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Hasta la vista, Geno: Smith back to the Jets

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Mark Hebert | Last updated Mar 10, 2026 4:24 PM ET

The plan in Las Vegas has not really changed. The Raiders still appear headed toward drafting a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick. What changed Tuesday is who will not be in the room to greet him.

Geno Smith is gone.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders traded Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. The move sends the veteran quarterback back to the franchise that drafted him in the second round in 2013.

Back to where it started

The trade gives Smith a return trip to the team where his NFL career began. For the Raiders, it closes the book on a short stay that never gained much traction and opens the door to the next phase of the rebuild.

In a text to NFL Network, Smith called the trade a full-circle moment and said he is eager to begin building new relationships with the team and its fan base.

Before the trade was agreed to, Geno Smith agreed to restructure his contract. The Raiders still will pay the bulk of it, and the Jets will take on Smith’s contract at just over veteran minimum. https://t.co/uRTjgzwj4B

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2026

The rookie plan stays the same

Las Vegas had signaled earlier in the offseason that if it drafted a quarterback this year, it would prefer that player sit and learn behind a veteran. That idea still may hold. It just will not involve Smith.

The Raiders own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and most signs continue to point toward Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the favorite to go first. If Las Vegas makes that call, the franchise quarterback timeline begins right away.

The numbers were not the answer

Smith’s only season in silver and black never really clicked. He started 15 games in 2025 and went 2-13 while completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,025 yards with 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He finished with an 84.7 passer rating and averaged 6.8 yards per attempt.

Those numbers were not awful in a vacuum. In context, though, they were part of an offense that never found rhythm and a team that spent most Sundays chasing the game.

A season that never clicked

The Raiders finished 3-14 and were one of the league’s worst teams on both the field and in the standings. Smith was far from the only problem. The offensive line leaked, the playmakers were inconsistent and the season got away from everybody in a hurry.

Still, quarterbacks get judged by results, and the results were ugly. A 2-13 mark as a starter was never going to make him the long-term answer in Las Vegas.

Now the spotlight shifts to April

That leaves the Raiders staring straight at the draft and the biggest decision of the offseason. If Mendoza is the pick, then this trade becomes one more sign that the organization is clearing the runway for a new era at quarterback.

There are still veteran options on the market if Las Vegas wants a bridge starter or mentor. But the larger point is clear enough already. The Raiders have moved on from Geno Smith, and the countdown to their next quarterback has officially begun.

The quarterback reset continues

Smith heads back to New York. The Raiders head toward April. And unless something changes in a big way, the next face of the franchise may be walking out of the draft green room, not into the building from free agency.