The Las Vegas Raiders are set to follow through on the fully expected formality of releasing veteran quarterback Geno Smith if he cannot be traded before the start of the new league year next Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday.
The Raiders are considered almost a lock to take Heisman Trophy-winning Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft next month as they undergo a thorough reset with new head coach Klint Kubiak.
Smith was a failed stop-gap measure at the position in 2025 when he rejoined his former head coach from Seattle, Pete Carroll, for a regrettable reunion tour.
The 35-year-old Smith threw for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns and a league-worst 17 interceptions while also tying for the NFL high with 55 sacks taken (along with Tennessee Titans rookie Cam Ward).
The Raiders coughed up a 2025 third-round pick to the Seahawks in exchange for Smith and then gave the veteran QB a two-year, $75-million contract extension with a reported $66.5 million guaranteed.
Let the final ledger show one giant W for Smith’s agent, Chafie Fields, a massive L for Raiders general manager John Spytek and a 3-14 record for the team.
Of course, that wasn’t all Smith’s fault.
Las Vegas’ offensive line was a disaster, the team fired high-priced offensive coordinator Chip Kelly 11 games into his first season and the Raiders also ranked bottom-8 in the league in points allowed.
It was a thorough mess that got Carroll, one of the best coaches in the NFL this century, fired after just one season.
But Smith wasn’t great either, didn’t exactly ingratiate himself to the fans through the adversity of the season, and the question now is whether he lands another opportunity as a starter or looks to close out his career as a veteran backup.
Looking Back On Smith’s NFL Career
The 39th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, Smith threw 25 TDs and 34 INTs in two seasons as a starter there. But he’d eventually and incredibly revive his career eight years later, after toiling as a backup for the Jets, Giants, Chargers and Seahawks in the meantime, before getting a shot to lead things in Seattle in 2022.
He led the NFL in completion percentage (69.8%) that season, passed for 4,282 yards, 30 TDs and 11 INTs, reached his first Pro Bowl, finished ninth in MVP voting and was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in a belated breakout at 32 years old.
Well before Sam Darnold did it even better, Smith laid the initial foundation for the Jets draft bust to Seahawks reclamation storyline.
Smith made a second straight Pro Bowl in 2023 (for what those are worth nowadays), passing for 3,624 yards, 20 TDs and 9 INTs in 15 games and then finished out his Seahawks tenure with a 4,320-21-15 line in 2024.
Interestingly, Kubiak took over as Seattle’s offensive coordinator and Smith was shipped to the Raiders. Now, Kubiak takes over as Las Vegas’ head coach and Smith is sent packing again.
By releasing Smith, the Raiders free up $8 million in salary cap money but take on $18.5 million in dead money, per ESPN.
So where could the veteran QB land next? If he wants a shot being a starting quarterback, these are his best options.
Potential Landing Spots For QB Geno Smith
Atlanta Falcons
The general manager who used the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on QB Michael Penix Jr., after giving veteran Kirk Cousins a massive contract that same offseason, is gone. Terry Fontenot was fired along with head coach Raheem Morris after Atlanta missed the playoffs for an eighth straight season.
Cousins is also gone, set to be released at the start of the new league year next week. Penix is still around, but he’s recovering from yet another major knee surgery, and he was uninspiring through his first two NFL seasons.
Atlanta may still want to see if it can salvage value from its major investment in Penix, but it also needs to bring in a veteran QB this offseason. Smith would come at a reasonable price and is probably still good enough to succeed in a much better situation in Atlanta, supported by a better offensive line and star playmakers in RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts.
This is the most sensible destination for Smith and the one he and his agent should be pushing for most.
Miami Dolphins
Smith is from the Miami area, and many expect the Dolphins will eventually release maligned QB Tua Tagovailoa and begin their own reset under new head coach Jeff Hafley.
The Dolphins pick No. 11 in the upcoming draft, and it would be surprising if they reached for a QB when the consensus No. 2 option in this thin QB draft class, Alabama’s Ty Simpson, isn’t expected to go that early. They could trade back, perhaps, if they believe in Simpson.
Miami may also prefer to make a bigger splash in free agency and pursue Malik Willis, who has created fresh intrigue after two impressive games off the bench for the Green Bay Packers late last season. Oh, and both Hafley and the Dolphins’ new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan came over from Green Bay this offseason.
Smith would seem more like a backup plan than priority target here.
Minnesota Vikings
Again, while Minnesota clearly cannot go into another season relying on J.J. McCarthy to be its unquestioned QB1, it’s also hard to think Smith would be the priority target here.
There is plenty of Kyler Murray-to-Minnesota buzz, and that makes more sense. As would perhaps Aaron Rodgers, if he wants to return for one more NFL season but not to Pittsburgh.
If neither of those better fits don’t pan out, then sure, Minnesota should at least kick the tires on Smith. He’s not a top-15 NFL quarterback at this stage, but he’s better than McCarthy and could at least elevate the floor and ceiling of that offense immediately.
New York Jets
Could a reunion be in order? Honestly, this is probably not what either side needs. Jets fans aren’t going to embrace getting a diminishing Smith to bookend his career after struggling so badly for the team his first two years in the league.
And Smith surely doesn’t want to go to a team at the very beginning stages of a total rebuild — or hear from Jets fans when things don’t go well.
But we’ll keep the Jets on the list solely because if it were anyone else, this is the kind of move the team could logically look to make as a placeholder for 2026. New York has picks 2, 16, 33 and 44 in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft and could try to hit on a franchise quarterback with one of those picks, but again, this is considered an exceptionally weak QB draft class.
The Jets have so many other needs and will almost surely be drafting high in the first round again next year. A strong case can be made they should use their draft capital to rebuild other areas of the roster rather than reaching for a QB in a thin draft class and thrusting him into a situation not conducive for immediate success. Thus, signing an experienced veteran for a year makes plenty of sense.
But maybe not if it’s Geno Smith.
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