The Big Lead

Quarterback chaos is about to ensue following the Geno Smith trade

Smith could be the first domino to make the rest of the quarterback market fall this spring.

By Matt Reed

Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) pressures Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) to throw an interception during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) pressures Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) to throw an interception during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
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It's going to be an extremely busy offseason for teams looking to lock down the most position in football, and it looks like Geno Smith's move to the Las Vegas Raiders could be the first domino to fall into place.

RELATED: Best destinations for Sam Darnold if he leaves the Vikings

While many of the names won't exactly jump off the page, there is still plenty of interest in other signal callers that are hitting the free agent market next week, including Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields.

Meanwhile, veterans like Kirk Cousins have been linked to trades as well, however, the Atlanta Falcons have stated publicly that they likely won't be willing to move on from him after giving Cousins a huge deal just last offseason.

Darnold is clearly the biggest option left available at this stage simply because of his age and the fact that he's coming off of a career season that included leading the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs with 14 wins.

However, with Minnesota having a player like J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings after a rookie season that saw him sidelined due to injury, there are questions about if the Vikings would be willing to dish out $40 million or more for the 27 year old.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) is shown after he led Gang Green to a 32-20 victory against the Miami Dolphins
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) is shown after he led Gang Green to a 32-20 victory against the Miami Dolphins, on Jan. 5, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. / Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Vikings also signed Jones last season after he was let go of by the New York Giants, so perhaps he'd be a cheaper option for Minnesota to keep around if Darnold moves on.

Meanwhile, true veterans and Super Bowl champions Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are waiting to find out their futures, which could mean teams could go that route as we get later into free agency if someone isn't sold on the rookie class of quarterbacks in this year's NFL Draft.

Rodgers has had interest from the New York Giants and potentially even the Vikings, which would be quite the turn of events as he would draw one step closer to completing the career path of Brett Favre.

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