The Las Vegas Raiders have to find a new quarterback in 2026.
The Geno Smith experiment was nothing short of a disaster, and now the Raiders must find a replacement, and preferably a young signal-caller who could lead the franchise for many years to come.
The ideal scenario figures to be drafting Indiana's Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, but that is not guaranteed to happen yet, mostly because Mendoza hasn't even officially declared.
Even if Mendoza doesn't declare, we would not expect Smith back, which means the Raiders will have to explore trade and free agency for their next starting quarterback.
One potential trade option is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
There hasn't been any rumors suggesting Jackson is available, but Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reports there is a sense around the league the Raiders will at least make a play for the former MVP.
“There are some who believe, and this was in the Mike Preston column about the Ravens and Lamar Jackson, and I have a feeling that Mike Preston has heard the same kind of things I have heard. There’s a feeling out there that the Raiders are going to make a play for Lamar. That that’s the big splash,” Florio said on PFT Live.
Florio goes on to suggest the Raiders could offer the Ravens the No. 1 pick for Jackson, but we know it'll probably take more than that.
The column Florio mentions came from Mike Preston of The Baltimore Sun, who mentioned the Raiders as a possible landing spot for Jackson if he's traded.
"The Ravens should look at possible trades, which could net them two or three first-round picks," Preston said. "Jackson would love to play in Miami, where quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is no longer the starter, or possibly Las Vegas, where Brady, a partial owner of the Raiders, has shown a fondness for him. Baltimore should also draft a young quarterback in the early rounds."
It is important to note that this column was written in December before the Ravens fired John Harbaugh, who reportedly clashed with Jackson.
Had the Ravens kept Harbaugh, it would have been more possible for Jackson to demand a trade.
Now that Harbaugh is gone, that shows a clear commitment to Jackson, and that means the Ravens are far more likely to hold on to him, and Jackson is far more likely to want to stay.
But we wouldn't say Jackson is a total lock to stay at this point.
Baltimore still has to get something done with Jackson's contract, as he's set to to account for a cap hit of a whopping $74.5 million, which is untenable, especially for a Ravens team that is projected to be just $13.8 million under the cap.
If the two sides hit a snag in contract talks, it's possible the two sides could still part ways. We also wouldn't rule out Jackson simply wanting a change of scenery, although it's likely the Ravens will do their best not to oblige.
Putting all that aside for now, acquiring Jackson would be a massive splash for Las Vegas, giving the franchise the best quarterback it has had since Derek Carr. Jackson is, of course, better.
Landing the veteran signal-caller would also hit the fast forward button on the Raiders' rebuild.
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