The Las Vegas Raiders made arguably the biggest splash of the 2025 NFL offseason by trading for quarterback Geno Smith. The Raiders gave a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for the veteran signal-caller and reunited Smith with head coach Pete Carroll.
Las Vegas is set at quarterback for next season, but with the 2025 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, the team is hosting Shedeur Sanders on a pre-draft visit. Could the Raiders take the Colorado product with the sixth pick?
Raiders Host Shedeur Sanders on Pre-Draft Visit
Smith revived his career under Carroll in Seattle. The journeyman signed with the Seahawks in 2019 and played sparingly as Russell Wilson’s backup until 2022. He was named the starter after Seattle traded Wilson and led the team to a playoff appearance.
Seattle went 9-8 in 2023, with Smith making the Pro Bowl after passing for 3,624 yards with 20 touchdowns. However, the team missed the playoffs, and Carroll stepped down as head coach to take on an advisory role in the Seahawks’ front office.
Las Vegas traded for Smith a week before free agency began, eventually giving him a two-year extension worth $75 million. The 12-year veteran has been vocal about his excitement to reunite with Carroll, but it could be short-lived.
The Raiders were on the list of teams looking for a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft before acquiring Smith and still could be, according to reports. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero recently appeared on “Good Morning Football,” saying Shedeur Sanders is scheduled to visit the Raiders this week.
With 10 days until the draft, teams are wrapping up pre-draft visits, including Shedeur Sanders flying to Las Vegas tonight to see the #Raiders per me and @RapSheet, while Abdul Carter is with the #Patriots. @gmfb @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/Q6pZMkcfUy
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 14, 2025
Pelissero said, “Shedeur Sanders is headed to Las Vegas tonight, for a visit with the Raiders. This is intriguing because, of course, Las Vegas earlier this offseason made the trade, sending a third-round pick to Seattle for Geno Smith, who they also signed to an enhanced contract. But there certainly is always a longer-term need at the quarterback position.
“For Shedeur, he has also visited the Browns. He’s visited the Giants. He spent time last week with Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Raiders sitting at No. 6 are in a position where, if Shedeur Sanders slides out of those top three spots, potentially that could be in play.”
Sanders had been in discussion as a top-three pick but has been going later in the top-10 in recent mock drafts. Landing with Las Vegas would be interesting, as he likely wouldn’t start immediately and would be helped along by minority owner Tom Brady.
Colorado returned to national prominence in 2024, thanks to Sanders throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns while completing 74% of his passes. That led all of FBS last season and made Sanders the all-time leader in FBS career completion percentage at 71.8%. He’s settled in as the clear QB2 in this year’s class and could walk into arguably the best situation for a rookie quarterback if Las Vegas selects him.