The Las Vegas Raiders ended up getting a little something for Geno Smith as they agreed to trade him to the New York Jets.
The Jets will get Smith and a seventh-round pick and the Raiders will get a sixth-round pick. [It’s the same trade the Raiders worked with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night for nickel cornerback Taron Johnson](/las-vegas-raiders-news/124004/raiders-taron-johnson-trade-cornerback) as the Bills were prepared to release him.
Smith, 35, joins the man who brought him to Las Vegas, head coach Pete Carroll, as a former Raider. The Smith-Carroll combination was supposed to bring the Raiders to relevance. But it ended up being a disaster that lasted just one season.
The Raiders sent a third-round draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Smith last March. He had success with Carroll there.
But it didn’t work in Las Vegas. The Raiders went 3-14 and Carroll was fired a day after the season.
It was also apparent the Raiders were going cut ties with Smith as well. He was brutal as a Raider as he had 19 interceptions and just 17 touchdowns with the team. He struggled on a weekly basis.
Smith, 35, signed a three-year contract with $66.5 million guaranteed. He was fully expected to be the team’s starter in 2026.
Now, the Raiders, who won the No.1 overall draft pick, are expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as they re-work their quarterback room. Smith’s backup, Kenny Pickett, is signing with Carolina agent and third-stringer Aidan O’Connell, is entering his final year of his contract. They will likely sign a veteran backup.
For Smith, he returns to the Jets, who drafted in him the second round in 2023 and he spent four seasons there. He is likely to begin the season as the Jets’ starting quarterback. The Raiders visit the Jets in 2026.
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