HENDERSON, Nev. -- When Raiders quarterback Geno Smith was asked about the importance of remaining in Las Vegas for the duration of his contract and helping turn the franchise around, he said, "I'm expecting to win a lot of games here."
Smith was traded from the Seattle Seahawks and then signed a two-year, $75 million extension with the Raiders in the offseason. It was expected that his reunion with Pete Carroll, his former coach in Seattle, would make the Raiders a competitive team while ending the franchise's carousel of coaches and quarterbacks.
Instead, the Raiders are 2-12 and have lost eight straight games, prompting questions about the futures of both Carroll and Smith.
Smith said he is surprised by how the season has transpired, but acknowledged a sense of urgency within the organization to turn things around.
"That's what we're pressing towards, and nothing happens in one day [or] one year," Smith said. "We would have loved to win the Super Bowl this year, but that's not our reality right now. The reality is we've got to get better, and we've got to focus on getting better day to day, and anything else outside of that really is nonsense."
Smith has been a shell of the player who was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in Seattle. In 13 starts with Las Vegas, he has thrown for 2,648 yards and 16 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. Smith is 29th in the league in passer rating (84.5) and 32nd in QBR (32.4), ahead of only Tennessee Titans rookie Cam Ward.
If the Raiders decide to release Smith in the offseason, he would have a dead cap hit of $18.5 million. He has a cap hit of $26.5 million in 2026 and $39.5 million in 2027. However, he doesn't have any guaranteed money after 2026.
Smith returned to practice Wednesday after he missed last week's 31-0 road loss to the Eagles because of a right shoulder and back injury.
Smith, who was held out of practice last week and didn't travel with the team to Philadelphia, didn't comment on whether he would play Sunday against the Houston Texans.
"I'm just taking it day by day, trying to see how I feel today after practice, and then we'll move on from there," Smith said.
With three weeks left in the regular season, Smith isn't trying to dwell too much on what has already happened. His focus is on helping the team improve in the final weeks and end its losing skid.
"That's our record ... There's no assessment to be made," Smith said. "I control what I can control, which is going out there and playing football. If you start looking and thinking about things outside of your control, that's when I think you lose it. You've got to stay focused, and that's what I'm doing."