Jets Name QB Geno Smith Starter For Now
Since the end of the 2025 NFL season, the Jets have almost completely turned over their quarterbacks room. After shuffling three starting quarterbacks last year, head coach Aaron Glenn has named his starter for the 2026 campaign early, according to Judy Battista of NFL Network. 
Traded away is Justin Fields, while Tyrod Taylor and Hendon Hooker have walked in free agency, leaving only undrafted rookie Brady Cook remaining from last year’s roster. The first to join Cook in the room was former Patriots starting quarterback Bailey Zappe. After leaving New England, Zappe had gone back and forth between the Chiefs and Browns over the past two years before signing a reserve/futures deal with the Jets in February.
The final passer to join the room was a familiar face as the Jets traded a sixth-round pick to Las Vegas for a seventh-rounder and the quarterback they drafted in the second round out of West Virginia 13 years ago. The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since the 2010 season. In the 15 campaigns since then, New York has had a losing record in all but three of those seasons. The first was an 8-8 campaign the season immediately after they last made the playoffs. The second and third occurred with Geno Smith on the roster, when he led his team to an 8-8 record as a rookie in 2013 and when he backed up Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2015’s 10-6 campaign. It’s been 10 straight losing seasons since then.
After rediscovering success in Seattle, where he earned Pro Bowl honors in two straight years and helped the Seahawks to three winning seasons, Smith fell back to earth during his lone year in Vegas. He failed to reach 20 touchdowns for the first time since reestablishing himself as a starter in the NFL, led the league with 17 interceptions and 55 sacks taken, and worst of all, won only two of 15 games as a starter, leading to the Raiders receiving the No. 1 overall pick, which they will use to draft his eventual replacement.
Despite the down year, Glenn has expressed the utmost confidence in the veteran. In an interview with Battista, Glenn called Smith a “bonafide starter,” going on to say that “there is no doubt in (his) mind that (they) brought a competent starter” to the team. When Battista sought further clarity that Smith was being named the starter, Glenn quickly replied, “No doubt about it, he’s our guy.”
According to Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York, while Smith may be the starter for the Jets this year, the 35-year-old is clearly not the team’s future at the position. Despite the team hosting such passers as Ty Simpson and Drew Allar in recent weeks, Hughes asserts that this year’s draft will likely be used to build a talented team around outside the quarterback position, and the future at quarterback will be whoever they decide to draft in 2027.
For now, though, Smith is the bridge starter to carry the team until his successor is drafted and, perhaps, until his successor is ready after sitting and learning for a bit. Returning back to where his journey first began, Smith has an opportunity to pave a successful pathway for the Jets’ next potential franchise quarterback, helping them avoid the trials and tribulations he faced as a talented young passer who just needed time to bloom.
Jets Rumors: Fitzpatrick, WRs, QBs
After getting traded to the Jets, there’ve been a few questions about how New Jersey native Minkah Fitzpatrick will be utilized in New York’s defense. Per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Fitzpatrick hasn’t had conversations on the subject just yet, but he has his preference.
When Fitzpatrick was making his case as a future first-round pick at Alabama, the Crimson Tide utilized his versatility, playing him mostly in the slot but letting him roam into the box and the defensive outfield. The Dolphins utilized him much the same way after drafting him, but when Fitzpatrick was traded to the Steelers in his second year of NFL play, Pittsburgh simplified his role, sticking him mostly back at safety. Making his way back to Miami last year, Fitzpatrick was put back into his nickelback role, and he excelled.
To be fair, Fitzpatrick is hardly limited by where he plays and displayed some excellent seasons in Pittsburgh, but when asked about how he might fit into New York’s defense next season, Fitzpatrick told the media that he “envisions himself playing a nickel role, as he did last year in Miami.” The Jets played fourth-round rookie Malachi Moore in that role for much of last year, but Fitzpatrick will likely be an upgrade over his fellow Alabama alumnus.
Here are a few other rumors coming out of New York:
- In an examination of general manager Darren Mougey‘s patient, methodical roster-building strategy, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic broke down how his clairvoyant approach has benefitted the team’s targeting efficiency. Studying the mistakes other teams tend to make in free agency, Mougey examined the likely top receiver options leading up to this year’s offseason. The Jets were interested in Alec Pierce at the top of the market and even Josh Palmer and Dyami Brown at the middle of the market, but Mougey knew that these options wouldn’t be cheap, so when conducting trades this season, he made sure teams included promising, young pass catchers like Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie. Doing so made it easier for New York to walk away from the table as the price tags for Pierce, Palmer, and Brown surpassed expectations and avoid overspending and not getting a decent return on investment.
- Rosenblatt also addressed Mougey’s offseason approach to the quarterback position. After swinging and missing on a decent-sized deal for quarterback Justin Fields, Mougey was able to recoup some value as the Jets moved on. In moving on, Mougey opted to lean on his new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who has long been revered for his quarterback expertise. The collaboration led to the team’s reunion with Geno Smith, whom the team had reportedly looked into to trading for when the Seahawks made him available last year.
LB Arvell Reese Meets With Giants, Jets, Saints
Ohio State hybrid linebacker/edge rusher Arvell Reese has long been tabbed for a top-10 pick in April’s draft, and a list of his recent meetings supports that projection.
All 32 NFL teams attended Ohio State’s Pro Day on Wednesday, with the Jets, Saints, and Giants taking extra time to meet with Reese, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. All three hold top-10 picks and could stand to add an impact defender, especially one who can fill multiple roles in the front seven.
The Jets hold the second overall pick and just traded 2022 first-rounder Jermaine Johnson to the Titans, creating a need at edge rusher. Signing Joseph Ossai to a three-year, $34.5MM filled the immediate void, but New York may want to add a long-term option opposite 2023 first-rounder Will McDonald. The defense also has Jamien Sherwood and Demario Davis as their starting linebackers, but Reese could rotate in there, too.
Reese could also head to the other team in New York, though the Giants have much more depth. Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux are one of the league’s best young trios, so Reese would not have as many opportunities off the edge. However, new head coach John Harbaugh has always prioritized the off-ball linebacker position, where Reese played a majority of his college snaps. He could be Tremaine Edmunds‘ running mate in the middle of the defense as a rookie with the potential to expand his pass rushing profile if Thibodeaux leaves in free agency next offseason. The Giants have even expressed interest in trading Thibodeaux, which would open up more edge rushing snaps for Reese.
The Saints are picking at No. 8, and even that may be a long shot for Reese, who is widely considered a top-five prospect. They have two veteran starters penciled in at edge rusher and linebacker, none of which are younger than 27. Reese could see time in both roles as a rookie and serve as a long-term starter for either depending on how the rest of New Orleans’ roster comes together.
Jets Contract Details: Davis, Onyemata, Enagbare, Wright, Belton
The Jets have signed 12 players since free agency opened on March 11. Here are the details on several of those contracts…
- Demario Davis, LB (two years, $22MM): Returning to the Jets for a third stint, the 37-year-old standout secured $15MM in guaranteed money and a $7.5MM signing bonus, Katherine Terrell of ESPN reports. Davis’ $3.5MM base salary for 2026 is fully guaranteed; $4MM of his $11MM base in ’27 is fully guaranteed.
- David Onyemata, DT (one year, $10.5MM): The former Saint and Falcon received a $7.5MM signing bonus and will earn a $2.15MM salary, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Onyemata will make another $50K for each game he’s active (up to $850K). The Jets tacked four void years on his deal.
- Kingsley Enagbare, OLB (one year, $10MM): The ex-Packer will rake in $8.49MM in guaranteed money and a $5MM signing bonus, according to Spotrac. Enagbare’s 2026 base salary will check in at $3.49MM.
- Nahshon Wright, CB (one year, $5.5MM): Despite leading the NFL last year with 10 turnovers (five interceptions, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles), the former Bear settled for a relatively inexpensive deal. The Jets will pay Wright a fully guaranteed $3.5MM, per Wilson. His accord features a $2MM signing bonus and a salary of $1.5MM.
- Dane Belton, S (one year, $4MM): In leaving the Giants for the Jets, Belton landed $3.5MM in guarantees and a $2.5MM signing bonus, Wilson relays. His contract features up to $2MM in incentives based on playing time, interceptions, a playoff appearance and a Pro Bowl nod. Belton will also collect $30k in per game roster bonuses (up to $510K).
- Andre Cisco, S (one year, $2.5MM): Cisco re-upped with the Jets for a $1.49MM salary, $1.25MM in guarantees and a $500K signing bonus (via Wilson).
- Max Mitchell, OT (one year, $2MM): Set for his fifth year with the Jets in 2026, Mitchell will play on a $1.81MM salary with $1MM in fully guaranteed money, according to Wilson.
QB Garrett Nussmeier To Work Out For Jets, Rams; Colts Visit Scheduled
Plenty of attention has been paid to the likes of Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson at the quarterback spot leading up to next month’s draft. That will no doubt remain the case over the coming weeks, but a number of other passers will be interesting to monitor as well. 
One of those is Garrett Nussmeier. The LSU product was one of several college quarterbacks who fell short of expectations over the course of the 2025 season. An abdominal injury suffered during training camp last summer played a role in Nussmeier’s fifth and final campaign with the Tigers producing underwhelming results.
NFL interest has still been generated, though. During an interview on NFL Network’s The Insiders (video link), Nussmeier revealed he is set to work out privately for the Jets and Rams. He added a top 30 visit with the Colts has been arranged. Like with all prospects, several Zoom meetings are taking place in Nussmeier’s case; he could also add further to his list of interested teams.
New York has, to no surprise, lined up a workout with Simpson. The Jets own pick No. 2, not seen as a viable spot to draft any passer aside from Mendoza (who remains on course to hear his name called first overall by the Raiders). New York also has the 16th selection, along with a pair of second-rounders and five Day 3 picks. Nussmeier could be an option during the middle stages of the draft.
Matthew Stafford is set to continue his career for at least one more season. Finding a successor for the MVP has been mentioned as a sensible priority in the Rams’ case for years, yet there is no long-term plan in place under center. An investment in the 2026 class may not be expected to yield a future QB1 given its comparisons to next year’s, but Nussmeier could serve as a developmental option for Los Angeles. The team also has a pair of Day 1 picks, along with a third-rounder and four Day 3 selections.
Daniel Jones signed a two-year deal to remain in place with the Colts as their starter. Anthony Richardson is still in place as a backup for now, but a trade is being looked into for the former No. 4 pick. Dealing Richardson would create a spot on the depth chart for Nussmeier or another mid-round QB. Indianapolis owns one selection in each of the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds along with two picks in the seventh round.
As is the case for several mid-round passers in the 2026 class, a firm draft range is difficult to establish at this point. Nonetheless, Nussmeier will be one of the quarterbacks worth watching as teams not in range for Mendoza or Simpson in particular evaluate their options.
QB Ty Simpson To Work Out For Jets
Alabama’s Ty Simpson, considered the second-best quarterback prospect in this year’s class, is firmly on the Jets’ radar. Simpson will hold a private workout for the Jets on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
New York added a potential new starter when it reunited with Geno Smith earlier this month, but the 35-year-old is considered a stopgap option for the rebuilding club. The need for a long-term answer remains obvious for the Jets, who have seen recent first-round QB selections Sam Darnold (third, 2018) and Zach Wilson (second, 2021) flame out in their uniform.
Owners of the second overall pick this year, the Jets once looked like frontrunners to draft either Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore this April. Any chance of that went up in smoke when Moore decided to stay in school in mid-January, leaving Mendoza as the clear choice for the Raiders at No. 1 overall.
Simpson took over as the second passer in this class when Moore returned to Oregon, but it would be a surprise to see the Jets grab him with their first pick and pass on one of the impact defenders available. The Jets also hold the 16th pick, however, and could consider Simpson with that selection.
Simpson was not thought of as a shoo-in first-rounder until recently. But thanks to a strong showing at the Combine, he could go in the top half of Round 1. A team that uses a first-rounder on Simpson would be taking a major gamble, though, considering the recent history of similarly inexperienced college QBs. Anthony Richardson, Mitchell Trubisky and Dwayne Haskins all went in the first round in the past decade despite making 15 or fewer starts in college. None of them lived up to the billing, though it may be too soon to completely write off the 23-year-old Richardson.
Simpson, also 23, was an understudy to Bryce Young and then Jalen Milroe in his first three seasons at Alabama. Finally taking the reins last year, the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Simpson completed 64.5% of passes, threw for 3,567 yards, and tossed 28 touchdowns against five interceptions in 15 games. Simpson earned a second-team All-SEC nod and helped guide his team to a College Football Playoff berth. Alabama’s season ended when Mendoza’s Hoosiers crushed the Crimson Tide, 38-3, in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. The two QBs could face off again soon in the NFL, perhaps in a Raiders-Jets matchup.
Jets To Pursue Post-Draft Extension For RB Breece Hall
After four years of up-and-down play, the Jets came into the final year of running back Breece Hall‘s rookie contract unsure of whether or not they wanted to extend him to a long-term contract. When, after the season, they tried and failed to reach an extension agreement in time for free agency, New York opted for the franchise tag. According to Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York, the team is expected to restart its extension efforts after the draft. 
As a second-round rookie out of Iowa State, Hall looked electric in his limited first year. He started the season coming off the bench for secondary carries behind Michael Carter but took over a dominant share of the workload by Week 4 and was named a starter by Week 6. Unfortunately, Hall tore his ACL and meniscus early into his second career start, ending his rookie campaign.
Recovering in time to return to a starting role in Year 2, Hall had a strong bounce back season. While he had a tendency to disappear in some contests, he had a few stellar games en route to 994 yards and five touchdowns rushing and 591 yards and four touchdowns receiving. His third season with the team saw fewer disappearances for the young back but also featured fewer big performances with Hall logging just one 100-yard game all season. He also struggled with fumbles more than in prior years, losing the rock six times.
In the following offseason the Jets had no plans of extending him before his final year, but they also weren’t eager to try and trade their leading rusher, either, despite the interest he seemed to draw around the midseason trade deadline. Both Hall and his coaches made clear their desires to avoid a trade, and the front office seemed to follow suit by setting a high asking price for the fourth-year back, indicating that a long-term deal may have entered their plans. Once the team traded away two defensive cornerstones, Hall’s tune reportedly changed a bit, but he never requested a trade.
Realizing that Hall would garner a strong free agent market, based on the trade interest he received and his first 1,000-yard rushing season, the Jets set their sights on retaining the 24-year-old rusher. As the offseason came and progressed, though, the team and player found themselves far apart on contract terms, so the franchise tag came into play. The tag allowed New York to put Hall’s extension on the backburner, while free agency became the priority, and now the draft will be a main focus of the front office for weeks to come.
Per Hughes, though, there was a period just before the Jets moved to place the franchise tag during which they were “pretty confident” that a deal was going to get done. With the possibility of an agreement within their reach, New York intends to shift its focus back to Hall once the draft is in the rearview. Hughes adds that the front office has taken not of the three-year, $43.05MM deal Kenneth Walker just signed in Kansas City, and believing that Hall is a better back, they intend to extend him a bigger offer.
It’s unclear where their offer started and where Hall’s asking price was, but perhaps a bump to Walker’s numbers will get the two sides closer together. We won’t know that, though, likely until after the draft, when time allows for negotiations to continue.
Jets Meet With Miami QB Carson Beck, Will Attend Pro Day
As the Jets move on from Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor and still see dead money in 2026 for Fields and Aaron Rodgers, the team is looking to the draft to help improve their quarterbacks room for cheap. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Jets general manager Darren Mougey met with Miami (FL) quarterback Carson Beck tonight and will attend the Hurricanes Pro Day in Coral Gables tomorrow. 
In a trade with the Raiders, New York recently reunited with Geno Smith, who should serve as a bridge option at quarterback. Since New York isn’t in a position to draft the only perceived difference maker at the position this year, it appears the team will look to take a flyer on a mid-round passer in the hopes they can strike gold on a young quarterback without dedicating a first-round pick in doing so.
Some have tied the team to the prospect widely seen as the consensus QB2 of the draft, Alabama’s Ty Simpson. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. even mocked the two together, a move Cimini was not a fan of. In support of his opinion, Cimini cited the litany of quarterbacks drafted high after fewer than 17 starts at the collegiate level. Aside from former MVP Cam Newton, the stories of small-sample passers like Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, Anthony Richardson, Mitchell Trubisky, Blaine Gabbert, and Dwayne Haskins have all been tales of caution.
Cimini isn’t alone in his cautious outlook. There were several evaluators who wanted to see Simpson go back to school, especially after injury affected his play in the last half of the 2025 season. The same was said of Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who did decide to return to school and stands a better chance at becoming the top pick in the draft because of it.
Using that logic, it makes sense to see New York researching the group of arms just below Simpson. Instead of dedicating their 16th overall pick on Simpson, they could use a third- or fourth-round pick to take a cheaper chance at developing a young passer. The Jets hosted Penn State’s Drew Allar recently and followed up with Beck today. Beck and Allar have been grouped with LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier as the next level of prospects available at the position after Fernando Mendoza and Simpson.
Beck, unlike Simpson, has plenty of experience at the collegiate level. A backup for his first three years of school, Beck watched Stetson Bennett win back-to-back championships at Georgia before taking over as a starter himself. Unable to take the Bulldogs back to the title game in two years as the starter, Beck transferred to Miami and led the Hurricanes to their first title game appearance in 23 years. He ended his college career with a starting record of 37-6, throwing 88 touchdowns (and rushing for seven) and 32 interceptions.
Mougey and Co. will watch Beck and several other Hurricanes projected to hear their names called next month — offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and pass rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor have all been projected as first-rounders — before continuing on to Ohio State on Wednesday, where a number of defenders — linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese and safety Caleb Downs — have been rumored options for the Jets at No. 2 overall.
Jets Host QB Drew Allar
The Jets have their 2026 starting quarterback in the form of Geno Smith. His return to New York came about via trade, the same route taken to move on from Justin Fields. 
Another veteran could be added this offseason. Tyrod Taylor remains unsigned at this time, and most free agents have lined up a new arrangement by this point in the new league year. That could leave the Jets to focus on the upcoming draft with respect to a depth QB addition.
Like all teams, New York is in the early stages of hosting prospects on top 30 visits. Several Penn State players visited the Jets recently, Connor Hughes of SNY reports. Among them was quarterback Drew Allar. That will no doubt prove to be one of many private workouts Allar participates in during the build-up to the draft.
An October ankle injury brought an abrupt end to Allar’s senior season. His performances up to that point had left plenty to be desired, something which wound up being true in 2025 of many signal-callers. Allar totaled 49 touchdowns and 10 interceptions across the 2023 and ’24 seasons, leading to high expectations for this past campaign. Before the injury, he posted a completion percentage of 64.8% along with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 8:3.
The Jets own two first-round picks in this year’s draft. New York will not be able to select Fernando Mendoza provided the Raiders take the expected route of drafting the Heisman winner first overall. Whether or not another quarterback is taken on Day 1 remains a question at this point, although Ty Simpson and Cole Payton are considered the top QB2 candidates. Allar, like LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Miami’s Carson Beck, will enter the NFL with plenty of experience but a tempered outlook with respect to his ceiling at the pro level.
New York also has a pair of second-round selections in 2026 along with five Day 3 picks. Using one of those on a developmental option would come as no surprise. Based on how the team’s evaluation process plays out over the coming weeks, Allar could be among the quarterback prospects receiving consideration.
NFL Draft Rumors: Cardinals, RBs, Downs, Woods, Terrell
As free agency slows, the general focus of the NFL is starting to shift to the 2026 NFL Draft. For one team, though, the focus appears to be the 2027 NFL Draft, per Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom. As several teams work to secure optimal situations in their quarterbacks rooms, the Cardinals appear to be working around it.
After cutting veteran quarterback Kyler Murray, Arizona seems content to move forward in 2026 with journeyman backup Jacoby Brissett, who went 1-11 as the Cardinals’ starter last year. They supplemented the room with another frequent flier with starting experience in Gardner Minshew. Neither passer is viewed as the team’s future at the position but more as bridge options until that future comes along. The prevailing opinion throughout league circles appears to be that Arizona is tanking the 2026 season in hopes of setting themselves up well for a draft projected to be a bit more rich in quarterback prospects than this year’s draft.
With that in mind, the remainder of their offseason will be focused on building an offense around their future quarterback, starting with the construction of a reliable wall in front of him. For this reason, there’s belief the Cardinals will be targeting an offensive lineman with their No. 3 overall pick, and the popular opinion is that Hurricanes top tackle prospect Francis Mauigoa could be that target. The three-year starter out of Miami (FL) has a strong chance of being available as Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is expected to go No. 1 to Las Vegas, and the Jets are expected to add to their defense with the second overall pick.
Here are a few other draft rumors from around the NFL:
- While only one or two running backs project to be top prospects in the draft, there are plenty of options for teams looking to build depth or add some fresher legs to their room. With Alvin Kamara‘s future in New Orleans in doubt, Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports reports that the Saints have shown interest in Arkansas running back Mike Washington. A Buffalo- and New Mexico State-transfer, Washington rushed for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns for the Razorbacks last year.
- When it was thought that Aaron Jones would be departing from Minnesota, some at ESPN believed the team would go to the draft, as opposed to the free agent market, to fill out the room. With Jones returning on a re-worked contract that expires after this year, running back may still be a focus for the Vikings in this year’s draft.
- Despite re-signing J.K. Dobbins and restricted free agent Jaleel McLaughlin and having spent a second-round pick on RJ Harvey last year, the Broncos are doing research on the draft’s offerings at the position. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the team hosted Indiana running back Kaelon Black for a top 30 visit. The national champion rushed for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns and has visited the Jets with visits with the Panthers, Bengals, and Raiders set in the future.
- According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, some post-combine conversations with scouts revealed a dramatic range of opinions for Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. The former five-star recruit took over a full-time starting position in his sophomore season and grabbed the attention of scouts everywhere with three sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in 11 games while proving to be an elite run-stopper. His production declined in his junior year, which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) still saw as good but graded as his worst campaign in Clemson. As a result, some scouts still see the potential and view him as a top 15 prospect, while others have him “solidly” as a Day 2 prospect.
- The Giants have had an incredibly busy (and in many views productive) offseason thus far, so many are eager to see what approach they will take with their fifth overall pick in the draft. According to La Canfora, despite their success rebuilding so far, New York still has a glaring hole in the secondary. New head coach John Harbaugh‘s former organization invested heavily in the safety position over the course of his tenure with the team, and it’s believed that that mentality has followed him to New York. Ohio State’s Caleb Downs has been tied to the Giants before, and La Canfora doubles down on the opinion that he could be the selection at No. 5 overall.
- Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of Falcons first-round cornerback and one-time second-team All-Pro AJ Terrell, is widely viewed as a top five prospect at his position. After suffering a minor hamstring injury at the combine, though, the younger Terrell will not be participating in the Tigers’ pro day, according to Jordan Reid of ESPN. Instead, he has scheduled a separate workout for scouts that will take place March 30.