The Minnesota Vikings have one fewer external quarterback option after Tuesday. Signal-caller Geno Smith, who was expected to be released and a potential free agent target for the Vikings, is off the board.
That’s because he’s heading back to the team that drafted him in a trade.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the Las Vegas Raiders agreed to send Smith to the New York Jets in a draft pick swap.
Multiple insiders reported on March 6 the Raiders planned to release Smith this offseason. When that news surfaced, pundits began speculating about the possibility of Smith signing with the Vikings.
Las Vegas, though, had yet to officially cut the veteran quarterback. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport explained Tuesday that was intended with the goal of trading Smith.
Unwilling to wait to see if they could sign Smith in free agency, the Jets went ahead and acquired him in a trade.
The end result will be Smith returning to the organization that selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Smith played the first four seasons of his career with the Jets. He also spent the 2017 campaign in New York/New Jersey with the Giants.
For the Vikings, they will have to look elsewhere for a veteran quarterback to compete with J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota still has options in that market, but it won’t be Smith joining the Vikings.
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