Rookie quarterback Geno Smith played pretty well for the Jets this season when you consider the lack of top-tier talent that New York surrounded him with on offense.
The former West Virginia signal caller started all 16 games for the Jets, but he didn’t do enough for head coach Rex Ryan to name him the team’s starter for next season. At least not yet.
“We could say it, but with us, you can’t really say with any certainties on anything right now because you’re just starting the offseason,” Ryan said Friday when asked about the starting quarterback position, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
“You don’t know what your roster is going to be. It’s probably not the best thing to say, ‘Hey, this guy is going to be a starter.’ Let’s let it play out.”
Smith finished the 2013 season with 3,046 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 66.5 quarterback rating. His 21 interceptions were the most among rookie quarterbacks and the third-highest among all players at the position. To his credit, Smith led the Jets to wins over two playoff teams — the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints — which helped New York exceed expectations with an 8-8 record.
The Jets still have a good defense, so if Smith improves in his sophomore season and helps the Jets offense protect the football better, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to expect 10 wins from New York in 2014.
