Geno Smith set to return to the Jets in a trade with the Raiders, AP source says

Geno Smith is making a full-circle return to the New York Jets, who found their new starting quarterback by reaching back into their past.

The Jets are acquiring Smith - who was the team's second-round draft pick in 2013 - from the Las Vegas Raiders, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

New York is also getting a seventh-round pick and sending a sixth-rounder to Las Vegas in the deal, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because it can't become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.

Las Vegas likely has its sights set on Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback widely expected to go No. 1 in the NFL draft. Smith's days with the Raiders appeared well over before the trade, even if it meant releasing him.

Now, though, the Raiders get something in return, adding more options to a draft haul that includes 11 picks.

And the Jets, who are looking to rebound from a 3-14 first season under Aaron Glenn, have their starting quarterback.

ESPN reported that the Jets and Smith agreed on a renegotiated contract, which had two years and $66 million remaining.

New York still has Justin Fields, who started nine games in his first season with the team, but he'll now be in a backup role - if he's not released. The Jets could look to add another veteran backup. Tyrod Taylor is scheduled to be a free agent, leaving Brady Cook - who struggled while starting the final four games as a rookie - and Bailey Zappe on the roster with Smith and Fields. The Jets could also look to draft a quarterback they can develop.

Smith will hope to find some of the magic he had in Seattle, where he revived his career under coach Pete Carroll. He quarterbacked the Seahawks to three consecutive winning seasons.

After the Raiders hired Carroll last year, one of his first moves was to bring Smith to Las Vegas. It didn't work out as either planned. Smith was sacked 55 times behind a shaky offensive line and threw 17 interceptions - both league highs last season.

Carroll was fired after the season.

With the Jets, Smith will work with offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who was hired by Glenn in January to run the offense. New York has some playmakers for Smith to work with, including wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who's coming off a knee injury, and running back Breece Hall, who received the franchise tag after rushing for more than 1,000 yards for the first time in his four NFL seasons.

It's an intriguing next stop on a long and sometimes strange NFL journey for the 35-year-old Smith, who became the Jets' starter as a rookie after incumbent Mark Sanchez injured a shoulder in a preseason game. Smith was up and down, but showed some promise before having his jaw broken in a dispute in the locker room with teammate IK Enemkpali during training camp in 2015. Ryan Fitzpatrick took over as the starter and kept the job for most of the next two seasons.

Smith, who tore an ACL during the 2016 season, spent the next season with the Giants - where he made headlines when then-coach Ben McAdoo chose to start him against the Raiders, ending Eli Manning's 210-game consecutive starts streak.

Smith then spent a year with the Chargers before signing with the Seahawks and reviving his career, first as a backup to Russell Wilson. He took over as Seattle's starter in 2022 when Wilson was traded to Denver, and Smith was the NFL's AP Comeback Player of the Year after throwing a career-high 30 TD passes.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection has thrown for 22,168 yards with 124 touchdowns - 28 with the Jets - and 89 interceptions.

Smith is the second familiar face to return to New York since the NFL's legal tampering period of free agency began Monday. The Jets agreed to terms with linebacker Demario Davis, a third-round pick in 2012, on a two-year contract worth $22 million, with $15 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the deal told the AP. He spent the past eight seasons in New Orleans and this will be his third stint in New York.

Until the Smith deal, the Jets had focused on the defense with a trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick from Miami highlighting a busy first day that included deals for Davis, defensive tackle David Onyemata and edge rushers Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare.