What Geno Smith's Release from the Raiders Really Means

The Las Vegas Raiders traded for Geno Smith last offseason and handed him a handsome payday before he ever played a down in Las Vegas. After a thrilling Week 1 road win over the eventual AFC Champion, the New England Patriots, Smith and the Raiders returned home in Week 2.

Their Week 2 matchup was against the Los Angeles Chargers on former Raiders head coach Pete Carroll's birthday. After holding the Chargers to a field goal on their first drive, Smith took the field in front of an excited home crowd at Allegiant Stadium. The first play was a pass. It was intercepted.

Feb 10, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek at press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

That play foreshadowed how the rest of the season would go: Las Vegas would lose that game and 13 of its next 15 games, including a 10-game losing streak. That led the Raiders to an offseason full of moves, including the release of Smith.

What Smith's Release Means

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

The Raiders hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and are widely expected to draft quarterback Fernando Mendoza. This is a critical factor in Las Vegas' decision to move on from Smith. It would be fair to wonder if the Raiders would not have potentially kept Smith, if not for those two factors.

There was plenty of blame to go around for Las Vegas last season, beyond Smith. Las Vegas had arguably the league's worst offensive line and undoubtedly the league's worst offensive coordinator. Many coaches around the league reportedly feel like the Raiders held Smith back in several ways.

They are not completely wrong in that assessment. Smith could have done several things better, which we will go over soon. However, for reasons within and outside of the front office and coaching staff's control, that factored into Smith leading the league in interceptions during a 3-14 campaign.

Smith's release allows both sides to move on.

The Financial Impact

By releasing Smith, the Raiders open up $8 million in cap space and take on nearly $19 million in dead cap money. That is a small price to pay to get out of what was simply a failed signing. Overall, the Raiders have so much money available to them that there is no concern financially.

The Roster Impact

The thought of the Raiders rolling a high-paid Smith back into the locker room after drafting a quarterback No. 1 overall was borderline unthinkable. Raiders general manager John Spytek mentioned that he did not necessarily want to put a young quarterback on the field early.

Although Smith would have given the Raiders a veteran presence that could have served as a buffer for Mendoza to start the season, the Raiders opted to go in another direction. Smith's release clears the way for Mendoza's arrival. They can add an affordable veteran quarterback later if they would like.

The Locker Room Impact

If everyone is being honest, it was clear Smith was not a fit in the locker room. It seemed that once things went downhill early, the fanbase turned on Smith, and he responded like someone who was forced to stay somewhere they did not feel welcomed for 17 weeks.

Smith almost always handled things professionally in front of the camera, but it was no secret that Smith's struggles on the field impacted the locker room. It also affected Carroll, as his loyalty to Smith and his absolute refusal to bench him quietly caused issues in the locker room.