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Former Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith.
The Las Vegas Raiders thought they were getting an upgrade at quarterback last offseason when they traded for Geno Smith. He was coming off three strong years with the Seattle Seahawks, but wanted to follow Pete Carroll to Las Vegas.
It made a lot of sense at the time, but the move ended up blowing up in the Raiders’ faces. Smith led the NFL with 17 interceptions and led the team to only two wins.
The Raiders were going to cut him until the New York Jets decided to trade for him. The Jets aren’t in a much better spot than the Raiders, so it’s hard to see him having more success in 2026.
While the Jets need a long-term answer at quarterback, ESPN’s Rich Cimini is reporting that the plan is for Smith to be the starter this season.
“Geno is the guy,” Cimini said on “Jets Collective.” “I’ve talked to some other agents who represent backup quarterbacks — obviously, they have to bring in a backup at some point. They were told that Geno is the guy. Now, I’m sure Geno was told, ‘Look, there’s a chance we may draft someone.’ So I think he is totally prepared for that, but right now, even though no one has said it publicly, they have said it to other agents, and they have said it privately, Geno Smith will go into the season as the QB1.”
Smith Could Still Have Some Juice
The Jets don’t have great options, so it makes sense that they’d commit to Smith as the starter. Fernando Mendoza is the only quarterback in the 2026 class who is worthy of a top-five pick, but the Raiders are expected to take him.
It remains to be seen how much Smith will help the Jets, but Brian Baldinger thinks that he could have a much better season away from Las Vegas.
“I was out there a couple of times, he was the leader,” Baldinger said on “The Official Jets Podcast.” “You know, he played really well last year (67.4% completion percentage, 3,025 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions). I don’t know if any quarterback could have been successful. The offensive line fell apart (Smith was sacked a league-high 55 times). [They lost] their left tackle, lost their left guard. They were a disaster.”
Raiders Needed to Move On
There was an argument to be made that the Raiders should keep Smith. Though Mendoza is the likely No. 1 pick, the team has stated they’d like to have a veteran on the roster, too.
Smith has a lot of experience as a backup, so he could’ve been a logical mentor for Mendoza. However, the situation got really toxic this season.
Smith and the Raiders fans didn’t vibe. Carroll was Smith’s biggest champion, but he was fired. Bringing in someone who is more familiar with Klint Kubiak’s offense, like Derek Carr or Kirk Cousins, makes sense. This is also a much better scenario for Smith, who wouldn’t have been the starter for long, even if he was ahead of Mendoza on the chart to start the season.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
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