Raiders predicted to ditch Geno Smith for 30-TD quarterback in 2026

After having awful quarterback play in 2024, the Las Vegas Raiders added a legitimate starting option this offseason with the trade for Geno Smith.

Smith is an upgrade over both Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew, but he has never proven to be anything more than adequate and the jury remains out on his ability to take teams to bigger things than just a playoff appearance.

Smith is under contract through 2027, but his deal is effectively a two-year pact with an option, as there's an easy out after 2026. That means Smith may only have a year or two, at most, to prove he's "the guy" in Las Vegas.

Lou Scataglia of NFL Spin Zone doesn't have much faith in Smith answering the bell, as evidenced by his 2026 NFL mock draft that has the Raiders taking Drew Allar out of Penn State with the No. 7 overall pick.

"Geno Smith is not fooling anyone and is not a franchise QB — he is only a temporary option, so if Drew Allar is on the board and the Las Vegas Raiders are picking, it would be hard to imagine that they don't pull the trigger," Scataglia wrote.

Allar has shown plenty of promise over the last two years at Penn State and it's conceivable he could be a top quarterback prospect in 2026 if he keeps building on what he's done thus far.

In 2024, Allar completed 66.5% of his passes and threw for 3,327 yards, ran for 302 yards, and scored 30 total touchdowns (24 passing).

Nobody would mistake Allar for an elite athlete, but he does have sufficient mobility to help him at the next level. Allar really shines in the pocket, where he has shown impressive arm talent that allows him to make all the throws.

Even if Smith proves to be an upgrade in 2025, the Raiders can't lose sight of the fact that he'll be 35 and isn't likely to be around for that long.

As a result, the selection of a young quarterback in 2026 should be on the table for Las Vegas, which puts Allar in play.