Jets’ Frank Reich gives Geno Smith time travel take early in training camp

The New York Jets do not need Geno Smith to regain his top form, but they would probably like him to be much better than he was in his first stint with the team. While there is certainly a benefit to posting another last-place campaign and securing the No. 1 overall pick in a potentially quarterback-heavy 2027 NFL Draft, this franchise must show some signs of growth in year two of the Darren Mougey/Aaron Glenn era. That is where Smith comes in.

New York identifies the two-time Pro Bowl selection as someone who can help this squad become more competitive in the upcoming campaign. When executives and coaches are pleading their case to ownership, the best way to buy time is by winning games. The Jets posted an abysmal 3-14 record last season. If they can double that mark, Woody Johnson may let Mougey and Glenn mold the squad’s next long-term QB. Smith has much to gain in his own right.

The former completion percentage leader and Comeback Player of the Year is not willing to fade back into obscurity after a productive three-season stretch with the Seattle Seahawks. Following a rough 2025 showing for the Las Vegas Raiders — 3,025 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 15 games — he is determined to capture Gang Green redemption. New offensive coordinator Frank Reich is delighted by what he is seeing from Smith at training camp thus far.

“It feels like he’s 28,” the Super Bowl-winning OC and former Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers head coach told reporters, per the SleeperJets X account. “He is physically in his prime.”

Geno Smith has an opportunity to prove he is still a capable starting signal-caller after a down year, and how poetic would it be if he did so in the Meadowlands? The No. 39 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft completed only 57.9 percent of his passes and threw eight more picks than touchdowns in 33 games for the Jets. When he was actually 28, Smith was confined to the backup role on the Los Angeles Chargers. He completed only one pass for four yards that season.

Hopefully, it is just his physique that is going back in time. Alongside Reich and an intriguing offense that features Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, Smith aims to ace this Jets do-over.

The post Jets’ Frank Reich gives Geno Smith time travel take early in training camp appeared first on ClutchPoints.