This New York Jets quarterback has received an ominous prediction.
The New York Jets have been starving for a quarterback for decades, and after trotting out Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor last season, they don't seem to have a definitive answer for 2026, either.
The Jets acquired Geno Smith in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders and selected Cade Klubnik in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, but while Klubnik may have some potential, Smith is slated to be the Week 1 starter.
In fact, it would be shocking if Smith weren't under center for the season opener.
But just how long of a leash will Smith — who began his career with the Jets back in 2013 — actually have?
Smith is now 35 years old and is coming off of a 2025 campaign in which he led the league with 17 interceptions. He had a great year with the Seattle Seahawks back in 2022, but has been declining ever since.
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton sent a warning to Smith heading into his second stint in New York, noting that this will probably be his final opportunity to hold down a starting job.
Geno Smith. Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images."At 35, Smith will once again try to revive his career as a starter—this time with the team that drafted him. Having gone through career trials and tribulations, Smith can turn things around for himself, but he'll try to do it with a franchise that hasn't had stability at quarterback for decades," Moton wrote. "If Smith has another down year, he's unlikely to get another chance to be a full-time starter in the league."
It also doesn't help that Smith will have Klubnik breathing down his neck.
The Jets will almost surely want to see what Klubnik has to determine whether or not they should be selecting a quarterback in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft, so barring a massive turnaround for Smith, you have to figure that at some point next season, Klubnik will unseat him.
Smith was definitely a late bloomer, as he struggled mightily during his first four seasons with the Jets before taking detours with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers before arriving in Seattle in 2019.
The West Virginia University product then became the Seahawks' starter in 2022 and had a breakout year, but since then, he has mostly been average. Well, up until 2025, when he was absolutely dreadful.
We'll see if Smith can revitalize his career next fall.
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