After just a single season, the Las Vegas Raiders are moving on from quarterback Geno Smith.

The Raiders, barring a trade, plan on releasing Smith ahead of the new NFL year next week, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The split was long expected, both due to the team’s struggles last season and with the Raiders holding the No. 1 overall pick in upcoming NFL Draft.

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Smith’s departure will free up $8 million in salary cap space, while the Raiders will assume $18.5 million in dead money.

Smith’s lone season with the Raiders did not go well. He threw for 3,025 yards and 19 touchdowns while leading the NFL with 17 interceptions. The writing was on the wall for Smith after the Raiders finished 3-14 and clinched the top pick.

The Raiders are expected to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy last season and led the Hoosiers to their first national championship. Should the Raiders end up selecting Mendoza, there is no guarantee the rookie will start out of training camp, which would potentially lead to general manager John Spytek pursuing a veteran signal caller in free agency.

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The change is just the latest the Raiders are going through this offseason. The franchise fired head coach Pete Carroll after just one season with the team. Carroll also coached Smith in four of his five seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. The Raiders have since hired former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to replace Carroll. Kubiak took the job after helping to lead the Seahawks to their Super Bowl win earlier this year.

This now marks the second straight season Kubiak joined a team and promptly moved on from Smith at quarterback.

Smith was first selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of West Virginia. After starting most of his first two years with New York, Smith spent the next four years primarily as a backup for the Jets, New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers.

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After sitting behind Russell Wilson for the Seahawks in his first two years, Smith broke out when he replaced Wilson in 2022. He revived his career and was a two-time Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023. But after the Seahawks opted to move on with Sam Darnold, Smith was dealt to the Raiders — where many expected him to continue that run despite the franchise’s bigger issues.

Now, as that didn’t happen, the Raiders have predictably moved on. With Mendoza likely coming in to replace him, Smith can now get another fresh start elsewhere in the league. What that looks like at this stage of his career, however, remains to be seen.