‘4 Downs’ with Rich: The New York Jets’ Biggest Questions Heading into the 2026 NFL Season

Rich rolled his "Four Downs" segment around to the New York Jets, going team by team in draft order through all 32 clubs, and the Jets gave him plenty to work with. Four questions, four downs, and a fan base that Rich heard from loud and clear over the weekend.

First down is the quarterback. Rich said the number one question he was asked at the American Century Championship, hands down, was whether Geno Smith is going to be the guy. He reached back to the line Smith made famous in Seattle, the one about being written off and never writing back. "Well, guess what? They lied," Rich said, because Smith has been written off again. So the opening question is simple. Can Geno write back? And underneath it sits a real football riddle: was last season a Raiders problem or a Geno problem? In Seattle he was Comeback Player of the Year. Now he has to prove it a second time.

Second down is the offensive coordinator, and Rich could not resist the history. The Jets have churned through play callers, from the Hackett hire during the Aaron Rodgers era to a LaFleur who is now the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. This time the answer is Frank Reich, the original Nick Sirianni-era Eagles coordinator who parlayed that job into head coaching gigs, including Indianapolis. "All right, Frank. It's your offense. Let's go," Rich said. The weapons are there if healthy, with Garrett Wilson and a re-signed Breece Hall among them. The question is whether Reich, an OG of the profession, can pull it together as the team leans on younger talent.

Third down is the defense's ability to take the ball away, and Rich came armed with a brutal stat. The Jets did not record a takeaway last season until he called their game in London against the Denver Broncos, and they went the entire year without an interception. Their lone takeaway of that game was a fumble recovery. So Rich turned it into a bit, asking whether the Rich Eisen Show crew could collectively match the Jets' interception total from a year ago. The number to beat, as the crew confirmed, was zero. The point landed. New York has rebuilt this roster and added pieces on both sides of the ball, but the defense has to actually generate turnovers.

Fourth down is about patience, and it belongs to owner Woody Johnson. The defense is now in the hands of head coach Aaron Glenn, who Rich noted will be calling plays himself, meaning there is no coordinator to absorb the blame if it struggles. Glenn is a Jet from the start of his own playing career, and Rich framed the central tension of the season around him: will Woody stay patient as the losses potentially pile up, trusting Glenn to build a culture, or will he get squirrely and start second-guessing his new coach and general manager? The front office has stockpiled three first-round picks for next year, when a fresh crop of quarterbacks comes out of college.

Rich tied it all together with the passionate Jets fan on the crew, who admitted there is only so much "nerd kicking" a supporter can take. The over-under Rich floated was five and a half wins. But he credited the general manager's approach and the way the Jets have set themselves up, calling this "the reset that's going to make it finally stick," if the young players are allowed to stay and grow rather than get shipped out for more picks.