Even though the NFL free agency period is wrapping up, but that doesn’t mean the league action is stalling. One of the most high-profile deals that happened during the offseason was the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets trade to send Smith to the Jets.
In the deal, the Raiders get a 2026 sixth-round pick and the Jets get Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
So, did the Las Vegas Raiders or New York Jets win this trade deal? Let’s dive into what the NFL experts and analysts have to say.
In a Tuesday, March 17 feature for CBS Sports, Jordan Dajani discusses the NFL offseason moves. “This NFL offseason has already been a wild one, as we witnessed an uptick in trades during free agency,” he says. “Certain teams were looking to shed salary in order to get under the set cap number, while other teams were looking to buy talent ahead of the free agency firestorm.”
When it comes to the Raiders and Jets trade, he notes that the trade grades, per Jared Dubin, were a B for both teams. So, this was a wash.
“Geno Smith is heading back to where it all began,” he notes in the feature. “The Jets will acquire the veteran quarterback in a late-round pick swap, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, as Smith will embark on a second stint with the franchise that drafted him in 2013.”
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He adds, “The Raiders will eat a bulk of Smith’s 2026 salary, which is set for $26.5 million. In turn, the Jets will pay their new quarterback on a deal worth around the league minimum, per multiple reports.”
So, that trade helps expected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza to be the bona fide starter for the Las Vegas Raiders for the 2026-27 season. “It also provides the Jets,” Dajani says, “with a potential bridge starter as they once again seek a potential franchise quarterback through the draft either this year or next.”
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In a different trade piece, ESPN’s Seth Walder says of the trade, “As hard as this era of the Jets has been, they have done some things right. The Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner trades were home runs.”
He adds, “They more or less tried to tank their way into the No. 1 pick, as they should have. But handing 2026 over to a 35-year-old Smith off two bad seasons — completely independent of his history with the team — is a wasted opportunity.”
