Aaron Glenn Names Jets' Official Starting QB for 2026 Season Before NFL Draft

The Jets are expected to draft a quarterback next month, but Glenn has already made up his mind about the team’s QB1.

Aaron Glenn named Geno Smith the Jets’ 2026 starting quarterback. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Geno Smith is back to being a Jet after being traded to New York from the Raiders earlier this month. He started 30 games for the Jets from 2013 to ’16 before hopping around to four other teams. Now, after 10 years, Smith is back in New York—and will find himself in a similar role.

On Sunday, Jets coach Aaron Glenn confirmed to NFL Network that Smith will be the team’s 2026 starting quarterback. Originally, it was expected that Smith would compete for the starting role.

“It means to have a bonafide starter come in and lead this offense where it needs to go,” Glenn said. “... There’s no doubt in my mind that we brought a competent starter here in this team, I look forward to him getting in the building.”

When asked by Judy Battista to confirm Smith as the starter, Glenn quickly answered: “There's no doubt about it. He’s our guy.”

Aaron Glenn on Geno Smith to the NFL Network this morning. pic.twitter.com/GESYr9lPLn

— Judy Battista (@judybattista) March 29, 2026

Currently, the Jets also have Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe in their quarterback room with the veteran Smith. Additionally, there’s a good chance the Jets will draft a rookie quarterback next month with one of their two first-round picks.

While the Heisman winner and national champion Fernando Mendoza is projected to be selected No. 1 overall by the Raiders (which led to Smith’s trade out of Las Vegas), the Jets were originally expected to draft Oregon’s Dante Moore before he decided to play another college season. In his latest mock draft, Sports Illustrated’s Daniel Flick projects the Jets to select Alabama’s Ty Simpson with the 16th overall pick. Other options for New York could be Penn State’s Drew Allar or Miami’s Carson Beck if the Jets choose to wait until day two to draft a quarterback.

NEXT: Post-Free Agency NFL Mock Draft: Jets Select Another Franchise Quarterback

If the Jets draft a rookie next month, it sounds like Smith will still get the starting job off the rip. That doesn’t necessarily mean he will be the starter for the entire 2026 season.

Smith’s been a starter for the past four seasons—three with the Seahawks and one with the Raiders. He was the backup quarterback to Russell Wilson in his first two seasons in Seattle before being promoted to QB1 in 2022 after Wilson’s departure. He earned the only two Pro Bowl seasons of his career while with the Seahawks. Across 52 starts in Seattle, Smith completed 68.5% of his passes for 12,961 yards, 76 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He led the Seahawks to one playoff appearance in 2022.

Smith seemed to have a renaissance in his career while in Seattle, so Las Vegas was hoping for similar results. Unfortunately, the Raiders weren’t the best fit for the quarterback.

What went wrong with Smith and the Raiders

The Raiders acquired Smith and hired former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll last offseason, sparking hope in Las Vegas for a resurgence of sorts with this duo. However, last season was anything but special for the Raiders.

Smith led the NFL in interceptions last season with 17 compared to his 19 touchdowns thrown. He led the team to a 3–14 record to earn the organization the No. 1 draft pick. After the disastrous season, Carroll was fired as well. Las Vegas was ready to clean house and start fresh again for the 2026 season.

Despite the unfortunate results from last season, Carroll is still a big fan of Smith. After the quarterback landed in New York, Carroll expressed his support for Smith’s decision and said he hopes the veteran can “rebound” with the Jets.

"If he figured out [New York] was a good place for him and he wanted to do it, and he was part of the decision, then I couldn't support him more," Carroll said in an interview with ESPN’s Rich Cimini. "If he saw the reasoning and felt the support and the opportunity, I couldn't be in more favor of it. I love the guy and want the very best for him. He deserves it. He worked really hard to get where he is."

Landing in Las Vegas was not the best decision for Smith, but it did turn out to be the best decision for the Seahawks. Seattle went on to sign Sam Darnold win the Super Bowl title.

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