The Las Vegas Raiders had one of their worst seasons in franchise history despite entering the year with expectations of being competitive. It was a complete letdown of a campaign, as the team finished just 3-14, with over half of those losses coming in embarrassing fashion.
There was plenty of blame to go around, with the coaching staff, front office, and defense all shouldering their share. The offense, however, was the biggest problem, as many believed the unit was ready to take the next step, only for them to finish 32nd in both scoring offense and total yards.
Offensive line coach Brennan Carroll and his unit certainly played a major role in the shortcomings on that side of the ball, as did offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who was fired after a Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns despite being the highest-paid coordinator in league history.
John Spytek sounds ready to make QB change after Geno Smith's underwhelming season
Geno Smith is not above criticism, either, despite being saddled by poor offensive line play. He missed two games in 2025, but Smith still led the league in interceptions and sacks taken. Smith finished the year playing in 15 games, leading Las Vegas to a 2-13 mark in those starts.
While he completed 67.4% of his pass attempts, he threw for just 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions, in addition to taking 55 sacks. It does not appear that Smith, who always seemed like he was acquired due to his relationship with Pete Carroll, will be starting for the Raiders in 2026.
General manager John Spytek was very noncommittal when asked about Smith's status entering the offseason on Monday. It sounds as if Spytek is ready to move on from the veteran quarterback.
"Geno's under contract for next year. We did that because, when we traded for him, we liked him. I'm not going to get too far into the future right now. I'm day-by-day, but he's one of the guys that's under contract. He's a quarterback. He played some good football this year, and we'll make those decisions going forward."
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Sticking to the facts and being very vague is certainly one way to address this question. Providing a vote of confidence would have gone a long way, but Spytek's choice not to do so is an admittance that Smith isn't likely to factor into the future plans.
Smith took to his Instagram story to show support for Carroll after news broke that he had been fired on Monday. He also wiped his page clean of Raiders content, only leaving a photo of himself and his cousin, Jeremiah Smith, after the latter's Ohio State Buckeyes won last year's national championship.
The Raiders appear likely to draft a quarterback first overall, which would leave Smith without a starting job. While he could be kept around to serve as a mentor to the rookie, it is unclear if either he or the franchise is willing to go that route.
Las Vegas would save about $8 million while taking on an $18.5 million dead cap hit if they do release the veteran quarterback. Based on Spytek's bare bones answer, it's not crazy to think that this is the route that the organization will take.