1 Piece of Offseason Advice for the Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are set for an eventful and potentially productive offseason.

Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The Las Vegas Raiders shield logo at midfield at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have more than a few roster issues to work through this offseason.

Raiders' Outlook

The Raiders have one of the worst rosters in the league, but they have 10 draft picks this offseason, including the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. They also have plenty of money to spend in free agency.

Kevin Patra of NFL.com shared one piece of advice for every team in the National Football League. He believes Las Vegas should address their most glaring need. After years of instability at quarterback, Patra, like many others, believes the Raiders need a competent quarterback.

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to throw in the third quarter against the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"The Raiders have wandered in the quarterback wilderness for far too long. In the past three years alone, Vegas has seen seven starting quarterbacks flail. Over that span, no signal-caller posted an EPA per-drop-back greater than -0.01," Patra said.

"The endless cycle must end for the Raiders to finally take a step forward after winning a combined 21 games over the past four fruitless seasons. Holding the No. 1 overall pick becomes an inflection point for the franchise. The expectation is that Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza will be the choice to help dig the Raiders out of their doldrums."

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (15) gets loose before the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Although Las Vegas is set to select Mendoza first overall, they still have quarterback Geno Smith on their roster, who they paid handsomely last offseason. Smith did not live up to his end of the bargain, for reasons both within and beyond his control.

At the start of the offseason, Raiders General Manager John Spytek gave an update on where things stand with Smith heading into the offseason. It appears the two sides will be parting ways at some point before the start of the 2026-27 season after Smith led the league in interceptions this season.

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) passes against the Houston Texans during the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

“Geno [Smith] is under contract for next year. We did that because when we traded for him, we liked him. I'm not going to get too far into the future right now, I'm day by day, but he's one of the guys that's under contract, he's a quarterback, he played some good football this year, and we'll make those decisions going forward,” Spytek said.

“The players are the ones that have to go out there and do it. And the more good players you have, and the better person at the helm that you have steering that ship, my experiences is, the more successful you are. And you look at, are there two more important hires in an organization than a quarterback and a head coach? I think we probably all would agree that those two men usually steer the ship, and that's out in front of us right now."

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks towards the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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