How the Raiders Will Add by Subtracting

The Las Vegas Raiders' offseason will be about the additions they make. However, some of their additions will come by subtraction.

Time to Move On

The Raiders traded for quarterback Geno Smith last offseason, after hiring Pete Carroll as their head coach. Things quickly went south, as the Raiders suffered injuries their roster was not able to sustain, playing a large role in Smith's forgettable season in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas will soon have to make a decision about Smith's future, as it makes little sense to use the No. 1 draft pick on a quarterback and still have a highly-paid signal caller still on the roster. The Raiders will take a cap hit if they cut Smith, but could also save a little money depending on timing.

"There are quarterbacks with enormous contracts and dead-money hits we're not including here like Miami's Tua Tagovailoa and Arizona's Kyler Murray, thinking that those teams will eat considerable salary to facilitate a trade to avoid paying it all out. That could be the case for Smith, 35, who struggled in Las Vegas and has $18 million guaranteed in his 2026 salary," Greg Auman of FOX Sports said.

"There's a Cousins-Penix vibe to keeping him as an expensive backup, but it seems more likely they lessen the distraction for a rookie starter and just cut Smith loose. Smith is entering Russell Wilson territory as a former star relegated to bridge-type roles with no guarantee of starting."

Earlier this offseason, Raiders General Manager John Spytek explained Smith's status with the team. However, with the No. 1 pick in the draft and likely to select quarterback Fernando Mendoza, it is highly likely that the Raiders move on from Smith, who led the league in interceptions this season.

“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.

Smith was the seventh quarterback the Raiders have started over the past three seasons. Smith was yet another highly paid attempt at putting a Band-Aid over the Raiders' obvious need for stability at the quarterback position. The Raiders hope Mendoza will help finally solve the problem.

They will need to supply Mendoza with much more on offense than they have had lately, as the Raiders have had one of the worst collections of talent of any offense in the National Football League lately. Mendoza cannot compensate for all of the issues the Raiders currently have.

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