Jets rumor reveals Vikings-related reason for Geno Smith trade with Raiders

The New York Jets pulled off a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday that sent Geno Smith back to the Big Apple.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Jets sent the Raiders a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick.

Before the trade went down, it was widely known that the Raiders were going to cut Smith, seeing as how the team is slated to draft Fernando Mendoza in April.

So, why did the Jets not wait until then?

According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, the Jets pulled the trigger to eliminate the chance that another suitor could beat them out in free agency. Cimini says the Minnesota Vikings were one of the teams interested in the veteran signal-caller.

"Instead of waiting for Smith to be released tomorrow at 4, the Jets were proactive and made the trade to eliminate other bidders. Others teams, notably the Vikings, were interested. So that's why they did the draft-pick swap," Cimini reported.

The Vikings would have been a very formidable foe in free agency.

That's because the Vikings have a much better roster and would give Smith a much better chance to compete for the playoffs, and quite possibly more.

With this trade, the Jets eliminated that major threat and will now have Smith in their quarterbacks room in 2026.

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