Why Jets Got Geno Smith Instead of Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa

The New York Jets are in a better place overall as a team right now than they were at the beginning of the league's legal tampering period on Monday.

Over the last few days, the Jets were active. The new league is here and New York is able to make each move official. The legal tampering period is a bit of an odd time when reports pop up left and right, but they cannot be finalized. Most of the time, nothing changes with reported agreements over a few days. But take a look at the Baltimore Ravens and Maxx Crosby, for example. Regardless, the new league year is here and the Jets are trending upwards.

New York has used free agency to significantly bolster the defensive side of the ball, including reuniting with Demario Davis. The Jets also acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Miami Dolphins to help fix the safety room. Also on the trade front, the Jets landed old friend Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders to come in and help stabilize the quarterback room.

The Jets made a good move bringing in Geno Smith

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to throw in the third quarter against the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Unsurprisingly, this led to many questions. Why go after Smith when a younger option like Kyler Murray was about to hit the open market? Why not look elsewhere? Brian Costello of the New York Post explained why Smith was the guy for the Jets.

"Look, no one is going to pick the Jets to make the playoffs because they traded for Smith on Tuesday, but he was the best of some bad options," Costello wrote. "[Kyler Murray] was not picking the Jets as the place to get his career back on track. Same thing with [Tua Tagovailoa]. The other veteran options are guys who have been relegated to backup duty in recent years or have dealt with major injuries.

"The Jets could have traded for a younger backup quarterback, but the asking price for players like Tyson Bagent, Davis Mills, etc. was said to be way too high. Smith is not that far removed from success in Seattle. The Jets need competent quarterback play in 2026. Smith should be able to provide that."

Smith raises the floor. The ceiling may not be exceptionally high, but the floor is higher. Plus, mix the addition of Smith with all of the defensive pickups, and you already have a better team even before the NFL Draft and with months to go in the offseason. There's more work to do, but the Jets are heading in the right direction.