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Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders are content to roll with Geno Smith at quarterback for the next couple of seasons. However, the future beyond Smith is murky.
He’s 34, but he also had a long stretch where he barely played, so there’s not a ton of wear and tear on his body. If Smith continues to play well, the Raiders may not start grooming a young quarterback for a few more years.
That’s why the team’s quarterback of the future might still be in high school. For Brent Sobleski’s Bleacher Report 2026 mock draft, he took an interesting approach and decided to include top high school football recruits. In this scenario, he had the Raiders select quarterback Faizon Brandon out of Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, with the No. 6 pick.
“Even with the acquisition of veteran quarterback Geno Smith, their long-term plans behind center aren’t settled,” Sobleski wrote. “Smith turns 35 in October and is signed through the 2027 campaign. He’s the right fit for the team now, but the Raiders front office can put a succession plan into place.
“Grimsley’s Faizon Brandon is the nation’s top-ranked quarterback recruit for the 2026 class. He’s currently committed to play for the Tennessee Volunteers.”
Chip Kelly Recruited Brandon
Now, it seems a bit of a reach to start linking the Raiders to Brandon to the NFL. He still has a year left in high school before he gets to Tennessee. After that, he has at least another three years before he’ll be draft eligible, which means he won’t be going to the pros until the 2029 NFL Draft at the earliest.
A lot can happen in that time. That said, the Raiders might have some insight into the young quarterback, as Sobleski pointed out.
“Interestingly, he has ties to the Las Vegas Raiders. Prior to joining the team as offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly served in the same role with the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he offered Brandon a scholarship,” Sobleski wrote.
“Brandon is known for his deep-ball accuracy at this early stage of his career. He’d have every opportunity to sit for at least a year or two before Las Vegas needed him on the field, which is the perfect setup.”
Raiders May Want to Find Young Quarterback Before 2029
It’s impossible to know where the Raiders will be in 2029 or 2030. There’s a good chance Pete Carroll won’t even be the head coach by then. If he turns the program around and builds a winner, the Raiders aren’t likely to have a top-10 draft pick.
Whether or not the Raiders start trying to groom a young quarterback largely depends on how Smith plays this season. If he plays the same way he did in 2022, when he was the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, Las Vegas should feel comfortable committing to him for the 2026 season.
If he’s just an average quarterback, the Raiders will likely try to find a rookie with more upside to learn behind Smith for a year or two. Smith is, at the very least, a capable quarterback, so the team has some flexibility going forward.