Every Quarterback to Start for the Jets Since New York Drafted Geno Smith in 2013

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The Jets have come full circle since drafting Geno Smith. 13 years since New York selected Smith in the second round in the 2013 draft, and 10 years since he left the organization in free agency, Smith is set to return to the Jets and compete for the starting quarterback job.

The franchise re-acquired Smith on Tuesday in a trade with the Raiders that saw New York acquire the 35-year-old quarterback and a seventh-round pick in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

Since Smith’s departure, the Jets haven’t had much luck with stabilizing the quarterbacks room. The team has cycled through a plethora of different arms, but ultimately failed to find consistently high play regardless of who they brought in. Dating back to 2013, the year they drafted Smith, New York has had a total of 17 different quarterbacks make starts in NFL regular-season games.

With Smith set to return for the 2026 season, let’s look back at every quarterback who started a regular season game in the decade since Smith first left in free agency.

Geno Smith stats with Jets

Smith played for the Jets from 2013 to ‘16, though he was only the starting quarterback for his two first seasons in the league. He started 16 games as a rookie but struggled, throwing for 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. His second season wasn’t much better, and he was even benched for a few games in favor of Michael Vick.

Smith infamously broke his jaw after being punched in the face by then-teammate IK Enemkpali, which caused him to undergo surgery that cost him most of the 2015 season. Smith made one start the following season before joining the Giants in free agency after the ‘16 season.

In all, Smith appeared in 33 games for the Jets and completed 57.2% of his passes for 5,962 yards, 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.

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Every QB to start for Jets since 2013

Geno Smith (2013 to ’16)

Smith made 30 starts from 2013 to ‘16, leading the Jets to a 12–18 record in those games.

Michael Vick (2014)

Vick was brought in as a backup in 2014 but ended up making three starts that season. He went 1–2 as the Jets’ starter, throwing for three touchdowns and two interceptions. That was the second to last season of Vick’s career, as he joined the Steelers in 2015 before retiring.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (2015 to ’16)

NFL — Ryan Fitzpatrick was the Jets’ quarterback in 2015 and ‘16. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Fitzpatrick took over for Smith in 2015 and led New York to a 10–6 record––the team hasn’t had a better record since. Fitzpatrick went 3–8 in 11 starts in 2016 before leaving the team. He threw for 43 touchdowns and 32 interceptions across 27 total starts, going 13–14.

Bryce Petty (2016 to ’17)

Petty, a fourth-round pick in 2015 out of Baylor, got an opportunity with the Jets in 2016 and ‘17. He started seven games in total and threw for four touchdowns and 10 interceptions before getting released following the 2018 season. He went 1–6 as a starter for the team.

Josh McCown (2017 to ’18)

McCown started 16 games for the Jets across two seasons, including 13 starts in 2017. He went 5–11 as the team’s starter, throwing for 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 64.5% of his passes.

Sam Darnold (2018 to ’20)

NFL — Sam Darnold won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks five years after leaving the Jets. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Darnold was selected by the Jets with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft. Despite the hope that he was the quarterback of the future in New York, he ended up playing just three seasons and made a total of 38 starts for the franchise. Between being overheard admitting to “seeing ghosts” during a bad loss against the Patriots and missing time due to mononucleosis––a designation which spawned a wave of memes on social media, Darnold’s Jets tenure was a disaster. He went 13–25 across three seasons and threw for 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions.

He was traded to the Panthers after the 2020 season, and following stops with the 49ers and Vikings, went on to win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback for the Seahawks this past season.

Luke Falk (2019)

Darnold missed a total of three games during the 2019 season while suffering from mononucleosis. Among the quarterbacks to fill in during his absence included Falk, a former sixth-round pick. Falk made two starts for New York, losing both, and completed 64.4% of his passes with three interceptions and no touchdowns.

Trevor Siemian (2019, ‘23)

Siemian had two separate stints with the Jets. First, he started one game in 2019 while Darnold was recovering from mononucleosis. He attempted six passes and had three yards. He then started another three games in 2023, recording two wins and throwing for two touchdowns and four interceptions.

Joe Flacco (2020 to ’22)

Flacco made a total of nine starts as a Jet from 2020 to ‘22, serving as the backup for various quarterbacks. He threw for 14 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 57.5% of his passes. The team went 1–8 in games Flacco started.

Zach Wilson (2021 to ’23)

The Jets invested the No. 2 pick in Wilson in 2021, hopeful that he could do what Darnold could not and help turn the franchise around. He, too, failed in that regard. Wilson struggled to hold onto the starting role for his first two seasons in the league, and only saw the field in year three after Aaron Rodgers, who was brought in to replace him, went down with a season-ending injury on the campaign’s opening drive.

Wilson started 33 games for the Jets across three seasons and completed 57% of his passes for 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. The team went 12–21 in games he started, and he was traded to the Broncos in 2024.

Mike White (2021 to ’22)

White made seven total starts for the Jets from 2021 to ‘22. He went 2–5 as the starter and threw for eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He joined the Dolphins in free agency in 2023.

Chris Streveler (2022)

Streveler started one game in his NFL career–a 2022 start for the Jets against the Jaguars during which he threw for 90 yards on 10-for-15 passing. He didn’t throw a touchdown or an interception and New York lost to Jacksonville, 19–3.

Tim Boyle (2023)

With Rodgers sidelined and Wilson struggling, the Jets turned to Boyle for a pair of starts in 2023. Boyle lost both of the games he started and threw for one touchdown and four interceptions while getting sacked nine times.

Aaron Rodgers (2023 to ’24)

The addition of Rodgers was expected to finally bring some stability to the quarterbacks room. Rodgers, however, suffered a ruptured Achilles on the opening drive of the season in 2023, and missed the entire year. He returned and started all 17 games in 2024, throwing for 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The team went 5–12, and Rodgers was not brought back in 2025. He signed with the Steelers as a free agent and led Pittsburgh to the playoffs.

Justin Fields (2025)

After moving on from Rodgers, the Jets turned to Fields following his productive stint in Pittsburgh. Fields lasted just nine games as New York’s starting quarterback, struggling to get comfortable under center. The team went 2–7 with Fields as the starter, and he had less than 100 passing yards in four of his nine starts for the franchise. Fields threw seven touchdowns and one interception before ultimately being benched midway through the season.

Tyrod Taylor (2025)

After Fields was demoted, Taylor took over as the Jets’ starting quarterback. He logged four starts for New York and completed 59.7% of his passes for five touchdowns and five interceptions. The Jets were 1–3 in Taylor’s starts and he was eventually returned to the backup role before the season ended.

Brady Cook (2025)

Cook got his shot under center toward the end of last season, but went without a single win in four starts. The undrafted rookie out of Missouri threw two touchdowns and seven interceptions and was sacked 19 times.