Two weeks ago, Geno Smith took full responsibility for the Raiders’ 16-33 loss to the Cowboys. “Blame it on me,” he said. Head coach Pete Carroll, who brought Smith to Las Vegas from Seattle, took those words seriously. With the Raiders currently at 2-10, Carroll made his perspective clear on his quarterback amid the chaos.

“He’s [Geno] been around long enough to know he’s going to carry the burden and be the one everybody points the finger at,” Carroll said. “So I wanted to make sure and stay with him and hang through that. Get him back to his football and back where he could play really clean. And he really has turned the corner in that regard.”

The Raiders’ season has been painful to watch so far. They’ve been nowhere close to the team fans hoped for after Carroll’s arrival. With the Seahawks from 2010 to 2023, Carroll never had a season with fewer than seven wins and led them to two Super Bowl appearances, winning one in 2013. Carroll himself admitted the team’s overall production is well below expectations.

 “We haven’t been as productive as we want to be and need to be,” the coach acknowledged, “but his role in it and [Geno’s] efficiency is really much more on point than it was early in the season.”

Carroll also hinted there are “reasons” behind Smith’s improved efficiency, promising to delve deeper into those changes during the offseason. The stats may paint a grim picture. Still, Carroll emphasized the importance of regular communication, describing his relationship with Smith as “crucial” throughout the season.

But it’s hard to ignore the grim reality on the field. The Raiders have lost six games in a row and sit last in the AFC West, showing few signs of turning things around anytime soon. Their offense has rarely cracked a total of 400 yards, and once fell as low as 95 yards when shut out by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7.

Most of the blame has understandably fallen on Carroll and Smith as the key figures running the team. That leads to an important question: Will the Raiders part ways with Smith when the season ends?

Is the Raiders-Geno Smith marriage heading for a divorce?

This season, Smith’s performance has been plagued by inconsistency, with 2,532 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. A solid stat line yet overshadowed by his 14 interceptions, tying for the league’s highest. The decline from his Seattle years, where he earned two Pro Bowl nods and the 2022 AP Comeback Player of the Year award, is clear.

According to Over The Cap, his deal involves a significant $18 million cash commitment next year, a substantial hit that would financially hurt the Raiders. Still, Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated shared that Geno and the Raiders won’t part ways so soon.

“I would suspect they will probably bring Geno back at this point. That is not definitive, but I’m just reading the tea leaves, talking to some people,” Carpenter said.

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Carpenter believes the Raiders want to develop a young quarterback, but that doesn’t mean Smith will vanish immediately. With eight draft picks in 2026, selecting a rookie QB is on the table, but that player would likely need some time behind a seasoned starter.

“I think they will probably bring Geno back to develop [a young quarterback],” Carpenter said

There’s also Kenny Pickett, the team’s other quarterback option. While he provides a veteran presence, Pickett doesn’t yet have game experience to lead confidently. Since last year, he’s started only one game, appearing in seven total contests. This season, he saw action in just two games, completing 2 of 3 passes for 8 yards with no touchdowns.

As the Vegas Raiders sit far from the playoffs again, with only two wildcard appearances since 2002, their future remains unclear. The next battle awaits against the Denver Broncos, leaders of the AFC West at 10-2.