When the NFL’s annual quarterback game of musical chairs started during the offseason, it looked like QB Geno Smith would stay in his current chair with the Seattle Seahawks. After all, why punt on a resurgent quarterback who’s capable of posting big numbers?
The Las Vegas Raiders are finding out exactly why. Seattle GM John Schneider elected to move on from Smith, trading him to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick rather than give Smith a big contract. And the Raiders are finding out why the Seahawks signed Sam Darnold instead, with Darnold leading Seattle to two game-winning drives and a 3-1 record.
The Raiders, meanwhile, are in disarray. They’re 1-3 going into this week’s road game against the Indianapolis Colts, and Smith has been erratic, to say the least. Last week he cost Las Vegas a potential win against the Chicago Bears, getting intercepted three times to ruin running back Ashton Jeanty’s breakout game in a 25-24 loss.
So far this is a solid example of the old adage that it’s better to move on from an older player too soon than waiting for the inevitable decline to happen. Schneider did the same thing with quarterback Russell Wilson, and the Denver Broncos ended up having to foot the bill for the end of Wilson’s massive contract.
Smith needs to change the narrative here, and that change has to happen now. He is capable of it—Smith did throw for three touchdowns and 289 yards against the Washington Commanders the week before, after all, and he had a 300-yard game against the New England Patriots in the Raiders opening win.
As it stands now, the Raiders are still trying to find their identity. Smith’s up and down season has kept the team from posting as a team built around an effective passing game, and Jeanty did almost nothing for the first three games on the ground. The defense has been similarly erratic, ranking near the top of the league in points allowed for the first two games, then giving up 66 in the last two.
The news gets worse, unfortunately. Left tackle Kolton Miller is gone for at least a month, and possibly a lot longer after sustaining a hairline fracture of his ankle against the Bears. Star defensive end Maxx Crosby just turned up on the injured list yesterday, and tight end Brock Bowers hasn't been the same player since he tweaked his knee against New England.
If you’re a gambler, you’re thinking this might be a “good Geno” week, but that’s the kind of logic that feels like a bad bet going into this one.