![\"Raiders](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2703699-geno-smith.jpg\")
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This was the year that\u00a0Geno Smith\u00a0was supposed to prove that his first couple of years as the starter for the\u00a0Seattle Seahawks\u00a0were not a fluke, but the opposite has been true. In nine games with the\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders, Smith has thrown 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and led the team to a 2-7 record.<\/p>\n
The Raiders play a really bad\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0defense on Monday Night Football in Week 11, so if Smith can\u2019t finally post some good numbers, it won\u2019t bode well for his future. At this point, it might not even matter.<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s Bill Barnwell\u00a0believes that it is more likely that Smith is one-and-done with the Raiders than it is that he comes back for another season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be a surprise if Smith made it to a second season with the Raiders as the starting quarterback,\u201d Barnwell wrote. \u201cBut there are explanations that can be made for his struggles. Smith hasn\u2019t had a healthy Brock Bowers for most of the season, and it\u2019s no surprise that his two best games have come when the team\u2019s franchise tight end was healthy against the\u00a0Patriots\u00a0and Jaguars. The Raiders have fielded replacement-level tackles since Kolton Miller went down because of an ankle injury in Week 4. And Chip Kelly\u2019s return to the NFL as Vegas\u2019 offensive coordinator has been a major disappointment, with the Raiders struggling to run or find reliable ways to get their best players the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
An issue with moving off of Smith is that he has an $18.5 million dead cap hit next season, and the Raiders will have to pay him an additional $8 million if they keep him on the roster after the start of the league year in March.<\/p>\n
If the Raiders find a new starting quarterback, Barnwell did point out that Smith has value as a backup.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question for the Raiders is whether they\u2019d want to pay an additional $8 million to keep Smith as their backup in 2026,\u201d Barnwell wrote. \u201cHe was already a well-established and respected backup before getting his opportunity to replace Russell Wilson in Seattle, and Smith could probably expect to land a contract in that price range if he hit free agency to serve as a backup or potential bridge starter to a young quarterback somewhere else. The Raiders probably would be interested in someone like Smith if they plan to draft a quarterback in 2026 anyway, so it wouldn\u2019t be too foolish to just pay the additional $8 million and hold on to the guy they already know.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an ideal world, the Raiders would be able to trade Smith and reclaim some kind of asset. While Barnwell thinks anything is possible, he doesn\u2019t believe it\u2019s likely that Las Vegas could find a suitor for the quarterback.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Raiders want to try trading Smith, they\u2019d have to get creative,\u201d Barnwell wrote. \u201cWilder things have happened, but I can\u2019t imagine any team taking on the full $26.5 million owed to Smith next season. Las Vegas could alternately eat some of the $8 million left for Smith to make his deal more palatable and recoup a late-round pick in the process. But that\u2019s never a fun conversation to have with ownership, especially about a player who was prioritized by this new regime.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Denver Broncos received tough news Friday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As NBC Sports noted, NFL Network\u2019s Ian Rapoport reported that running back\u00a0J.K. Dobbins\u00a0will amiss Sunday\u2019s matchup against the\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0due to a significant foot injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rapoport added that Dobbins is \u201cbelieved to be out for the foreseeable future.\u201d<\/p>\n
His placement on injured reserve remains a real possibility as the team evaluates its options.<\/p>\n
\u201cDobbins is still working through options, and while there is no final determination, IR remains a possibility,\u201d Rapoport said.<\/p>\n
The report came from himself and Tom Pelissero.<\/p>\n
The development marks a quick escalation from earlier in the week, when Dobbins missed Wednesday and Thursday\u2019s practices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that point, the team had not revealed the full severity of the injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dobbins\u2019 injury stems from a hip-drop tackle last Thursday against the\u00a0Raiders, a play that left him frustrated enough to take to X and call for the move to be banned.<\/p>\n
Dobbins ranks fifth in the\u00a0NFL\u00a0with 772 rushing yards and has been a huge part of Denver\u2019s offense so far this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While Dobbins has officially been ruled out for Week 11, the next major decision comes quickly.<\/p>\n
The Broncos must determine by Saturday afternoon whether to place him on injured reserve.<\/p>\n
If he is moved to IR before Sunday, the Chiefs game will count toward a required four-game absence.<\/p>\n
Placing Dobbins on IR would sideline him for matchups against the Chiefs,\u00a0Commanders, Raiders, and\u00a0Packers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He would be eligible to return Week 16 against the\u00a0Jacksonville Jaguars.<\/p>\n
Head coach Sean Payton acknowledged that discussions are ongoing.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing has been decided yet, and at some point there will be more clarity with him and some of these other players,\u201d Payton said earlier this week.<\/p>\n
Denver\u2019s Week 12 bye gives the team a small cushion, but if the injury is significant enough to keep him out multiple weeks, the IR designation becomes more likely.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith JK Dobbins potentially headed to Injured Reserve, all eyes turn to RJ Harvey,\u201d Rapoport said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
RJ Harvey\u00a0has already flashed his dynamic potential in limited work.<\/p>\n
Payton praised Harvey\u2019s running style, durability, and readiness to step into a larger role:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we drafted him, it was his running skillset, and he had a lot of touches at Central Florida,\u201d Payton said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are starting to see him grow in front of our eyes, and he will have more opportunities in this game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tyler Badie\u00a0will likely mix in as a third down guy, while\u00a0Jaleel McLaughlin\u00a0could be active as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s divisional matchup against the Chiefs carries major playoff implications for both teams and Harvey has a huge opportunity to step up and flourish in the RB1 role.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This was the year that\u00a0Geno Smith\u00a0was supposed to prove that his first couple of years as the starter for the\u00a0Seattle Seahawks\u00a0were not a fluke, but the opposite has been true. In nine…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t