Geno Smith is headed back to his first NFL home.
The Raiders are trading the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback to the New York Jets, according to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero. Las Vegas sends a 2026 seventh-round pick with Smith in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, moving up from 228 to 208 in the upcoming draft.
Pelissero added that the Raiders will pay most of Smith’s salary to facilitate the trade, and the Jets will get the QB while paying just above the league minimum.
“Come full circle back to where it all started,” Smith, who was expected to be released, told Rapoport after news of the pending trade. “I’m excited to bond with my new teammates and coaches and everyone in the building as well as build a new relationship with the fan base and community.”
The deal cannot become official until the new league year begins on Wednesday.
With Las Vegas widely expected to select Indiana quarterback and 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 draft, the Raiders no longer had a need for Smith, a quarterback they had handed a two-year, $75 million extension in April. That deal didn’t work out for either side, of course: Smith was under constant pressure behind a sieve-like offensive line, took a career-high and league-worst 55 sacks, and threw a league-leading 17 interceptions in 15 games amid a dreadful 3-14 campaign for the Raiders under coach Pete Carroll.