Geno Smith Sits Out Jets Preseason Game With Minor Foot Soreness

Geno Smith is sitting out tonight's preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, officially ushering in the bubble wrap phase of the NFL calendar.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the New York Jets quarterback is dealing with minor foot soreness. The team is taking a strictly cautionary route, ensuring their starter does not risk anything meaningful in an exhibition matchup.

"Mike Garafolo reported that if this were a regular-season game, Smith would be a go."

Garafolo specifically noted that if this were a regular-season game, Smith would be under center. But since it is mid-August and the stakes are roughly equivalent to a competitive coin flip, the Jets are keeping him safely on the sideline in street clothes.

For anyone eyeing the preseason betting lines tonight, this obviously shifts the offensive expectations for New York. You are now banking entirely on backup quarterbacks to navigate the Tampa Bay defense, a scenario that usually turns these August totals into an absolute rock fight.

The lack of long-term concern from the team is the only thing that actually matters here. Smith gets an extra week to rest his foot, the Jets get a longer look at their depth chart, and everyone survives another week of fake football.