Las Vegas Raiders Could Stick With Geno Smith Thru 2026
This article was originally published on Sportsnaut.
This past offseason, when the Las Vegas Raiders traded for Geno Smith, it was viewed as a win-now move for general manager John Spytek and coach Pete Carroll. Now, with the 35-year-old acting more like a $40 million anchor rather than a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, it’s hard to believe that the Raiders actually gave up a third-round pick in exchange for someone ranking second in the NFL with 12 interceptions.
By the way, Smith signed a two-year, $75 million contract extension in April upon being traded to the Raiders. That deal doesn’t even start until next season, that’s if the Raiders even decide to keep him around. After the underwhelming season that they’ve had in Las Vegas, ranking 31st in scoring, many would argue that the Raiders shouldn’t give Smith a chance to return.
However, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes a more likely scenario sees the Raiders bring Smith back as the backup, ideally to a starter with more upside. Part of the reason is that teams likely won’t want to allocate $26.5 million to Smith next season, given the performance he’s put forth.
“It might honestly be an upset if Smith finishes the 2025 season as Las Vegas’ starter. I doubt the Raiders see either Pickett or O’Connell as anything more than a backup option in 2026 and beyond, but they might want to see what those players can do.
Does that mean Smith’s future is elsewhere in 2026? Not necessarily. The Raiders are already on the hook for $18.5 million of what Smith is owed next year, a number he won’t top if he’s released and hits free agency. That might as well be a sunk cost for what it took to acquire Smith and pay him in 2025, which will turn out to be one year as the starter at $58.5 million. The question for the Raiders is whether they’d want to pay an additional $8 million to keep Smith as their backup in 2026.”
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell on Geno Smith
While it seems unlikely that the Raiders would have Smith return as the unquestioned starter, they may be stuck with each other for at least one more season. Though, we’d imagine one bad year isn’t enough to spoil what’s otherwise been a strong bond between coach Carroll and Smith, which could help buy him another year in Vegas too, just not as the QB1.
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