The Las Vegas Raiders swung a trade for Geno Smith during the offseason and then handed the aging quarterback a two-year, $75 million extension featuring $66.5 million in guaranteed money.
It was a rather puzzling move then, and with Smith having thrown 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season, it looks even worse now.
Read more:San Francisco 49ers' Potential QB Trade Receives Clear Update
The Raiders already have to start searching for a replacement, and while the NFL Draft is the most natural place to look, Jason Fitz of Yahoo Sports has suggested a very different alternative: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“Some complication for the Jags to get rid of him, but it’s an attainable contract,” Fitz told Caroline Fenton on the Yahoo Sports Daily podcast. “So let’s take a look at some opportunities. If we’re just taking hypothetical Trevor Lawrence to the Raiders. That’s a 10, Caroline. That’s a 10 out of 10 out of 10 because would you rather have the third-best quarterback in this year’s draft or 26-year-old Trevor Lawrence? I’d take Trevor Lawrence out of that all day every day.”
Considering the money owed to Lawrence, that’s actually pretty debatable, especially considering that the Raiders would have to give up assets in a trade to acquire him.
The Jaguars inked the former No. 1 overall pick to a five-year, $275 million contract extension during the summer of 2024 and have not gotten the results they were hoping for.
Lawrence played in just 10 games last season and threw for 2,045 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven picks while completing 60.6 percent of his passes. He hasn’t been any better through nine games in 2025, having totaled 1,998 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions while registering a completion percentage of 59.5 percent.
The numbers are almost identical, and his passer rating (79.3) is even a bit worse than it was in 2025 (85.2).
The 2026 NFL Draft class is slated to feature some pretty impressive quarterback talent, so Las Vegas may be better off taking its chances on a first-round rookie than hoping Lawrence gets it together on that contract.
The Raiders are 2-7 this season and will face the Dallas Cowboys next Monday.
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