The Las Vegas Raiders found their quarterback for the foreseeable future when they dealt away a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Geno Smith. Having had his best success under head coach Pete Carroll in Seattle, Smith marks a significant upgrade at the position in Las Vegas.
However, his contract status did need to be worked out, as Smith is entering the final year of his deal and was set to be a free agent next offseason. But the Raiders made sure he never made it to the open market.
According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Raiders and Smith have agreed to a two-year contract extension that locks him in through 2027:
The Raiders’ move to lock in Smith was important and shows that they truly see him as their starting quarterback for a long time. Even though Smith is 34 years old, he still has plenty left in the tank, as he appeared in just 15 games with only five starts from 2015 until 2021.
But he suddenly exploded in 2022, winning the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award. He credited Carroll with instilling a new level of confidence in himself. Smith made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023 and has been one of the NFL’s most accurate passers over the past three seasons, throwing for 12,226 yards and 71 touchdowns.
With Smith locked in, the Raiders can maintain their focus on building out the rest of the roster and putting the right pieces in place to lift this team out of the basement and back into playoff contention.
Raiders to meet with Texas QB Quinn Ewers for pre-draft visit
There is still a chance the Raiders could select another quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft and develop him for a couple of years. One intriguing prospect is Texas QB Quinn Ewers, and the Raiders are doing their due diligence.
The Raiders were among the teams to meet with Ewers following his Pro Day at Texas, and he is also scheduled to meet with the Raiders in Las Vegas for one of his pre-draft visits. Last season, Ewers completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,472 yards and 31 touchdowns.
