There hasn't been a franchise guy at the quarterback position for the Las Vegas Raiders since Derek Carr, who just retired after playing for the New Orleans Saints. And, even some of the fan base would say that he wasn't the franchise guy.
But, technically, he was, as he played and was the starter for pretty much a decade. Since he's left, the Raiders have tried Jimmy Garoppolo., the current backup for the Los Angeles Rams, Brian Hoyer, who doesn't seem to currently be employed, Aidan O'Connell, the current backup, Gardner Minshew, who's the backup for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Desmond Ridder, the former Atlanta Falcons starter who's been bouncing from practice squad to practice squad.
Now, they are trying once again, but not going the route of going through the draft like everyone wanted. This time, it's via trade, as they traded for Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith. And, so far, it's working.
Sure, he hasn't even played a game for the Raiders yet, but man, he seems to be blowing people away with what he's done this offseason.
"Impressive, man. Impressive. The guy really is about his craft. I mean, every day he's got some amazing pass where I'm like, '****". It's crazy. I'm just excited to see him do it in the game," defensive tackle Adam Butler told reporters last week at mandatory minicamp.
Butler played for the New England Patriots when Tom Brady was there, for a few years, so he's seen some stuff during the offseason that most humans probably don't see. He's likely seen some incredible throws and plays, and for him to not hold back and tell it how it is with Smith means these guys really respect what the new QB is doing.
But none of this offseason hype really matters. They still have to do it in the season. With the new pieces they have, new coaches, new scheme, and new QB, the offense should be much better, but that's not really saying anything.
