The 2025 season for the Las Vegas Raiders must feel like a distant memory. While there are many returning players, the team made some significant changes after having one of the worst years in franchise history.
One of the biggest changes was moving on from quarterback Geno Smith. They traded for him heading into last season, and he was expected to be a major upgrade for the team.
Instead, he led the worst offense in the NFL, and the Raiders ended up with the No. 1 pick in the draft, which they used to select quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Smith was traded to the New York Jets in the offseason, and the plan is for him to start.
The Jets are quickly learning the hard way that they could be in for a long season. According to reports out of training camp, Smith had a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which he threw three interceptions. He led the NFL with 17 interceptions last season, so the fact that he’s still throwing multiple interceptions against his first real competition of training camp isn’t a great sign.
Smith did not ingratiate himself with Raiders fans, so they’re having a good laugh over his struggles with the Jets.
Raiders Fans Have a Field Day
The Raiders did not set Smith up for success last season. Chip Kelly was clearly not an NFL-level playcaller anymore, and the offensive line was the worst in the league.
The reason Smith got hated on by the fans so much was the perceived lack of genuine accountability for his struggles and an incident in which he flashed an obscene gesture at the fans during a home game. Raiders fans made sure to take some shots at Smith amid the Jets practice reports.
“Geno Smith was the greatest thing to happen to the Raiders,” one fan wrote on X.
It seems like the consensus is that the best hope for the Jets is that Smith helps them get the No. 1 pick the same way he did with the Raiders.
Kirk Cousins Not Sure How Long He’ll Hold Off Mendoza
Kirk Cousins was also brought to the team this season to help replace Smith. Right now, he’s going to be the starter in Week 1, but Mendoza is eventually going to be the guy long-term.
Cousins has no misgivings about that. He’s merely trying to do his best to not lose his starting job right now.
“Good quarterback room,” Cousins told ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “We’ve enjoyed just working together as a group. We have good dialogue every day. I think the organization is positioned well, having drafted Fernando. I’m going to try to hold him off as long as I can, and we’ll see how it goes up ahead.”
Cousins is a solid veteran and should at least give better quarterback play than the team got from Smith. That said, there’s a lot of excitement surrounding Mendoza, so there’s going to be pressure to play him. Luckily for Cousins, the Raiders coaching staff doesn’t seem too eager to get Mendoza on the field yet.
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