NFL Trade Rumors
It’s been tough sledding for the Raiders this year and Las Vegas took yet another hit on Monday night, getting blown out by the Cowboys by a score of 33-16. Dallas entered the night with a 3-5-1 record and a bottom-tier defense, so this should have been an opportunity for the 2-7 Raiders to get off the mat and start building a little bit of positive momentum.
Instead, the Raiders never even attempted to establish the run and put it all on QB Geno Smith, who finished with 42 pass attempts. He was under siege all night and added another interception off a deflected pass to bring his total to 13 on the year — tied for the league lead.
Despite all that, Raiders HC Pete Carroll reiterated his confidence in Smith and the need for the team to play better around him.
“I continue to really believe in him,” Carroll said. “I have no hesitation in telling you that. He’s an incredible player and he’s busting his tail, he’s working at it really hard. He has not backed off one step throughout the process. He’s gonna keep working it and he’ll come through for us. We just gotta help him out more and protect him better.”
The Raiders still don’t seem to be seriously considering benching Smith and turning to either backup QB Kenny Pickett or Aidan O’Connell. But as the losses mount, the possibility of major changes for the Raiders continues to increase.
Smith signed a contract extension that guaranteed him $18.6 million of his 2026 salary, but that wouldn’t necessarily stop the Raiders from making a change if they felt it was necessary.
Smith, 35, is a former second-round pick of the Jets back in 2013 out of West Virginia. 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 10 games for the Raiders and completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 2,082 yards, 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
We’ll have more on Smith as the news is available.
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