Geno Smith
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If the Raiders move on from Geno Smith this offseason, he's expected to generate interest across the league
The Las Vegas Raiders have already been active to begin the offseason, but it seems like their work is only just getting underway. Armed with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Raiders are widely expected to select Indiana Hoosiers star quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Assuming that is what the team decides to do, that suddenly leaves veteran quarterback Geno Smith as the odd man out in Las Vegas.
Smith was picked up in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks last offseason, as the team wanted to reunite him with his former head coach, Pete Carroll. The Raiders’ offense was horrific, though, which is why the team is likely set to replace Smith this offseason. And assuming the team does move on from him, it sounds like he would generate quite a bit of interest across the league.
Teams are Keeping Tabs on Raiders’ Geno Smith
Smith revived his career with the Seahawks under Carroll’s lead, so the Raiders reunited the pair in 2025 to see if they could help the Raiders get back on track. The offense never got off the ground, though, and Smith ended up turning in an ugly season under center for Las Vegas (302/448, 3,025 YDS, 19 TD, 17 INT).
With Smith struggling, that has led the Raiders to lock in on Mendoza as their quarterback of the future. They still have Smith at their disposal, which raises the question of what his future with the team looks like. Las Vegas could hold onto Smith and have him operate as the bridge quarterback to Mendoza, or they could move on from him (either via trade or release) in an attempt to save some money.
There’s no doubt that Smith struggled in 2025, but teams across the league believe that he was set up to fail in the Raiders’ messy offensive system. While he may not be a Pro Bowl-caliber player anymore, several teams are keeping tabs on Smith in the event Las Vegas decides to move on from him this offseason.
“Multiple coaches from teams looking to add a QB told me that they were eager to see whether the Raiders would release Smith because they thought his tape from last season suggested he was held back by the Raiders’ offensive system,” Graziano wrote. “If they part ways, there will be interest in Smith.”
What Should the Raiders Do with Geno Smith?
Geno Smith Las Vegas Raiders Miami Dolphins
GettyGeno Smith #7 of the Las Vegas Raiders
Shortly after acquiring Smith from the Seahawks, the Raiders signed him to a two-year, $75 million contract extension, as they didn’t anticipate things would go off the rails as quickly as they did. Las Vegas could save $8 million in cap space by releasing Smith, or it could eat some of his deal and save even more money by trading him.
The problem for teams showing interest in Smith is that the Raiders don’t appear to want to hand Mendoza the starting job right away, meaning they could hold onto Smith and use him as their starter to begin the season, before eventually turning things over to the latest Heisman Trophy winner. Las Vegas doesn’t have to rush into making a decision on Smith’s future, but he’s quietly become an intriguing quarterback target early on in the offseason.