The Raiders are reportedly questioning whether Geno Smith is the right man to lead them going forward amid the team’s disastrous start to the NFL season.
The Las Vegas passer threw two interceptions in his team’s recent 40-6 loss to the Colts, and has had a league-leading nine passes picked off through five games.
The defeat meant that Las Vegas fell to 1-4 for the season and it’s now believed that confidence in Smith is dwindling.
According to NFL insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, the Raiders are aware that Smith’s performances need to drastically improve and it needs to happen soon.
The analysts labelled Smith as a ‘broken quarterback’ amid his ongoing struggles in the season and claimed he’s ‘relying on arm talent to force throws into tight windows’.
However, Fowler did admit that he doesn’t expect Smith ‘to get benched or anything this week’ when the Raiders take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon.
The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly losing faith in starting quarterback Geno Smith
Raiders quarterback Smith leads the NFL with nine interceptions through five games
Smith has thrown nine interceptions and has just one turnover-free game this season. He also has two games with three interceptions and one game with two interceptions.
Just recently, NBA star Damian Lillard urged the Raiders to trade for Shedeur Sanders following another difficult performance for quarterback Smith.
‘Time to gone ahead and trade for shedeur man smfh,’ he wrote on X.
He later mentioned the Raiders and Smith more specifically as he responded to a fan who accused the quarterback of being ‘washed.’
‘He not washed… he just turning the ball over. But it’s time to get shedeur on the team and get ready for the future,’ the Blazers guard said.
Sanders, meanwhile, remains behind fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel and Joe Flacco on the Browns’ depth chart, as the former made his first start for the team on Sunday.
In April, Smith signed a two-year, $75 million extension with the Raiders, which could be worth up to $85.5 million with incentives and includes $66.5 million guaranteed.
This extension keeps him with the Raiders through the 2027 season.
