The Las Vegas Raiders were always going to get rid of Geno Smith after the campaign he put together during the 2025 NFL season. Fans were certain that Smith had no trade value and that he was an obvious cut candidate heading into the new league year.
And sure enough, last week, the Raiders were reportedly set to release Smith before the 2026 NFL league year began on March 11. Reports indicated that Las Vegas would still look out for trade offers in the coming days, but with that cat out of the bag, nobody expected a trade to actually occur.
Well, John Spytek defied the odds on Tuesday afternoon when he was able to strike a deal with the New York Jets, sending Smith and a 2026 7th-round pick in exchange for a 2026 6th-round pick. Spytek pulled off the impossible by finding a trade partner for the aging quarterback.
Raiders somehow traded Geno Smith to Jets at the buzzer
In totality, the Raiders will move up 11 spots in April's draft, from No. 219 in the 7th round to No. 208 in the 6th round, according to NFL Network's Matt Garafolo. Although that may not feel like much, it is good business getting to move up in the draft for a player that Las Vegas was going to cut anyway.
Financially, the equation is not as simple. Although the exact numbers aren't known, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the Raiders will pay the bulk of Smith's 2026 contract in order to facilitate the trade.
Had Las Vegas released Smith, the team would have taken on a dead cap hit of $18.5 million and saved $8 million this season, and Smith would have been off the books by 2027. But now, it seems like the Raiders will be on the hook for a bit more money. At least they get a better draft pick.
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New York will get Smith for close to the league minimum salary, which, for a player with his experience, $1.3 million. That means Las Vegas could pay upwards of $20 million, which is a hefty price, but not all that much more than they had to pay him, whether he was on the roster or not.
Despite agreeing to terms on so many lucrative contracts during Monday's legal tampering period, Spytek has made it clear that draft picks are the priority in Las Vegas. Spending a bit more cash on Smith was worth it, so long as the Raiders could move up later in the draft.
In a way, this recoups the value that Las Vegas gave away in the Taron Johnson trade. On Friday, Spytek gave up a 2026 6th-round pick to land Johnson and a 7th. Now, he's turned around and dealt Smith and a 7th for a 6th. In some convoluted way, Spytek swapped Johnson for Smith.