$75 Million 2x Pro Bowl QB Released As Raiders Admit Mistake

Geno Smith’s career was nothing but unremarkable prior to 2022. During the draft, he was infamously a victim of a major slide. Eventually, he was taken in the second round by the New York Jets, and promptly became the starter. Jets fans in his rookie campaign saw him post a 1/2 TD INT ratio. Then, when he failed to inspire hope in his sophomore year, he kickstarted his time as a backup. The Jets predictably let Smith walk after his contract was up, and he moved around the league before landing in Seattle.

Smith’s resurgence

In 2022, his name was called to man the Seahawks offense following Russel Wilson’s departure. He made the most out of his chance. That season, he recorded 4282 yards and 30 TDs through the air, a league-leading 69.8 completion percentage, and was named the winner of the year’s Comeback Player of the Year award. Afterwards, he masked various problems in the offense for two years, and served as a quality starter in Seattle.

The Raiders’ QB woes

For most of the the past decade, Derek Carr was the face of the Raiders. After his 2021 campaign where he totaled 4804 passing yards, the team hasn’t seen any of their passers eclipse the 4000 yard mark. After drama between him and at the time head coach Josh McDaniels hit the headlines, the two sides parted ways. Since then, Las Vegas has been among the bottom feeders of the NFL, and their lack of stability at QB has been a big reason as to why.

The Trade

With the Raiders hiring former Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, some familiar faces made their way to Vegas. Including those faces was Geno Smith, who Carroll “has a tremendously long, in-depth relationship” with according to him. Vegas sent away a third round selection to Seattle, and granted Smith a two year $75 million extension. With the accumulation of weapons including Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, the hope was that the Raiders would become contenders once more thanks to secure QB play.

The Disastrous Result

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Carroll’s familial hires and nostalgic personnel decisions built a rocky foundation. Pair that with outdated coaching, stubborn depth chart organization and apparent roster deficiencies, the Raiders played their way into becoming the worst team in the NFL. Smith in particular was a liability. He was neck and neck with Tua Tagovailoa for the NFL interception crown, and when Tagovailoa’s benching took him out of the running, Smith ended the year as the league’s leader in picks thrown. His arm seemed to succumb to age, and his past efforts in spite of faulty offensive line play was nowhere to be seen.

Smith’s release

With their eyes set on a new franchise QB, the Raiders are opting to admit their mistakes and let go of Geno Smith. The front office will cut Smith prior to the start of the new league year. Doing so will incur a dead money hit of $18.5 million, and saving up $8 million in cap space. It’s an expected move, and Smith will join an intriguing free agency QB class.

What’s next for the Raiders?

Fernando Mendoza, that’s all you need to know. The Heisman winner gave a big boost to his draft stock this year and led Indiana to their first ever national championship title. With the young offensive mind of Klint Kubiak, Mendoza will join a system that’s going to ask a lot from him. However, with Kubiak’s magic on the offensive line, Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty, he’s got a real opportunity at becoming the savior for Las Vegas.

What’s next for Geno Smith?

Given how abysmal the environment surrounding Geno Smith was in his lone season with Vegas, there’s a chance a team may give him a legitimate shot at being the starter. Though there’s questions surrounding his health and his arm, perhaps with a more reliable o-line and a better scheme he could still make it work. At the very least, Smith will probably be brought in to compete for a starting spot. He’ll join Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins and others as a free agent QB looking for a new home.