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In the last issue, we wrote that Darren Mougey should get some kind of economics award for the money he’s spending at the QB position on starter Geno Smith.
The QB is getting paid $3.3 million from Gang Green. True, he is still getting some money from the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026, but the bottom line is the Jets are paying their starting QB, a good game-manager, $3.3 million this year.
The Jets are practicing with Tampa Bay this week before a preseason game on Friday.
Buc’s QB Baker Mayfield will make $40 million this year.
How much of a difference is there between $3.3 million Smith and $40 million Mayfield?
Well, as Bill Parcells liked to say, “You are what your record says it is.”
The last three years as Tampa Bay’s starter, Mayfield was 9-8, 10-7 and 8-9. When Geno Smith was the Seattle Seahawks starter from 2022-24, his records were 9-8, 8-7 and 10-7.
Yes, Smith was 2-13 last year with the Las Vegas Raiders, but he had the worst offensive line in the league.
“They were awful, so awful last year up front – they had no continuity – to call them awful is an insult to awful things – they were horrible,” said former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth of Fox Sports.
So let’s throw that out, and just compare Smith’s three years in Seattle, in a more stable situation, to Mayfield’s last three years.
Both had 27 wins, and Smith started two fewer games.
Neither Smith nor Mayfield is an elite QB. Both are solid, and the Jets are paying about $37 million less, and they were able to use the extra cap space for other positions. They upgraded several starting spots this off-season and their depth is much better.
QB Daniel Jones is making an average of $44 million the next two seasons in Indianapolis. Is Jones better than Smith, who is making $3.3 million this year? We can debate that, but it’s close.
My worldview on this is simple – unless you are talking about Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Matt Stafford, and perhaps a couple of others, paying those kind of guys big buck, fine, but so many teams have wasted so much money paying good not great QBs top-shelf money, and that isn’t ideal in a cap sport.
I’m telling you, Mougey should get some kind of economics prize for his financial handling of QB this year.
He will likely get the same return at QB as Tampa Bay and Indy for a pittance, for a fraction of what they are paying.
This is stealth cap work.
Watching Geno and Baker up close today, I just don’t see a big gap between the two players . . .
Jets tight end coach Alfredo Roberts spoke to the media today for the first time, and seemed a little surprised at how easy it was to deal with the New York media.
When these assistant coaches hold press conferences for the first time, you get the sense they expect a fire-breathing New York press.
The bottom line is this is not a tough market anymore. It was. It isn’t anymore. Times have changed.
Don’t take this as a shot at anyone, just an honest assessment of a market that isn’t as tough as it used to be.
There is no reason to be nervous anymore entering press conferences . . .
Tampa Bay tight end Cade Otton is an underrated player. In a short stretch today in the Jets’ joint practice with the Buccaneers, he showed his ability as a terrific all-around tight end.
First, he pancaked linebacker Jamien Sherwood, opening a big hole on the right side for running back Kenny Gainwell, and then a few plays later, he beat the Jets back seven for a touchdown in the middle of the end zone. Not sure who was at fault for this without knowing the Jets’ defensive play call, but two starting linebackers were in the vicinity . . .
There were a lot of fights in the practice today. Well, maybe “fights” is a little strong. Perhaps “post-snap tiffs” is a better way to put it. There were not a lot of punches thrown in any of these encounters.
Buc’s right tackle Luke Goedeke was involved in a couple, going at it with David Bailey and then Kingsley Enagbare.
He accused Engagbare of a cheap shot and Bailey of trash-talking.
“Well, [David Bailey] called me out in 1-on-1’s and wanted to go against me and lost,” Goedeke said. “And then tried shoving me after that, and 52 [Kingsley Enagbare] I believe came from the side and just cheap-shotted me. That didn’t start practice warm and fuzzy for sure.”
One Jets reporter claims Bailey was dominating Goedeke, and fans have been sending me that tweet all day.
I just didn’t see that.
Don’t get me wrong, Bailey flashed a little, but one of his better rushes seemed to be on the left tackle.
I’m not saying he didn’t do anything against Goedeke, but I didn’t see a scenario where he was beating him repeatedly.
That might have been a reporter trying to throw some raw meat to Jets fans on X.
But you have to give Todd Bowles and Aaron Glenn, two former players, credit for not pulling the plug early on practice, just because of post-snap entanglements. They saw the practice through to the end, which was the right thing to do. Both teams needed the reps, and the “fights” really weren’t that bad . . .
August 11, 2026
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