BREAKING: Raiders Releasing QB Geno Smith, Barring Trade

According to Adam Schefter, the Raiders are releasing veteran QB Geno Smith, barring a trade before the start of the new league year. 

Back in December, Vincent Bonsignore reported that Las Vegas was likely to move on from Smith this offseason. 

Releasing Smith frees up $8 million in cap space and creates $18.5 million in dead money. 

The Raiders are poised to take Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. There are some questions about whether Mendoza would start immediately for Las Vegas, and unless they add another veteran quarterback, Mendoza could go right into the starting lineup. 

Bonsignore still expects the Raiders to bring in a veteran to “mentor” Mendoza and be a potential short-term bridge. 

Smith, 35, is a former second-round pick of the Jets back in 2013 out of West Virginia. He played out the final year of his four-year, $5.019 million contract before signing a one-year contract worth $2 million with the Giants in 2017.

Smith signed a one-year deal with the Chargers for the 2018 season before joining the Seahawks in 2019. He returned on one-year deals each of the following three seasons before being named the starter in 2022. 

He signed a three-year extension with the Seahawks worth $105 million in March of 2023. He just finished the second year of his deal and made a base salary of $12.7 million fully guaranteed. 

Smith was in the final year of his deal and set to make a $14.8 million base salary in 2025 when the Seahawks traded him to the Raiders for a third-round pick. He then signed a new two-year, $75 million extension. 

In 2025, Smith appeared in 15 games for the Raiders and completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.