Between his horrendous play during the 2025 NFL season, his lofty pricetag in 2026, and the looming selection of Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft, the Las Vegas Raiders cutting Geno Smith this offseason felt like a guarantee.
In fact, it feels like a segment of the fanbase has already forgotten that Smith is still on the roster and that a move needs to be made with him, whether it be releasing him and taking the dead cap hit, but saving $8 million, trading him to a desperate team, or keeping him as a bridge quarterback.
Well, fans don't like the idea of keeping Smith to mentor and eventually give up the reins to Mendoza, nor does Raider Nation, after watching him lead the league in interceptions thrown and sacks taken, believe he has much, if any, trade value to teams around the league.
But ESPN's Dan Graziano seemingly thinks that one of those two impossibilities may actually come true for Smith and the Raiders.
Raiders could reportedly trade or keep, not release, Geno Smith
Graziano and Jeremy Fowler wrote a column detailing every bit of information they heard or surmised from this past weekend at the 2026 NFL combine, and they had some intel on Smith. Graziano apparently thinks that Las Vegas could either keep Smith or find a trade partner for him.
"Multiple coaches from teams looking to add a QB told me that they were eager to see whether the Raiders would release Smith because they thought his tape from last season suggested he was held back by the Raiders' offensive system," Graziano wrote. "The Raiders are expected to select Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with the first pick of the draft, but they're telling people they'd rather not play a rookie QB in Week 1. So, because they have to pay Smith anyway, they could keep him and start him until Mendoza is ready. If they part ways, there will be interest in Smith."
First of all, the assertion that Smith "was held back by the Raiders' offensive system" leaves out some key context: Smith was a big reason for the offensive system not thriving. He made ill-advised throws, missed wide-open targets and held the ball too long, taking sacks and killing drives.
Were things perfect around Smith in 2025? Not even close. But the fact that multiple teams are still hoping for his release means that there is a market for Smith's talents. And with that, Las Vegas could find a trade partner for him before his contract becomes fully guaranteed on March 14.
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Teams like the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins could certainly use Smith as a bridge, and teams like the Atlanta Falcons or Indianapolis Colts could use him as a placeholder until their starters are back healthy.
Trading Smith would not only give the Silver and Black some draft compensation, but it would wipe his $26.5 million paycheck off the books for the Raiders. While that is enticing, Las Vegas needs to spend some serious cash this offseason, so they'd have to be very active on the open market.
The second part of Graziano's statement about Smith potentially returning to the Raiders should be dead on arrival. He burned his bridge with the fanbase and has proven to Spytek and the front office that he is not mentor material, especially to someone who would quickly or immediately take his job.
Releasing Smith this offseason has been an absolute no-brainer for Spytek and Co. since October. But if desperate teams want to send a draft pick to Las Vegas, let them. If Smith wants to come back to the Raiders and be the bridge for Mendoza, don't let him.