Former Seahawks QBs Russell Wilson, Geno Smith Could Reunite on Jets

When the Seattle Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in 2022, a landmark deal that included two first-round picks, Geno Smith became the team's starting quarterback.

Smith beat his predecessor in the first game of the 2022 season at Lumen Field and went on to break multiple of Wilson's Seahawks single-season passing records in his first season as the starter. At the time, it seemed both were primed for promising new chapters of their careers.

Instead, four seasons later, both players could be playing for the New York Jets, where Smith began his career, and Wilson could be the backup. New York hosted Wilson for a visit, according to The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, and could make him their No. 2 quarterback.

A strange pairing

Jets' Geno Smith during a 2016 game. | NorthJersey.com file photo, NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Wilson, 37, and Smith, 35, were teammates for three seasons with the Seahawks, and the relationship between them appears to be intact even though the latter left Seattle on not-so-great terms.

"I finally got my team," Smith told ESPN's Ryan McFadden before the 2025 season after being traded from the Seahawks to the Las Vegas Raiders. "I always felt like I was trying to replace Russell [Wilson in Seattle], and you can never replace all the great things that he did. So I never felt like Seattle was my team."

Smith is now getting another opportunity with the team that drafted him in the second round back in 2013 — the same franchise that opted not to re-sign him after a tumultuous four-year stint to begin his career. After five seasons as a backup, Smith only got his chance with the Seahawks when the franchise moved on from Wilson.

Now, the two could be in reversed roles in 2026 if Wilson signs with the Jets. Neither has played well in recent seasons, with Smith's Raiders going 2-13 in 2025 (last in the NFL) and Wilson having started just three games last season with the New York Giants.

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks on after the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Wilson completed 58% of his passes for 831 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Smith, who started 15 games, completed 67.4% of his passes for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Smith going back to the Jets was a strange storyline on its own, but the possibility of Wilson joining him makes things even more wild from a historical angle.

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