Will Geno Smith Return to Raiders to Reclaim Starting Role This Week?

After Kenny Pickett struggled while starting in replace of Geno Smith, will the former Mountaineer return to action this week to try to end his season on a better note? It’s possible, but Smith’s status is uncertain at the open of the week.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll declined to answer if Smith will even practice early in the week. Smith didn’t practice at all last week and then ended up missing Las Vegas’ 31-0 loss to the Eagles.

“We’ll know more on Wednesday,” said Carroll, according to Ryan McFadden, who covers the Raiders for ESPN.

Pickett failed to provide any spark for an offense that was already among the league’s worst, throwing for just 64 yards with one interception and a quarterback rating of 47.9.

Smith’s debut season with the now 2-12 Raiders has been one of his worst from recent memory. The two-time Pro Bowler has 2,648 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and 14 picks in 13 games.

But no matter what Smith does in the final weeks of the season, questions about Smith’s future in Las Vegas will remain until a final decision is announced. Las Vegas will visit the Houston Texans on Sunday.

The Raiders traded for Smith during the offseason, reuniting Smith with Carroll from their time together in Seattle.

In his final season in Seattle, Smith threw for 4,320 yards while completing 70.4% of his passes. Smith also ran for 272 yards on the ground. He scored 23 total touchdowns to go along with 15 interceptions, his second highest total from a single season after his rookie year with the Jets.

Before being drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Jets, Smith racked up 11,662 passing yards and 98 touchdowns across three years as the starting quarterback for WVU, including 42 passing touchdowns to just six interceptions during his senior year. He finished his career near the top of most statistical passing categories for the program, leading the Mountaineers to a trio of bowl games and an Orange Bowl win.

A 2013 second round pick of the Jets, Smith washed out of New York after two seasons as the starter, playing sparsely until 2022 when he earned the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. From there, he caught on with the Seattle Seahawks and enjoyed a career renaissance until being traded to the Raiders.

Find more coverage of Geno Smith at WV Sports Now.