The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to be one of the more active teams across the NFL this offseason. They have already found a new head coach, Klint Kubiak, and they are widely expected to select quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but there are a lot of other gaps that will need to be filled in along the way, with one example involving Geno Smith‘s future with the team.
With Mendoza almost certainly coming to town, that meant Smith was likely going to be on the move this offseason. Sure enough, reports emerged on Friday morning indicating that unless Las Vegas finds a trade partner for Smith, he will be cut once the new league year gets underway. While that may seem like a tough blow for Smith, he appears to be taking the decision in stride.
Geno Smith Has Simple Reaction After Getting Cut by the Raiders
“Onward and Upward.”
Smith projects a positive outlook towards his future.
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After reviving his career with the Seattle Seahawks, the Raiders acquired Smith in a trade last offseason, reuniting him with his former head coach, Pete Carroll. Smith also signed a two-year, $75 million contract extension, with the hope being that he could serve as the bridge to their next quarterback of the future.
Well, Las Vegas has found its way to Mendoza, but it didn’t get much out of Smith in 2025. In 15 games, Smith struggled, as he threw for just 3,025 yards and 19 touchdowns, while also tossing a league-leading 17 interceptions. With Carroll getting canned in favor of Kubiak, it seemed like only a matter of time until Smith would be following him out the exit door.
While the Raiders would rather trade Smith, given the fact that they could get out of the entirety of the final year of his contract, it seems more likely they will have to settle for saving $8 million in cap space by releasing him. On the surface, this may appear to be bad news for Smith, but according to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the veteran quarterback had a surprisingly positive reaction to this move.
“Onward and Upward,” Smith said in a text message to Anderson shortly after the news of his impending release was revealed.
Geno Smith Expected to Draw Interest in Free Agency
GettyIf the Raiders move on from Geno Smith this offseason, he’s expected to generate interest across the league
As the numbers above indicate, Smith endured a miserable 2025 campaign. And yet, the belief across the league is that the Raiders’ woes weren’t totally his fault. The offense, initially led by offensive coordinator Chip Kelly before he got fired midway through the season, was a mess, and Smith played behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league.
In a better offensive system, it’s fair to wonder if Smith could have more success. And now that he’s set to hit the open market, it seems like we will find out, as Smith is expected to draw interest from a wide array of quarterback-needy teams. Things certainly didn’t pan out the way Smith hoped they would in Las Vegas, but he still could have an opportunity to earn a starting job for Week 1 of the upcoming season, depending on how things unfold in free agency.
Geno Smith Issues 3-Word Response to Raiders Release