With just three games left in the regular season, it’s looking like Geno Smith’s time in Las Vegas may be nearing the end. According to reports, the veteran quarterback is likely entering his final stretch with the Raiders, as the organization weighs its options for the future-and the numbers behind Smith’s contract are making that decision all the more complicated.
Let’s start with the financials. Smith is on the books for a hefty $26.5 million in 2026, a figure that makes a trade highly improbable.
While the Raiders are expected to explore the market, the odds of another team taking on that salary are slim. The more realistic scenario?
A release. If Las Vegas cuts ties with Smith, they’ll take an $18.5 million cap hit-but they’ll also free up $8 million in space.
That’s not nothing for a team that may be looking to reset at the quarterback position.
Smith’s journey to this point has been anything but conventional. Drafted in the second round by the Jets back in 2013, he entered the league with high expectations coming out of West Virginia. But after playing out his rookie deal in New York, Smith bounced around-spending a year with the Giants, then the Chargers, before landing in Seattle in 2019.
That’s where things finally clicked. After years of backup duty, Smith earned the starting job in 2022 and delivered a breakout season that earned him a three-year, $105 million extension with the Seahawks in March of 2023. Fast forward to this year, and he’s already on a different team.
Seattle traded Smith to the Raiders for a third-round pick, and Las Vegas quickly handed him a new two-year, $75 million extension. It was a bold move, signaling confidence that Smith could be the bridge-or maybe even the answer-at quarterback.
On the field in 2025, Smith has had an up-and-down campaign. Through 13 games, he’s completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,648 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
The accuracy is there, but the turnover numbers have been tough to overlook. And with the Raiders hovering in that murky middle ground between contention and rebuild, the front office may be ready to pivot.
Smith, now 35, has shown resilience throughout his career. He’s reinvented himself more than once, and even if his time in silver and black is winding down, it’s hard to count him out completely. But from a team-building perspective, the Raiders have some tough decisions ahead-and moving on from Smith could be the first domino to fall in what could be a significant offseason shakeup.