The Las Vegas Raiders could be back in the quarterback market next year.
Though the team just traded for Geno Smith and gave him a two-year extension, the veteran will turn 35 in October, and it would be wise for the Raiders to think about the future at the sport's most vital position.
The 2026 NFL Draft is filled with a ton of exciting quarterback talent, and Stadium Rant's Ian Ritter predicts Las Vegas will use their Round 1 pick in next year's draft on Penn State signal-caller Drew Allar.
"At 6’5”, 240 lbs with a big arm, Drew Allar is the type of quarterback prospect NFL teams love to gamble on. Allar can spend a season learning how to run an NFL offense from Geno Smith and Pete Carroll," Ritter wrote.
Selecting Allar in 2026 to be the quarterback of the future would be a savvy move from the Raiders.
The Ohio native wouldn't be thrown into action immediately in Las Vegas, as he would receive the opportunity to sit and learn behind an experienced veteran like Smith during his rookie campaign.
In 2024, Allar tossed 24 touchdowns to eight interceptions with a 66.5% completion rate and also added six touchdowns on the ground. The dual-threat quarterback should take another step forward in 2025 and establish himself as one of the top signal-callers in the 2026 draft class.
Allar and the Raiders is a fit that makes too much sense in 2026, as he could finally be the franchise's long-term answer at quarterback.
