Raiders' Geno Smith trade doesn't come without key worry as training camp opens

The Las Vegas Raiders made the trade because they had to.

They had to get better at quarterback, and Geno Smith was available, and so the Raiders made the deal to acquire him from the Seahawks.

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But now the question is really this: Is Geno good enough?

He's better, yes, an improvement, yes. But the bar hadn't been set too high in Vegas.

The Athletic's Tashan Reed writes that his biggest thing to watch in camp is whether Smith is not just better but also good enough.

"Smith has plenty of familiarity with coach Pete Carroll and multiple assistants on staff, but he’s still a newcomer working to learn offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s system and ingratiate himself with his teammates," Reed writes. "The Raiders have had a revolving door at quarterback for a few years and made a significant commitment to Smith with the belief that he’s the answer. The offense surrounding him isn’t anything to write home about — there are big question marks at offensive line and receiver — which puts a lot of pressure on him to be at his best. Training camp isn’t the end all be all, but fans will start to get restless if he doesn’t have a strong one."

The Raiders are in a tough division, which exacerbates the pressure on Smith.

Kansas City is Kansas City, led by Patrick Mahomes. Denver has on-the-rise Bo Nix. The Chargers will always be dangerous as long as they have Justin Herbert.

Smith is going to have to beat really good football teams to give the Raiders a chance at the playoffs.

And so from the moment camp opens, Smith's performance is worth watching. Because he needs to be really, really good himself.

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Thu Thao - 07/22/2025

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