The Las Vegas Raiders underwent a ton of change this offseason, as the franchise brought in a new regime with head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek, and also made some changes at key positions.
The Raiders' biggest offseason acquisition was quarterback Geno Smith. Las Vegas sent the No.92 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Seattle Seahawks for Smith, who ended up signing a two-year extension worth $75 million a few weeks after being traded to the Raiders.
Seattle ended up using the pick acquired in the deal on Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, who could be the future starter at the position for Mike Macdonald's squad.
Adding Smith upgraded the quarterback position in a major way for Las Vegas. However, Yardbarker's Seth Trachtman is a bit skeptical of the trade, calling it the most head-scratching move Spytek has made this offseason.
There's no question that Raiders needed a change at quarterback, and Smith is quite familiar with new head coach Pete Carroll. However, the Raiders invested a third-round pick and significant cap space to take on Smith, who is arguably the worst quarterback in the AFC West. He had a mediocre 53.8 QBR last season, but is guaranteed $66.5 million over the next two seasons.
Smith did have an up-and-down 2024 campaign, as he tossed 21 touchdowns to 15 interceptions and failed to lead the Seahawks to the postseason for the second straight year.
Though Smith struggled with turnovers last year, we have to take into consideration the situation he was in. Seattle's offensive line was mediocre, and he also didn't get much help from the rushing attack.
Additionally, Seattle was playing in one of the toughest divisions in football in the NFC West, and Smith was still able to lead Seattle to a solid 10-7 record, narrowly missing the playoffs.
The Raiders did invest a lot of money into Smith and are banking on him to elevate them in 2025, but labeling the move head-scratching is just wrong. Las Vegas was able to upgrade its most pressing need with an experienced veteran who has been one of the most accurate and efficient quarterbacks in the sport over the last few years.
