The fans might be done with Geno Smith, but are the Raiders done with Geno Smith?
That will be a decision for after the season, but at least one insider covering the team thinks the Raiders will probably run it back with Smith for one more year.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore, the guaranteed money in Smith’s contract could play a role in the team’s decision on his future.
“Geno Smith, everyone brings up the hard cap hit. It’s also $18 million in cash that you have to pay him. It’s not something that’s just a repercussion, you know, a salary cap repercussion,” Bonsignore said on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate this week.
“This is actual money,” Bonsignore continued. “So I would probably lean more toward… you draft a quarterback, Geno Smith becomes the guy that you roll into next year with until you feel like the rookie is ready to take over and then you hand over the reins to him. That might not be next year. It could be the year after that.”
The decision makers in Las Vegas might have reasons to bring back Smith in 2026, but it wouldn’t be a decision that is well received by the fan base.
Five days ago, the $75 million quarterback flipped the “bird” at fans as he walked off the field, and maybe more obnoxious was his decision before the game to ignore fans who actually wanted to high-five him as he walked onto the field.
Unprovoked and uninterested, Geno looked away while teammates, including D.J. Glaze, Brock Bowers and Tyler Lockett, acknowledged the fans.
The video (below) was shared on Instagram by super fan Gorilla Rilla.
For what it’s worth, Lincoln Kennedy talked this week about something he has noticed that might be a sign Smith has been wearing on some of his teammates.
“I see more and more things. And this is a big thing to me, because this is big in body language. I don’t see a lot of offense linemen picking up Geno Smith when he’s down,” Kennedy said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show podcast.
“The reason why I say that is because we have a measure of pride in the offensive line room. We don’t leave one of our guys on the ground too long. Even if it wasn’t your man that hit him, quarterback goes down, you go over to pick him up, help him up, give him help in hand.”
“I don’t know what that translates into in the locker room,” Kennedy continued. “I’m not saying that there’s a level of disconnect between Geno and the players. I’m just saying from this body language and this record, this is what you’re going to get. And it’s probably going to get worse.”
x: @raidersbeat
Vinny…You and Your Draft a QB!!! Screw the QB… 78% of Sure Thing First Round “Franchise” QBs are BUSTS!!!! This team needs to invest their top two picks both in 2026 and 2027 and maybe even longer into Offensive and Defensive Linemen…. Ther are NEVER enough of them and those are the Position Groups that makes a Winner. With a Great Rush it is amazing how much better the secondary becomes… and when you can run AND protect the QB it is Amazing just how good an Offense becomes. The Big Uglies are the Key to Winning – EVERYONE with an iota of Football Knowledge will tell you that the game is won or lost in the Trenches. Everyone wants a Flash Position in the first 2 rounds so it is easy to get destracted from the Truth.
Couldn’t have said it better myself