The assumption for more than a month is that the Raiders and Geno Smith are going to part ways after the season, but with Klint Kubiak expected to be the next head coach in Las Vegas, is it possible Smith might return?
Not even a month ago, the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore called it a “foregone conclusion” that Smith and the Raiders were heading towards a divorce, but revisiting Kubiak’s comments from a year ago (when he thought Smith was going to be the quarterback in Seattle), it’s fair to wonder if the first-year head coach might be open to the idea of keeping Smith as a mentor for Fernando Mendoza.
“[Geno] was a huge draw to come here and to get to coach him alongside (quarterbacks coach) Andrew Janocko, so we have high expectations for him,” Kubiak said at his Seahawks’ introductory news conference in February of last year.
“We’re going to push Geno and get the best out of him, and we’ll do that by pushing his teammates as well. It’s not just him. It’s a team thing, and he’s got to be the head of that.”
On paper, it might make sense to keep Smith around for another year, especially considering the team is going to pay him $18 million in 2026 whether he is on the roster or not.
But the issue with Smith is that 2025 was such a forgettable season that it might make sense to let everyone involved have a fresh start.
The fan base never really embraced Smith in Las Vegas and probably for good reason. The veteran quarterback had arguably the most disappointing season of his NFL career and certainly wasn’t worth $58.5 million in guaranteed money and a third-round pick.
There was also the incident where Smith “flipped off” the home fans, and that was the event that essentially sealed his fate among the fan base.
If Geno Smith is released, will the Raiders add a veteran quarterback?
Tom Brady has been adamant over the years that rookie quarterbacks need time to grow on the sideline, but with Mendoza’s level of maturity and perceived NFL readiness, is it possible Kubiak and Brady will decide to start Mendoza right away?
If the tentative plan is to start a veteran quarterback early in the season, the Raiders have the option of keeping Smith, but they could also turn to Aidan O’Connell.
O’Connell is entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2026 and only has a $3.8 million cap hit.
According to OverTheCap, Smith has a $26.5 million cap hit in 2026 if he is on the roster, and a cap hit of $18.5 million if he is cut before the first day of June.
Not much has been said about Smith and the Raiders since it became obvious that Mendoza was headed to Las Vegas, but it definitely looks from the outside like Smith is ready to move on.
After Pete Carroll was fired, Smith deleted all references to the Raiders on his Instagram page and as Bonsignore and others have pointed out, Smith seems to be ready for a fresh start somewhere else – and happy to collect his $18.5 million check out the door.
x: @raidersbeat
Derek is the obvious bridge. He knows the offense and could have his proper goodbywe
What, is Geno gonna teach him how to throw an int? This is Hilarious! Hell bring back Tipy Toe for that, he’s a better option
Let’s flip Geno the bird and let him carry a clipboard for Mendo!