Nobody Is Talking About This - But You Should...

No one is talking about this, but you should. Geno Smith is doing something special, putting together maybe the best statistical season of any Jets quarterback in their history. And this gives Darren Mooji a good problem to have, as he can continue to develop young quarterback Cade Klubnik and look for Geno to be a continued bridge quarterback for next season, a season in which we all assume that the Jets will have a first-round rookie quarterback, Either starting or developing on the sidelines, Geno gives them options for both of those scenarios. So let's get into what to expect from Geno Smith and whether it would make sense at all to even consider, despite the losing season, putting in Cade Klubnik at this juncture or sometime in the near future. What's going on, guys? I'm Josh Byrne. You're tuned into Jets Digest. Guys, thank you for so much of your support. Me and Chris Gallagher do appreciate it. If you're one of the 65% of viewers who are watching the daily updates but not subscribed, please do consider doing so as it means quite a lot. Let's break it down. Geno Smith is having a career year. There was so much talk about the down season that Geno Smith had last year for the Vegas Raiders. Honestly, I think Geno Smith got a bit of an unfair shake there because he had the worst offensive line in football. He was sacked at a record high rate and he didn't have great weapons outside of Brock Bowers. And, you know, obviously the Raiders offense is tremendously improved this season, but Look, they have a new coaching staff. A lot of things are different there than they were last season. And before last season, Geno Smith had multiple very impressive Pro Bowl caliber seasons, in which he actually did get selected to the Pro Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, and he led them to the playoffs. And look, the Jets are 2-6. We know they're not going to the playoffs. But if they had efficient coaching, you know, if they had a good defense that was actually playing to their potential that we saw earlier in the season, then Geno Smith could very well be a quarterback that is heading back in that direction. Because if you told me before the year he'd have 12 touchdown passes and three interceptions through eight games. I would have said, wow, they must be having a fantastic year. I would sign that up or sign up for that any day of the week. According to Zach Rosenblatt, Geno Smith is on pace for one of the best statistical seasons for a Jets quarterback. Obviously, it's, you know, not a high bar, as he points out, but he's exceeded expectations and he's right. Going back, Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers, Zach Wilson. When's the last time we had a quarterback come in and actually exceed expectations? I would say probably Josh McCown, to be honest. Probably Josh McCown because I don't think there was much expected of him, and he played good football for the Jets. And Geno Smith is too, which is why I'm trading yes on over 4,000 passing yards for Geno Smith. I can trade $25 and get a max payout of $41.32. And remember, guys, you can let your voice be heard on Kalshi because On Kalshi, you are trading directly against other users, not the house like traditional sports books. And you're buying yes or no on contracts on the outcomes of events, not just across sports, but also politics and the weather. So if you're interested in trying out Kalshi, you can use the link in the description and pin comment and use code digest NFL to get $55 added to your account instantly when you trade your first $25. So getting back into this, I mean, Look, the New York Jets have a Geno Smith situation, and it's a good situation. He is climbing the record books. Uh, the historical case is pointed out here. Geno Smith, again, on pace for one of the best statistical seasons. If we look at his touchdowns by game, it's going up. If we look at, you know, what he has done statistically, he has a 69% completion percentage. I mean, he's thrown three interceptions, but, you know, two of those interceptions came in one game. Well, actually, that's not true. One interception came in the last game, and it was on a Hail Mary, and I don't really think you can fault him all too much for that. Now, uh, you know, if you look at, again, some more quotes here. Geno Smith is aware. They are moving the ball very well. This offense is clicking. It's just not translating to wins. You know, he said we didn't do enough to win the game. A lot of room of improvement. I think you have to be thrilled with the way that Geno Smith has played. Has he taken some bad sacks here and there? Yes. Sometimes he does hold on to the ball too long. But at the same time. If that's going to be the number one gripe with him, I would take that any day of the week over him turning the ball over. And when you look at these young receivers like Omar Cooper and Adonai Mitchell, they're showing what they're capable of largely because Geno Smith is able to get the ball down the field. Geno has been able to produce essentially every week. All eight games, he's averaging 239 passing yards. And we have seen some really top-tier play from him. So, you know, again, it's been very impressive. There are some late-game decisions that I believe fall on the coaching staff. You look at the end of the game plan. He said, I think you can throw a Hail Mary, take two shots if you can. Again, that's what led to the interception against the Raiders, and there was some controversy surrounding that because a lot of people felt like, you know, the Jets could have maybe thrown a corner route. You know, towards the sideline, picked up 20 yards or so, and then taken another shot down the field to give them a more viable chance to convert on that Hail Mary attempt. Instead, they opted, the rationale was, to throw two long Hail Marys at the end of the game. And it didn't pay off. But as far as Geno Smith, he needs to be strongly considered to be brought back. Do we believe the coach is getting brought back? No. Considering that the Jets will have a young quarterback next year, it would be wise to bring back the veteran quarterback that you know can perform here and is coming off a good season to provide stability and tutelage to that guy. Because again, look at who the Jets just played. Kirk Cousins is having a fantastic season for the Raiders. They're in the hunt. They're 4-4. They're right in the mix, and they're competing with him. And Fernando Mendoza, He's developing on the sidelines, in practice. We'll see him next year. But, you know, I know it's not the way it used to be, but ideally you still want your rookie quarterback to sit. And that's where we turn to Cade Klubnik. Because Cade Klubnik is clearly trusted by the Jets coaching staff. Cade Klubnik is a guy that the Jets traded up for in the fourth round. He's a guy who was basically given the quarterback two job. We may see him regardless of whether They insert him or not, just because an injury, we hope it doesn't happen, an injury could happen. He is a Geno Smith injury away from starting. But the question becomes, at 2-6, likely headed for 2-8 after the Jets complete their next two games against the Chiefs and Bills, do they pivot to him, despite Geno having this great season? And I think there's a case to be made that they do. I hate to say it, and it's not fair to Geno Smith, but the fact of the matter is, if this season is going to completely get out of control here, Then why don't you see what you have in Cade Klubnik just in case there's that small chance that he performs really well in an offense that has a lot of good weapons. And then you have this dream scenario in which you don't necessarily need to take a quarterback and you have what is most likely to be three top 10 or at least three top 12 picks in the draft and not need to spend any of them on the quarterback position. Again, not likely to happen. But if the Jets keep losing, despite Geno's great year, I think you have to consider that. But most likely, they're going to keep Geno, and I'm fine with that. And with the way he's playing, I would strongly recommend bringing him back next year. But let me know what you guys think. Is Geno Smith being underrated? Yes, his efficiency deserves more respect. No, the sacks and mistakes matter too. Or C, both can be true. I think it's C, both can be true, in my opinion. But I think the pros far outweigh the cons here. So, let me know what you guys think below, and as always guys, let's go Jets.