Questions arose about the status of New York Jets starting quarterback Geno Smith regarding the 2026 season after it was learned that police were called to his Florida home regarding an alleged battery.
On June 23, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed that the case had “been assigned to a detective and is currently an active investigation.” During the latest edition of the “Jets Collective” podcast, Jets reporter Rich Cimini of ESPN shared an update on the Smith situation.
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“Typically, in a situation like this, even, and let me stress this hypothetically, if he were charged and this was adjudicated, it would take a long time for that process to take place,” Cimini said about Smith, per Paul Esden Jr. of Heavy. “He could fall under the personal conduct policy by the NFL, but I don’t believe that would impact him for this season. That likely would be for next year.”
The Jets acquired Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders in March, and Jets head coach Aaron Glenn later confirmed that Smith is the team’s undisputed QB1. The Jets also have 2026 fourth-round draft pick Cade Klubnik, 2025 undrafted rookie Brady Cook and journeyman backup Bailey Zappe on the roster, but none of them should be considered anything more than a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option.
For what it’s worth, Rosenblatt said on June 25 that he “would be surprised if the Jets don’t add more (or different) competition at some point.” Rosenblatt hinted that the Jets could eventually trade for somebody who is currently a backup with a different team.
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“We know how the lawyers get continuances and so on and kick the can down the road,” Cimini added about Smith. “So I would think it would likely be an impact the following season, but right now this is all we have.”
Cimini later said that he would “be very, very surprised if something impacts [Smith’s] availability” for the 2026 season. It remains to be seen if the investigation will remain open through the start of training camp in late July.