According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, the Raiders have had no serious discussions about benching QB Geno Smith.
Pelissero adds Raiders HC Pete Carroll defended Smith this week, saying the team needs to play better around him, including leaning more on the running game.
Las Vegas traded for QB Kenny Pickett to serve as the backup coming out of the preseason and would be the alternative to Smith on the roster.
Previous reports have indicated the Raiders are “mildly concerned” about Smith but aren’t ready to bench him yet.
Smith, 34, is a former second-round pick of the Jets back in 2013. He played out the final year of his four-year, $5.019 million contract before signing a one-year contract worth $2 million with the Giants in 2017.
Smith signed a one-year deal with the Chargers for the 2018 season before joining the Seahawks in 2019. He returned on one-year deals each of the following three seasons before being named the starter in 2022.
He signed a three-year extension with the Seahawks worth $105 million in March of 2023. He just finished the second year of his deal and made a base salary of $12.7 million fully guaranteed.
Smith was in the final year of his deal and set to make a $14.8 million base salary in 2025 when the Seahawks traded him to the Raiders for a third-round pick. He then signed a new two-year, $75 million extension.
In 2025, Smith has appeared in five games for the Raiders and completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,176 yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions to go along with 62 yards rushing.
We’ll have more on Smith as the news is available.
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