Russell Wilson and Geno Smith may be headed for a reunion — with the roles flipped from their Seattle Seahawks days.
The New York Jets hosted Wilson for a visit and are considering him as a backup quarterback option behind Smith, according to The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt. Rosenblatt added that Smith was presented with multiple backup options and was “excited about the prospect” of Wilson, with the Jets and Wilson having spoken before the NFL draft and setting up the visit for Monday night.
“No signing is imminent, but there is interest on both sides as the Jets look to add a veteran behind Smith,” Rosenblatt wrote in an article about the visit.
For Seahawks fans, that is the part that makes this more than a routine late-offseason quarterback visit. Smith spent years in Seattle as Wilson’s backup, waiting through the final stretch of Wilson’s franchise-defining Seahawks run. Now, after Wilson’s exits from Seattle, Denver, Pittsburgh and New York Giants turbulence, the possibility exists that Wilson could be the veteran No. 2 behind the quarterback who once sat behind him.
Russell Wilson and Geno Smith’s Seahawks Story Has Completely Flipped
Smith re-signed with the Seahawks in 2021 after backing up Wilson for the previous two seasons, according to the team’s official announcement at the time. The Seahawks described Smith then as the veteran who had backed up Wilson, keeping Seattle’s quarterback room intact.
That dynamic changed permanently after the Seahawks traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos in 2022. Smith won Seattle’s starting job, authored one of the league’s best quarterback redemption stories and became the bridge from the Wilson era to the next version of Seahawks football.
Wilson, meanwhile, has continued searching for the right fit late in his career. The reported Jets interest would not put him in position to reclaim a franchise as its unquestioned starter. It would put him in a mentor-and-insurance role behind Smith, the exact kind of job Smith once held for him in Seattle.
Smith’s career revival was not just a Seahawks footnote. It became part of the league’s quarterback reshuffling after Wilson left Seattle. Now, the two could be tied together again in a way nobody would have predicted when Smith was Wilson’s backup.
Why the Jets Visit Matters to Seahawks Fans
This is not a Seahawks transaction, but it still lands in Seattle because Wilson and Smith remain two of the most important quarterbacks in the franchise’s modern history.
Wilson delivered the best quarterback era in Seahawks history, including a Super Bowl title and years of playoff contention. Smith then became Seattle’s unexpected post-Wilson answer, stabilizing the position after many expected the Seahawks to take a major step back.
The Jets’ interest also highlights where both careers stand now. Smith is being treated as the starter whose comfort with the backup plan matters. Wilson is being evaluated as the veteran option who could support him.
That is a dramatic reversal from their Seahawks years.
CBS Sports’ RotoWire noted that Wilson is being considered as a backup after previously sharing a quarterback room with Smith in Seattle. The report framed Wilson as a veteran sounding board at this stage of his career.
For Smith, having Wilson behind him would also remove some of the awkwardness that can come when teams sign a well-known veteran backup. Smith knows Wilson. Wilson knows Smith. Their Seattle history would give the Jets a quarterback room with built-in familiarity, even if the optics are unusual.
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