Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Lamar Jackson

Wednesday, February 25, 8:43 AM

New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said that the team is "trying to see every possible avenue we can go next year at quarterback" and that incumbent quarterback Geno Smith is "definitely one of those options." Smith battled through a miserable season in his first year with the Raiders in 2025. Across 15 starts, the 35-year-old completed 67.4% of his pass attempts for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. The Raiders went 2-13 in Smith's starts, and Las Vegas fired former head coach Pete Caroll at the conclusion of the year. Smith is just one year removed from throwing for over 4,300 yards with the Seattle Seahawks in 2024, and he made back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances in 2022 and 2023. He could have more in the tank in a more favorable offensive environment than the one he experienced in 2025. However, the Raiders are widely expected to select University of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the number one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. If that happens, Smith would likely profile as a temporary starter in Las Vegas at best, if he even remains on the team's roster.

Tuesday, February 24, 6:44 AM

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters on Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine that he's "confident" the team will get a contract extension done with quarterback Lamar Jackson, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Ravens are looking to get something new done with Jackson since his salary cap hit will jump to $74.5 million for 2026 and 2027 after he signed a five-year, $260 million contract extension in April of 2023. The 29-year-old two-time MVP only played in 13 games in 2025 due to injury and finished with a disappointing 2,549 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also had a career-low 67 rushing attempts for 349 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson will need to bounce back for Baltimore to have a shot at returning to the postseason, and with better health in 2026, he could easily be back in the high-end QB1 tier for fantasy managers.