Bill Belichick dunks on Jets for giving up on Seahawks QB Geno Smith

Whatever the Jets did to Belichick, he isn't letting it go.

Jet quarterback Geno Smith on the sideline during the New York Jets V Philadelphia Eagles Pre Season NFL match at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, USA. 29th August 2013. Photo Tim Clayton | (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

25 years ago, Bill Belichick was hired as the new head coach for the New York Jets. That marriage didn't last very long, as Belichick infamously quit the position after only one day with the franchise. Whatever Belichick saw that day we'll probably never know, but it was a wise move - as the Jets went on to become a punchline in the NFL, while Belichick became the most-successful head coach in league history with the New England Patriots.

Belichick still isn't letting it go, either. Even after all this time he's not above going out of his way to dunk on the Jets, as he did this week on the Let's Go! podcast. When asked how to find an NFL quarterback, Belichick answered that you can always start with someone that the Jets released, such as Geno Smith or Sam Darnold.

Bill Belichick on Jets, Geno Smtih

While on the “Let’s Go!” podcast, Bill Belichick was asked how do you find an NFL quarterback … “Well, you might take a look at the ones that the Jets have released. Geno Smith and Sam Darnold, they’ve done pretty well.”

Even if he’s coaching in college Bill won’t ever get over… pic.twitter.com/Jap0X8M5Iu

— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) February 20, 2025

To be fair, Geno Smith was nothing like the quarterback we have seen starting for the Seattle Seahawks the last three years early in his career. Smith threw more interceptions than touchdowns for the Jets from 2013-2014 and was relegated to backup role then eventually released.

However, Smith's late blooming development proves the fault was not so much his own as with the Jets' organization for failing to build him up. Sam Darnold's recent surge is yet another example of a quarterback that they apparently flunked on.

This doesn't necessarily mean that whatever team takes on Zach Wilson next will turn him into star, but the Jets have missed on enough QBs over the years to have earned their reputation as the worst-run franchise in the NFL - a title now sealed by the Carolina Panthers having finally landed a QB1 with Bryce Young. Striking out on an over-the-hill and mentally checked-out Aaron Rodgers is their latest failure, but more are sure to come.

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