Quarterback Geno Smith is returning to where his NFL career began after the Las Vegas Raiders agreed to trade him to the New York Jets, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday.
Las Vegas will send Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick to New York in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round selection, moving the Raiders up from No. 228 to No. 208 in next year’s draft. To facilitate the deal, the Raiders will reportedly pay most of Smith’s remaining salary, leaving the Jets responsible for only slightly more than the league minimum. The trade cannot become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
“Complete full circle moment back to where it all began,” Smith told Rapoport. “I’m excited to connect 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 move comes after a disappointing 2025 season in Las Vegas. Smith, who signed a two-year, $75 million extension with the Raiders last April, struggled behind a shaky offensive line and endured constant pressure, taking a league-high 55 sacks. He also threw a league-worst 17 interceptions in 15 games during a 3–14 season under head coach Pete Carroll.
With the Raiders widely expected to select Fernando Mendoza — the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner from Indiana Hoosiers football — with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the team no longer had a clear role for Smith.
The trade gives the 35-year-old quarterback another opportunity to compete for a starting job, returning to the franchise that drafted him in the second round in 2013 out of West Virginia Mountaineers football. In New York, Smith joins a team led by head coach Aaron Glenn that struggled at quarterback in 2025, cycling through Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and rookie Brady Cook.
If Smith wins the job, he’ll have a pair of promising weapons in wide receiver Garrett Wilson and tight end Mason Taylor.
For Las Vegas, the trade closes the book on a brief and ultimately disappointing partnership with Smith as the franchise prepares to reshape its quarterback future.
