The Las Vegas Raiders brought in Geno Smith this offseason with the hopes that the veteran would bring some stability to the quarterback position. After revitalizing his career with the Seattle Seahawks, Smith reunited with Pete Carroll in Las Vegas, but unfortunately, things have not gone well.
The Raiders are currently 2-10 and already eliminated from playoff contention. Meanwhile, Smith has struggled, throwing a league-leading 14 interceptions with 15 touchdowns, as the Raiders have trotted out one of the worst offenses in the league, both in yards and points scored.
It should come as no surprise, then, that there are already rumblings about the Raiders eyeing an upgrade at quarterback in the offseason, which would put Smith’s future with the franchise in jeopardy. But Smith made it clear that he isn’t thinking about that, but simply focused on the task at hand of leading this Raiders team throughout the remainder of the season, via Raiders YouTube:
“My future is what God writes for me. I focus on the day-to-day and getting better every single day as a player, That’s all you can do as an NFL player. You can never look too far ahead or even too far behind. The whole your future thing, I’ve got a bright future. I know that for sure. But as far as what I have to do here is lead this team and focus on today’s practice and how we can execute and get better.”
It is certainly the right mindset for Smith to take on, as the Raiders’ front office decisions are out of his control. The only thing he can do is go out on the field and produce, and that is what the quarterback is focused on.
However, Smith simply hasn’t been good enough this season, which is why rumors are circulating about the team’s plans for the offseason. In fairness, not all of the Raiders’ offensive issues can be placed on Smith’s shoulders, as there are other factors contributing to their struggles. However, the quarterback will always bear a large brunt of the blame.
Whether it is through the draft or via trade, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that the Raiders will look once again this offseason to try and find their franchise quarterback, and we will all see what that ultimately means for Smith.
Raiders targeting a quarterback in first round of 2026 NFL Draft?
There are a couple of good quarterback prospects expected to be selected at or near the top of the 2026 NFL Draft, including Oregon’s Dante Moore and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. There is also a belief that the Raiders could be looking to select a quarterback with their top pick.
