The good of Geno Smith's gunslinger mentality has typically outweighed the bad and ugly since a late-career revival in 2022. However, that's been far from the case in his inaugural campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders, to say the least, and fans are fed up.
Raider Nation is ready to pull the plug on the Smith experiment and deem him irreparable just seven games in. Taking such drastic measures this quickly may sound like a hasty, heat-of-the-moment decision, but it's been that bad. Las Vegas' embarrassing 31-0 Week 7 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs effectively marked the last straw.
Smith and the Raiders followed their dormant performance against the Indianapolis Colts with a win against the Tennessee Titans, but reverted back to a shutout dud in Kansas City. The veteran signal-caller didn't get anything before getting replaced by backup Kenny Pickett in the final stages of the no-show versus the Chiefs.
Folks in Las Vegas know that this is not a permanent move, but they're hoping for it.
Raiders fans realize Geno Smith should be benched after blowout loss to Chiefs
Kansas City held Smith to 67 scoreless yards on 10-of-16 passing across three-plus quarters of action. He fumbled once but was fortunate enough to recover it, though that may be the only silver lining in his box score. Frankly, the good ole' eye test matches the numbers, or lack thereof.
Las Vegas couldn't generate drives, let alone sustain them, in a demoralizing defeat at the hands of a division rival. The 77-30 total play and 30-3 first down discrepancies in favor of the Chiefs perfectly encapsulate that notion.
As the leader of the Raiders' lifeless offense, that falls squarely on Smith, yet his continued struggles should force them to adjust accordingly.
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It's been roughly six months since the Raiders sent a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Smith. Las Vegas also signed him to a two-year contract extension at a near-$40 million average annual salary, including $66.5 million in total guarantees.
The steep investment has aged quite poorly, to say the least, to the point that Pickett may be an upgrade, barring a turnaround. Aidan O'Connell may also be a solid option when he returns from injury.
Moving on from Smith would be easy for the Raiders this coming offseason, albeit not without a sizable yet palatable financial blow. The front office can pretend this forgetful era never happened at the expense of an $18.5 million dead money cap hit in 2026. Benching the two-time Pro Bowler is the first step toward making that happen.