Geno Smith Wants Out Of Las Vegas?

The Las Vegas Raiders traded for quarterback Geno Smith last offseason with the belief that he would be able to jump-start this rebuild and lead this franchise back into the postseason. Reuniting with head coach Pete Carroll, with whom he saw great success in Seattle, was supposed to lead to another great season.

Unfortunately, things did not go the way anyone hoped they would this season. The Raiders struggled mightily on offense all season long, with Smith leading the NFL in interceptions, as the Raiders wound up tied for the worst record in the NFL.

The Raiders have already decided to move on from Carroll after just one season, and now many are wondering if Smith’s time with the franchise is done as well. In an appearance on the Vegas Nation First and 10 podcast, Raiders insider Vinny Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal believes a split is basically a foregone conclusion, and likely something Smith wants as much as the Raiders:

“I think that’s almost as foregone a conclusion as Pete Carroll was. Asking John Spytek about Geno Smith, and… I think he said he’s under contract and he’s a quarterback. Those are two facts. He wasn’t lying about that part of it. [Geno] is under contract for next year, and he does play quarterback…”

“The way he played this year… I think Geno Smith wants out himself, maybe a clean slate if he even wants to continue to play football again. But I think Geno Smith has played his last game for the Raiders.”

Smith’s relationship with Carroll played a significant role in the Raiders trading for Smith in the first place, so it makes sense that both sides would be fine with parting ways after this abysmal season. Smith simply did not play well this season, and a split would likely be beneficial for both sides.

The Raiders are still in need of finding their franchise quarterback, and Smith will surely want to land somewhere where he can have another opportunity to fight for a starting job, so this offseason will see if both can accomplish what they are looking for.

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