The Las Vegas Raiders have been starved for great quarterback play since Rich Gannon's 2002 MVP season. Since then, it's been a complete cast of characters under center, with Derek Carr being the longest-tenured quarterback for the Silver and Black.
Carr was never able to get over the hump and win a playoff game during his nine-year stint with the team in both Oakland and Las Vegas. This offseason, however, Raider Nation felt that they finally found a signal-caller that could take them to this level in Geno Smith.
Unfortunately, through the first month of the 2025 NFL season, Smith looks like an absolute disaster. In fact, fans are already calling for him to be benched, and this stat, which places him alongside Carr, the most polarizing player in franchise history, may be all the justification needed to make a change.
Geno Smith and Derek Carr comparison adds to Raiders fans' worries
Raiders fans are already prepared to move on from Smith; however, it doesn't appear that any change is on the horizon. The Associated Press's Josh Dubow shared a concerning comparison between Las Vegas' current quarterback and their long-time signal caller, adding more to the fan base's worries.
"31 QBs have started 80+ games in the last 15 seasons. Here are the 2 whose team has scored the fewest points per game in those starts: 30th: Derek Carr 22.0. 31st: Geno Smith 20.9," Dubow wrote.
While Carr had some good moments leading the Raiders, the offense was consistently at the bottom half of the NFL in scoring. There were just three seasons where the team finished in the top-16 in points during his nine-year span with the franchise, while the group was a top-ten unit just twice.
RELATED: Raiders are only delaying the inevitable by not benching Geno Smith
His tenure with the organization is sometimes viewed in a positive light by fans due to the instability under center before his arrival and neglecting to blame him for the team's poor record while playing alongside bad defenses. The reality, however, is that the offense itself wasn't great with Carr leading the way.
Smith, on the other hand, has had somewhat of an odd career trajectory. He started 29 games over his first two seasons and, in both years, the New York Jets fielded a bottom-five scoring offense. He made just five starts over the next seven years before taking over as the Seattle Seahawks' quarterback in 2022 and leading them to a top-ten scoring unit.
The offense regressed the following two years, however, as they finished 17th and 18th in scoring, respectively. In his first season in Las Vegas, he has looked more like the quarterback that he was to begin his career, as the offense has averaged an abysmal 16.6 points per game.
Carr was a homegrown player and often got the benefit of the doubt from the fanbase due to his breakout 2016 season. Smith will not be afforded that same level of respect, however, and he must prove that he can put points on the board, or the calls for him to be relegated to second-string duties will continue to grow louder.