Honestly, if you took a nap at the end of the 2024 season and just woke up, the NFL landscape looks like a fever dream. You probably remember Geno Smith as the guy who "didn't write back" in Seattle, the veteran who resurrected his career in the Pacific Northwest and became the face of a post-Russell Wilson era. But if you’re looking for him on the Seahawks' sideline today, you’re looking in the wrong place.
So, where is Geno Smith right now?
As of January 2026, Geno Smith is technically a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, but he’s essentially a man without a country. He just wrapped up a 2025 season that can only be described as a train wreck. He isn't in Seattle. He isn't leading a playoff charge. Instead, he’s sitting in a desert of uncertainty after a season where the Raiders finished 2-15, and he led the league in interceptions.
The Trade That Changed Everything
The Seahawks moved on from Geno in March 2025. It was a move that stunned some, but the writing was on the wall once Mike Macdonald took over. Seattle wanted to get younger and cheaper, eventually landing on Sam Darnold, who—wildly enough—is currently preparing for a playoff run with the Seahawks.
Geno was traded to Las Vegas to reunite with his old coach, Pete Carroll, who had taken the Raiders job in a shocking late-career twist. The Raiders gave up a 2025 third-round pick and handed Smith a two-year, $75 million extension. On paper, it was supposed to be the "Seahawks South" experiment. It failed. Spectacularly.
Where is Geno Smith Playing? (The Brutal 2025 Reality)
If you watched any Raiders games this past fall, you saw a version of Geno that looked nothing like the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year. He was sacked 55 times. That’s not a typo. Fifty-five.
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While he completed 67.4% of his passes—a trademark of his game—the production just wasn't there. He finished the year with 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and a league-high 17 interceptions. By the time December rolled around, the fans in Vegas were restless. Then the injuries hit.
- Week 14: He suffered a shoulder injury against the Denver Broncos.
- Week 17: A high-ankle sprain against the New York Giants effectively ended his season.
- Week 18: He was officially ruled out, watching from the sidelines as Kenny Pickett and Aidan O'Connell rotated in a loss to the Chiefs.
The Raiders finished with the worst record in the NFL, securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. When you have the first pick and a veteran quarterback coming off a 17-interception season, the outcome is usually pretty predictable.
The Social Media Scrub and the "Inevitable" Split
There’s a specific kind of modern drama that tells you a player is done with a team before the PR department does. A few days ago, fans noticed that Geno Smith deleted all Raiders-related content from his Instagram and unfollowed the team.
Raiders GM John Spytek hasn't exactly offered a glowing vote of confidence either. In his recent end-of-season press conference, Spytek noted that Geno is "under contract" and "is a quarterback," which is the executive equivalent of saying, "Yeah, he’s here because I legally have to pay him."
The Raiders are heavily linked to Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana University standout who just led the Hoosiers to a national championship appearance. If the Raiders draft Mendoza at No. 1, Geno becomes a very expensive backup or, more likely, a cap casualty.
What happened to the Seahawks?
While Geno struggled in Vegas, his old team flourished. Under Klint Kubiak’s offense, Sam Darnold found a second life, feeding Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kenneth Walker III. It’s a bitter pill for Geno fans to swallow, but Seattle’s gamble to trade him looks like a masterstroke in hindsight.
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What Is Next for Geno Smith?
He’s 35 years old. He has a significant cap hit. He’s coming off a high-ankle sprain.
The market for a veteran starter who just led the league in picks isn't great, but Geno has proven people wrong before. Teams like the Minnesota Vikings (if they want a bridge for J.J. McCarthy) or the New York Jets (for a weird full-circle moment) might take a look if he’s released.
If the Raiders cut him, they’ll save about $8 million against the cap while eating $18.5 million in dead money. In the NFL, that’s a price teams are often willing to pay to start over with a rookie contract.
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Actionable Insights for Following the Geno Smith Saga:
- Watch the Draft Order: Since the Raiders have the No. 1 pick, keep an eye on their pre-draft visits with Fernando Mendoza and Jalen Milroe. If they commit to a QB early, Geno’s release is a matter of "when," not "if."
- Monitor the Cap Cut Deadline: The Raiders will likely make a decision on Smith’s roster bonus before the new league year begins in March.
- Check the Injury Report: His recovery from the high-ankle sprain will determine how quickly he can audition for other teams if he hits the open market.
Geno Smith's story has always been one of resilience. He went from a "bust" in New York to a Pro Bowler in Seattle. This latest chapter in Las Vegas is a dark one, but in the NFL, one team's "washed" veteran is often another team's "missing piece." Whether he’s a backup in 2026 or finds one last starting gig, the "where is Geno Smith" question will likely have a new answer by the time training camp rolls around.