Raiders’ QB Problem Poses an Interesting Question

Joel Corry is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and he wrote an article going over some of the biggest offseason additions that haven't panned out yet. For their Raiders, their trade for Smith continues to age poorly with each passing week, and Corry believes this was one of the worst offseason additions of the year.

"The Raiders dealt a 2025 third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Smith in March to provide quarterback stability after having six players start at quarterback since releasing Derek Carr, following the 2022 season", said Corry.

When the trade went through, I assumed the Raiders made out like bandits. A third-round pick for Smith felt like a steal at the time, but now, the Raiders could've benefited from that third-round pick. They just drafted Darien Porter with their third-round pick heading into this season, and they're hoping Porter blossoms into a future franchise star.

At the bare minimum, Porter is a player who adds talent to a backfield that's lacking in that category. That third-round pick they gave up in the Smith trade could've become a player with similar potential to Porter. Instead, the Seattle Seahawks will reap all the benefits, and the Raiders are missing out on that chance.

"Shortly after the trade, Smith was given a two-year, $75 million contract extension, averaging $37.5 million per year with $50.5 million in guarantees where $42.5 million was fully guaranteed at signing. Incentives and salary escalators make the deal worth as much as $84 million".

The trade for Smith continues to look worse when glancing over how much they're paying him to throw the most interceptions in the NFL, but cap space should be the least of their worries. It isn't like this team is trying to win a Super Bowl this season, and they may have swung and missed with Smith's contract, but they took that chance, and that in itself is admirable.

A Swing and a Miss

It's still too early to gauge how Smith's tenure in the Silver and Black will be viewed when it's all said and done, but he's had one of the worst starts the Raiders could've imagined. None of his strengths that paid him so much money are showing up, and all they're left with is a veteran quarterback who's in over his head.

Smith would have to ascend his play to a new level if he wants to rewrite the narrative and give the Raiders hope moving forward. He has a chance to turn their season around in their next matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, and a win on the road would go a long way to redeeming Smith in the eyes of Raider Nation and the media.

"The Raiders would pick up $8 million of 2026 salary cap space by releasing Smith before the remainder of his base salary becomes fully guaranteed next March 13 on the third day of the 2026 league year".

Unfortunately for Smith, if he can't get his turnovers under control, the Raiders' release of him is plausible. He'll stay on the team for the duration of this year, for better or worse, but after that, the Raiders aren't obligated to keep him around.

They could emulate the Atlanta Falcons by drafting a young quarterback and having an expensive backup, but the Falcons' roster is much friendlier for a rookie quarterback than the Raiders' roster is. Smith has a lot of time to clean up his act and give the Raiders reasons not to give up on him, but he has to get it together and soon.