Raiders GM makes big admission about likely Geno Smith, Fernando Mendoza decisions

Without directly doing so, Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek seemed to unofficially confirm while speaking with reporters at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday that he is leaning toward making Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza the first overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Recent history suggests Mendoza is essentially a lock to enter his rookie season as the Raiders' QB1, but Spytek declined to commit to starting any rookie signal-caller during Tuesday's media session. That said, Spytek also seemed to say plenty about the future of veteran quarterback and 2025 Week 1 Raiders starter Geno Smith. 

Are Raiders, Geno Smith on speaking terms with Fernando Mendoza looming?

Per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Spytek indicated that Smith isn't in the team's long-term plans. 

"I have not talked to Geno since the season ended," Spytek admitted. "I’ve seen videos of him training, and I know he’s feeling good. We’ll talk soon." 

Last April, Smith inked a two-year, $85.5M contract extension that included $66.5M guaranteed at a time when Pete Carroll, Smith's former head coach with the Seattle Seahawks, was serving as Las Vegas' coach. According to StatMuse, Smith committed the second-most turnovers (18) in the NFL during the 2025 regular season. 

The Raiders dismissed Carroll in January and have since replaced him with head coach Klint Kubiak.

Why Raiders' Geno Smith decision is coming soon

Grant Gordon of the NFL's website noted that Smith would receive an additional $8M in fully guaranteed salary for 2026 if he's still with the Raiders on March 13. Spytek hinted that such a development won't be a concern. 

"Obviously, the contract predicates that a little bit," Spytek said about making a final call about Smith's future. "Klint and his staff are just getting everything together, and we’re going to spend some time here, and then when we get back to Vegas, kind of formulating the plan with everybody going forward." 

It's unknown how Smith would feel about serving as a mentor for Mendoza, but it also appears the 35-year-old won't find himself in that role later this year.