougey said the potential talent in the 2027 draft won’t factor into this year’s draft strategy. Glenn said Smith is “the perfect guy to fit exactly what we’re going to do” on offense, now led by new coordinator Frank Reich.

“I think he’s going to create some damage because of the arm talent,” Glenn said. “And, man, he’s grown so much as far as his smarts, as far as IDs, as far as protection and things like that.”

In three full seasons as the Seattle starter, Smith went 27-22, threw 71 touchdown passes and averaged 4,075 passing yards per year. Some perspective: The only Jets quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season was Joe Namath in 1967.

The downside: Smith had 35 interceptions over his three “good” seasons, third most in the league.

“I still have a ton of years left on my body to play this game and I want to continue to try and maximize it,” Smith said March 12. “And so, I believe the Jets are getting a better player than I was in Seattle. I know that for a fact, in fact.”

A year ago, the Jets were all-in on Fields, whom they signed as a free agent. Glenn gushed about him at the NFL annual meeting, confident they could resurrect his career. Fields struggled mightily and was benched. Glenn said he doesn’t regret the decision, insisting Fields is “a good player.”

Smith’s first stint with the Jets (2013-16) was turbulent. He lost his starting job in 2015 after he was punched in the face by a teammate in a locker room altercation, resulting in a broken jaw. Smith wasn’t a fan favorite.

Glenn acknowledged that Smith’s history in New York was considered before the trade, but he doesn’t believe it will be a “detriment to us an organization.” He said Smith expressed a strong desire to return to the Jets — “a full-circle moment,” Smith has called it.

“Obviously, there’s some fans that probably didn’t like it and I understand,” Glenn said. “But I know there’s some fans that did like it. So, listen, he has a fresh start.”