The Las Vegas Raiders hit rock bottom on Sunday, losing 40-6 to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. Starting quarterback Geno Smith struggled mightily. Nobody would blame the Raiders if they’re considering benching Smith, but they’re invested in helping him snap out of this funk.
Smith completed 25-of-36 passing attempts for 228 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. It went down as Smith’s third multi-interception game in five appearances this season. His nine INTs lead the NFL.
Most INT thrown this season
Geno Smith 9
Joe Flacco 6
Jake Browning 5
5 players tied 4 pic.twitter.com/YUDVZTU6nT— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 5, 2025
The Raiders acquired Smith from the Seattle Seahawks during the offseason in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick. Smith, who then signed a two-year, $75 million contract extension with the Raiders, was reunited with head coach Pete Carroll, who previously coached him in Seattle. That makes benching the veteran quarterback a difficult conversation. He’s tied to the head coach.
The Raiders do have a borderline starting-caliber backup quarterback. They acquired Kenny Pickett via trade following Aidan O’Connell’s preseason wrist injury. Pickett, a former first-round quarterback, is 15-10 in 25 career starts. He’s a game-manager style QB who doesn’t take unnecessary risks. Perhaps the Raiders could use that sort of ball security right now.
The Raiders acquired Smith because they wanted to compete this season. They’re 1-4 and Smith’s recurring turnover issues are a major problem. Some difficult conversations should be occurring between John Spytek and Carroll.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Do the Raiders need to bench Geno Smith?
