Geno Smith’s Blunt Response to Silencing the Critics in Week 1 After Jets’ Win Over Titans

On his return to the Jets, quarterback Geno Smith delivered an opening-day victory over the Titans.

Geno Smith’s Blunt Response to Silencing the Critics in Week 1 After Jets’ Win Over Titans

Geno Smith (Image via IMAGO/X)

Geno Smith heard the doubts throughout the offseason. Then, in Week one, in his first New York Jets game in a decade, Smith delivered a match-winning performance against the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans held a slight edge over the Jets at home in Music City. Robert Saleh in the home team’s dugout made the fixture even spicier. Saleh, of course, managed the Jets for a few years before he was fired in 2024.

Aaron Glenn took over as the new head coach of the Gang Green. 2025 ended with just three wins. The offense was bad, but the defense wasn’t far behind either. According to Pro Football Focus, the Jets defense failed to record a single interception in 17 games.

Glenn made changes in the offseason. He replaced Justin Fields with Geno Smith at quarterback. Glenn chose Smith because he started his NFL career with the Jets and knows the culture.

The media and analysts doubted Smith throughout the offseason. He silenced them after completing 19 of 24 passes for 215 yards in the Jets’ 23-10 victory over the Titans. Smith said via SNY on Wednesday:

I can’t hear any critics, I’m sorry. I just focus on what I have to do every day. And the whole critics — I respect you guys and I appreciate that you guys have jobs to do, but I also have a job to do. So, I don’t really pay attention to any of that.

Smith proved that he’s more than ready to be the Jets’ number one in his lone preseason appearance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The veteran went 7-of-7 for 65 yards, one touchdown, and a 144.9 passer rating.

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Aaron Glenn praised Geno Smith following the Jets’ opening-day victory

Although Smith did not throw a touchdown pass, he completed nearly 80% of his attempts. The offense operated at a very high level. Running back Breece Hall rushed 22 times for 102 yards and scored one touchdown. Garrett Wilson caught 6 passes for 79 yards while Adonai Mitchell snagged 3 for 60.

Geno Smith's Blunt Response to Silencing the Critics in Week 1 After Jets' Win Over Titans
Geno Smith (Image via IMAGO)

On defense, Will McDonald IV, Kingsley Enagbare, and rookie David Bailey each recorded one sack on Titans quarterback Cam Ward. Veteran linebacker DeMario Davis led the team with 8 total tackles.

But the Jets have had above-average defense in the past. The quarterback has been their Achilles heel. And they may have found a solution in Smith. At least, coach Aaron Glenn believes so. Glenn said on Monday:

I thought [Geno Smith] did an outstanding job. Listen, there’s some things obviously that we’ve got to clean up and get better at. But man, I think he was dang-near 80 percent throwing the ball. He put the ball where he needed to.

Smith struggled to produce wins last year at the Las Vegas Raiders. He went 2-13 in 15 starts, had 302 completions for 3025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. In March 2026, the Raiders received a sixth-round draft pick in exchange for Smith and a seventh-rounder.

The Jets drafted Smith 39th overall in 2013. He made 35 appearances in four years. He stayed in the Big Apple and signed with the New York Giants. Following a lone year with the Los Angeles Chargers, Smith signed with the Seattle Seahawks. In his first three seasons, he spent time as the backup to Russell Wilson.

With Wilson moving to Denver, Seattle elevated Smith to QB1. He had three winning seasons as the Seahawks quarterback, with double digits in 2024. He followed his former Seattle head coach Pete Carroll to Vegas, but Carroll was fired after just one year, and Smith was traded to the Jets.

Since his debut, Smith has played 110 games. He has a 43-56 regular-season record. He has completed 2042 passes for 22,383 yards, 124 touchdowns, and 89 interceptions.

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