The flipside to all the brilliant moves that Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider made this season is the players he let go to make room for others. Wide receiver DK Metcalf was wisely traded, and fellow receiver Tyler Lockett was released. And former QB1 Geno Smith was dealt, too.
After being moved, Smith and Metcalf received contract extensions from their new teams, the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively. Metcalf isn't going anywhere else anytime soon. Smith, though, could be watching his career fall apart with no known future.
The quarterback helped former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll have a dismal season with Vegas in 2025. Smith tossed 19 touchdown passes, but 17 interceptions, which led the NFL. His interception percentage was 3.8, his highest as a full-time starter since his rookie season in 2013. He was also sacked a league-leading 55 times, partly because he holds onto the ball too long.
Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith could be looking for another new team
But Smith got some bad news this week. University of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza made himself eligible for the 2026 NFL draft, and he will almost certainly be the top pick. The Raiders hold the top choice. Mendoza is going to be a Raider unless Vegas just does something dumb.
If Las Vegas chooses Mendoza, what happens with Geno Smith? He could be released. While the Raiders would create $18.5 million in dead cap, the team would also save $8 million. Savings is greater than dead money.
That would make Smith a free agent coming off a terrible season (one in which he raised his middle finger to his own fans during one game) at age 35. Could he be done in the NFL? Maybe. Or it could be worse.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Smith is a legitimate candidate to end up with the New York Jets, his original team. New York is once again starting over, and Smith would be set up for failure with the Jets. Or rather, he would help set the team up for failure.
Smith doesn't appear to have the temperament to be a true leader on any team. He often lets his inner rage get the best of him, and he hasn't shown he can elevate a team above the sum of its parts. That was just another reason Schneider didn't want him with the Seattle Seahawks anymore.
After Fernando Mendoza declared for the draft, the Las Vegas Raiders shouldn't want Geno Smith anymore either. Where he lands next is anyone's guess.