The Las Vegas Raiders’ experiment with quarterback Geno Smith hasn’t gone to plan, with the franchise off to a 2-4 start and Smith struggling mightily week in and week out.
Smith is leading the NFL with 10 interceptions compared to just seven touchdown passes. Meanwhile, his adjusted yards gained per pass attempt is only 5.59 — the worst mark of his entire career in that category, save for a 2018 campaign in which he attempted just five passes.
After trading a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Smith, the Raiders inked him to a two-year extension worth $75 million that keeps the QB under contract through 2027. However, the team built in a clause allowing it to get out from under that deal following the 2026 campaign that doesn’t include a dead salary cap hit of any kind.
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So while that means Las Vegas is stuck with Smith on the books through next season, that can be the end of the relationship. The Raiders traded a fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Kenny Pickett in August, and Aidan O’Connell will return from a wrist injury at some point this season, so the franchise has other options if Smith needs to go to the bench.
But Pickett and O’Connell don’t profile like long-term solutions. The Raiders may end up with a high draft pick in 2026 and could pursue a quarterback then. However, Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus named Las Vegas a potential trade destination for Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson, who lost his starting job to Daniel Jones during the preseason and just hit the injured reserve list (IR) for at least a month with a fractured orbital bone.
“When the Colts signed Daniel Jones this offseason, they figured it would bring the best out of Richardson. Instead, Richardson’s stock sank while Jones’ skyrocketed. The former fourth overall pick has played just 14 snaps this season as Jones’ backup, with the former Giants starter starring with an 81.0 overall PFF grade,” Locker wrote.
“It’s possible that the Colts could want to keep Richardson on their roster, either as insurance for this season or in case they can’t retain Jones this offseason. Still, teams with quarterback questions come March and April could try to get ahead of the curve, stashing Richardson and his potential several months earlier.”
Richardson is hyper-athletic with high upside from a perspective of sheer physical talent. He’s also in just the third year of his $34 million rookie contract that includes a team option for 2027. Plenty of guys were drafted high and subsequently given up on by their teams, including the aforementioned Jones who is blowing up with the 5-1 Colts this season.
Also on that list is Baker Mayfield, an MVP candidate with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sam Darnold who is 4-2 and just inked a $100 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks, and Jared Goff who has led the Detroit Lions to one of the best offenses in the league in each of the past three seasons.
There is more than one potential landing spot for the 23-year-old Richardson, including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams, and he may simply need a new development team and a change of scenery to realize his full potential at the NFL level.
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