Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

1 Intruiging Suggestion for the Raiders' Offseason

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Dec 9, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders are once again set to enter an offseason with questions surrounding their quarterback and others.

Raiders' Next Move

Dan Graziano of ESPN believes that the Raiders should strongly consider drafting a quarterback with their first pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Graziano noted that the Raiders are likely headed for a rebuild after another lost season.

"I mean, why not? The Geno Smith experiment obviously hasn't gone as planned, and it's entirely possible the Raiders will have another new head coach again in 2026 as they embark upon yet another rebuilding project," Graziano said.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

"Smith got injured Sunday amid a miserable season, and while he's under contract for next year and guaranteed $18.5 million, the Raiders could well decide to move on from Smith or relegate him to a backup role, especially if they're in position to draft a rookie they believe could be their franchise guy.

"I'm not a scout, and I'm not here to say Fernando Mendoza is going to be that. But you get the picture. This same blurb could have been written with "Browns" or "Jets" instead of "Raiders," but the Raiders have the worst record of those three, so here we are."

The Raiders will likely be in the market for a quarterback in the offseason, but they are still heavily invested in Smith. They gave the veteran quarterback upwards of $100 million before he ever played a snap for them. That was not a good decision for Las Vegas.

"If they revamp their offensive line, bringing Smith back may not be out of the question. Regardless of what happens this offseason, the Raiders still have the final four games of this season with Smith. After Smith's injury in Sunday's loss, Raiders' Head Coach Pete Carroll gave an update on Smith.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"We're going to have to wait and see what happens, okay? I mean, I'm going to do what I think is the right thing to do, and if Geno [Smith] can play, that's my thought. But I know Kenny [Pickett] can play, and so our players understood it too that Kenny did a good job, and they recognized that in the locker room after the game.” Carroll said.

“But I'm looking for Geno to get back out there and see how he does but we're not going to play him if he's not ready. And so, Kenny will be ready to go, and Aidan [O'Connell] will be ready to go as well. And so that's just how we dealwith it. But I'm not even going to try to call it now, and I don't need to be hypothetical about that either."