Geno Smith might play Sunday; Raiders tenure likely nearing an end

Raiders quarterback Geno Smith returned to practice Wednesday after sitting out Sunday’s loss to the Eagles with back and shoulder injuries.

It’s the first step in Smith playing in Sunday’s game at Houston. If healthy, the veteran is expected to start against the Texans.

“We’ll just take it one day at a time and see how he does and how he recovers,” coach Pete Carroll said. “There’s no rush to figure that out, but he’ll get a bunch of turns.”

Smith has been sacked an NFL-high 49 times this season, the culmination of which got the best of him in a loss to the Broncos in Week 14, when he was knocked out of the game.

He was replaced by Kenny Pickett, who started against the Eagles on Sunday.

“Some different things; it’s football,” Smith said when asked about his injuries. “The doctors helped me out last week. Hated it, but I get the chance to prove myself in practice this week, so looking forward to that.”

Likely gone after season

This feels like the beginning of the end for Smith and Carroll in Las Vegas. They essentially arrived as a package deal, with Carroll trading for Smith soon after becoming the Raiders’ coach. They were supposed to help stabilize a franchise that has had two winning seasons in the past 23 years.

While Carroll and Smith are not solely to blame for a 2-12 record, they are the faces of it. Within NFL circles, the sense is that the club has begun shifting its focus to the most pivotal offseason in decades, one that could include either the first or second pick in the 2026 draft.

Or, as someone with insight on their thinking put it: “Finding their head coach and quarterback of the future.”

That means Smith is likely approaching his final three games with the Raiders. It is expected that the club will try to trade him, but given the $26.5 million he is owed in 2026, it’s unlikely they will garner much interest.

More likely, they will release him and eat the guaranteed $18.5 million portion of next season’s salary. Doing so would mean a savings of $8 million. Smith is under contract through the 2027 season.

When asked Wednesday if it’s important to him to stick around and see things through with the Raiders, Smith didn’t say yes or no.

“I’m expecting to win a lot of games here,” he said.

Taking it all in stride

Smith has thrown 14 interceptions, the second-most in the NFL, and 16 touchdown passes in 13 games this season.

His passer and quarterback ratings of 82.5 and 32.2 are the lowest since he re-established himself as a starter in 2022.

Whatever good graces Smith had with the fan base quickly vanished, and it’s hard to envision any path in which that relationship gets restored.

“None of this is overwhelming. This is football,” he said. “This is what we do for a living. We signed up for this, the good and the bad. So you’ve got to take it, you’ve got to own it, and you got to get better from it.”

In a season of disappointments, Smith is stunned by one thing in particular.

“Losing,” he said. “I never expect to lose anything. So anytime you lose this many games, it’s surprising to me.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.