The Seattle Seahawks tried to win with Geno Smith, but couldn't. Neither could the Las Vegas Raiders this year, but the quarterback might get yet another attempt to make the playoffs with the Minnesota Vikings in 2026.
That is what ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano recently suggested, at least. Minnesota, which somehow managed to 9-8 despite having atrocious quarterback play, is rumored to be looking to acquire quarterback competition for ascending third-year pro J.J. McCarthy, who has yet to prove he can be a good QB in the league. Smith could be that competition.
Ironically, Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders last offseason and paired with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, while Seattle signed former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. The Raiders went 4-13, and Seattle won the Super Bowl with Seattle. A year later, Smith could be a quarterback who could a quarterback to replace Darnold in Minnesota, one-year removed.
Former Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith could be headed to the Minnesota Vikings
12s would be fine with that, of course. Seahawks fans are quite happy with the moves that needed to occur to bring Darnold to Seattle. If Smith fails elsewhere, that is at least partly his fault.
But why would the Vikings entertain signing the soon-to-be 36-year-old QB? Over the last two seasons, Smith has thrown 40 touchdown passes but 32 interceptions. That's awful. He is still under contract with Vegas, but is likely to be released to make room for the likely top pick in the 2026 NFL draft, Fernando Mendoza.
The Raiders would save only $8,000,000, but that may be worth it to get rid of Smith. He has a mercurial temper and managed to raise his middle finger to both his former team's fans (he flipped off Seahawks fans in a preseason game this past season) and his own team's (he flipped off Raiders fans in a regular season game).
Geno Smith might need to be a bit more self-aware and understand that at times he simply needs...to...relax. It isn't like Vikings fans would be less forgiving should he replicate his recent play and cost his team wins by having too many turnovers. He is who he is at this point.
Of course, Fowler and Graziano might only be speculating to speculate. If Minnesota is wise, it will try to re-sign Daniel Jones or sign Malik Willis in free agency. Acquiring Geno Smith is unlikely to help them on the field, and even worse, could disrupt the team's culture in the locker room.