Geno Smith dialing up shot at historically great Jets season with one potential hurdle

Move over, Joe Namath. Take a backseat, Chad Pennington.

Geno Smith is on pace at the midpoint of the season to rewrite the Jets’ single-season passing record book if he starts all 17 games. And that begs the question: If a record falls in a forest, does anyone hear it?

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Braelon Allen is listening and is ready to give the 36-year-old rental quarterback “a lot” of credit for the development of several young offensive players against the backdrop of a 2-6 record. 

“He could have a historical season for this franchise,” Allen told The Post. “He’s been everything I expected and more.”

Wayward teams usually are in the business of midseason quarterback changes, but that talk hasn’t started around the Jets because Smith is on pace to top Namath’s 4,007 passing yards from 1967 and Pennington’s 104.2 rating and 68.9 completion percentage from 2002. He is five off the pace of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 31 touchdown passes from 2015.

Considering that Smith was drafted by the Jets in 2013 to be their franchise quarterback, he knows what those names mean in franchise lore. So, sharing their company must mean something, right?

“Statistics are a part of it, but the reality is that the wins are what we are shooting for, so you have to continue to look inside and figure out ways to get better,” Smith said. “I just want to win the game. As of right now, the focus is on the Chiefs and what we can do to give ourselves a chance to win [Sunday’s] game in a tough environment.”

On the day the Cardinals traded freshly benched Jacoby Brissett to the Ravens, the Jets are not in the mind to offload their veteran starter because Smith’s play is providing meaningful evaluations on Allen, Adonai Mitchell, Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. It’s an ingredient that was missing last season when Justin Fields — who will be on the opposing sideline as the Chiefs backup quarterback — was under center.

Head coach Aaron Glenn praised Smith’s leadership and command of the huddle.

“Really just finding his rhythm on who he is and what he does best,” Glenn said. “He’s really commanding that offense the way you want a quarterback to do that, so the dropback game, he’s doing a hell of a job, the play-action game, he’s doing a hell of a job, he’s getting the ball down the field.”

Smith ranks No. 6 in the NFL in air yards per attempt (8.4).

“I know there was some talk about him stretching the defense and that’s something he’s always done that well within his career,” Glenn said. “I think he’s really taken off when it comes to that, so I’m proud of where he’s at. I think he would tell you he still has room to improve.”

Why hasn’t Smith’s play translated to wins? The quarterback-driven 1967, 2002 and 2015 seasons all resulted in at least eight wins.

There are many reasons, ranging from Smith’s mistakes coming at inopportune times (like a strip-sack in the final minutes against the Lions) to the defense’s failures to woeful situational football (ranked No. 32 in offensive red zone touchdown percentage and 27-3 scoring disadvantage in the final two minutes of halves) that falls on Glenn.

The Jets will see the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Bills’ Josh Allen — two MVPs — in their next two games. It’s on Smith to at least provide a puncher’s chance.

“We know that Pat is a historically great player,” Smith said, “but I have to execute against their defense, not worry about what they’re doing and trust our guys on defense to get it done.”

Fans are not invested in Smith when his replacement is likely coming through the 2027 draft, but teammates recognize this isn’t the usual 2-6 quarterback situation. Of course, if rookie Cade Klubnik eventually replaces Smith as losses mount, his record-setting pace will fall off.

“Everybody around Geno trusts him … to make the right decisions with the ball,” Mitchell said. “He is a guy that doesn’t get too high or too low and stays in the middle.”

Perhaps the biggest thing Smith has added to the Jets won’t be found in the record book.

“He’s a hell of a motivator,” Mitchell said. “He’s competitive as hell. If you are not matching that, you have to get with it. There’s only really one way to get it. If you make a mistake, he’s not coming down on you. He’s like, ‘All right, you’re good. I’m going to keep trusting you. Keep trusting me.’