Plot Twist: Veteran Quarterback is Traded, Not Released
Scratch one quarterback option off the list. Veteran quarterback Geno Smith isn’t going to be available after all.
The update arrives courtesy of ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “Trade: the Raiders are sending QB Geno Smith and a 2026 7th-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 6th-round pick, per ESPN sources. Smith returns to the team for which he started his NFL career for in 2013.”
Not long afterwards, Schefter adds some more context: “Geno Smith was drafted by the Jets in 2013 and spent the first four years of his career with the organization. Now he’s back to finish his story.” And the financial end of things: “Before the trade was agreed to, Geno Smith agreed to restructure his contract. The Raiders still will pay the bulk of it, and the Jets will take on Smith’s contract at just over veteran minimum.”
Presumably, Justin Fields is going to shake loose.
Veteran Quarterback Geno Smith Traded
Slowly but surely, the Kyler Murray rumor has calcified into reality. As in, the harebrained idea is now a legitimate possibility, one that looks more likely than not.
Best guess — by a Minnesota mile — is that Murray settles in as the Vikings’ top option to start in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. The Schefter update, though, drives a central point home: nothing is certain until it’s certain.
Right now, the only arms on Minnesota’s roster are J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer. In time, perhaps, those two will prove to be great NFL players, but that has yet to be proven. What’s needed (badly) is competence for the upcoming season.
Adding Murray for cheap — $1.3 million — appears to be the antidote to what ails Minnesota. Can that still be the assumed outcome, though?
The Vikings may now have a renewed sense of urgency to make a pitch for Murray. Yes, he has some flaws (who doesn’t?) but he’s ultra talented, cheap, and coming out of a disaster in Arizona. He could, at least in theory, experience a strong upgrade in Minnesota as he upgrades the talent around him.
Other options to beef up the quarterback competition aren’t nearly so appealing. Kirk Cousins could pinch hit for a season, but Vikings coaches have been there before and opted to move on. Maybe Aaron Rodgers becomes the desired solution, but that’s a solution that leads to a variety of other issues.
For the Jets, this could simply be a rare moment of competence. Very few players want to play there, so trading for someone rather than needing to compete on the open market eliminates some of the guesswork.
Putting a positive spin on this for the Vikings means seeing one of the NFL’s central openings filled. As the NFL races toward tomorrow night, Pittsburgh and Minnesota appear to be in a two-horse race to secure the veteran quarterback soon to be set free from Arizona.
Going to be interesting, folks. Seldom have the Vikings been an elite team, but they’re far from dull.
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