Locking Geno Smith to an $85 million contract points to the Raiders not drafting a quarterback in the first round

Spytek revealed the former first-rounder felt like a good fit for the system, as Smith played under newly appointed head coach Pete Carroll for a few years in Seattle.

We [the Raiders] arrived at a spot where we thought adding Geno made a lot of sense for us… I love my picks more than anybody and I gotta remind Coach [Pete] Carroll how much I love picks. But listen, we used a late third-round pick to hopefully have our starting quarterback here for years to come. And it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

John Spytek said (H/T: NFL.com)

The Raiders sent their 92nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft to the Seahawks to acquire Geno Smith. ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday revealed that Smith signed a two-year deal with the Raiders.

Spotrac reported that Smith’s 2-year, $75M ($37.5M APY) extension with the Raiders makes him the 17th highest-paid QB in football. His $66.5M guaranteed ranks 17th among the current active quarterbacks (Deshaun Watson’s $230 million guaranteed is still the most by a distance).

Analyst says the Raiders may not draft a quarterback in the first round after Geno Smith deal

Smith is now locked in for the next two seasons for the Raiders. Besides the 34-year-old, the Raiders have Aidan O’Connell on the QB list and the sixth overall pick after finishing the 2024 season 4-13, finishing at the bottom of the AFC West.

The initial thought process was that the Raiders would draft a quarterback by using their first pick. However, that may no longer be the plan for Brady and Spytek after giving Smith a two-year contract.

During the recent segment of NFL Live, Schefter argued that Smith wanted to play for the Raiders. The Seahawks listened to him, and now he will earn more than the contract Sam Darnold signed in Seattle.

I think this almost clinches the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders will bypass a quarterback in the first round. Maybe they [Brady, Davis & Spytek] revisit it in an early round later on. But it’s hard to imagine that they go and give Geno Smith $75 million today and then turn around three weeks later and draft a quarterback in the first round.

Adam Schefter said

Raiders should draft a quarterback

Schefter highlighted that the Raiders may bypass drafting a rookie quarterback in the first round, but that doesn’t mean it may not happen later on. Perhaps a late second or third-round addition could do the trick.

Pro Football Focus, in their latest mock draft, projected Alabama’s quarterback Jalen Milroe is set to fall into the Raiders’ lap in the third round (pick 73).

Jalen Milroe’s accuracy remains a concern, but his elite athleticism makes him a constant big-play threat on the ground. He thrives as a deep-ball passer, recording 16 big-time throws with just one turnover-worthy pass on throws 20-plus yards downfield.

PFF wrote

Milroe is a unit. Despite being 6 feet, 2 inches and 217 pounds, Milroe completed the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds. If Brady believes in the Packers model, then drafting Milroe and giving him two years to learn the system would be the best course of action. However, the Raiders must remain wary of the Pittsburgh Steelers.