The Las Vegas Raiders went out and put an end to their quarterback pursuit as the team traded for Seattle Seahawks' quarterback Geno Smith. The trade lands Smith with his former coach in Seattle in the Raiders' new head coach Pete Carroll, to push fast forward on the rebuild.
While the team was connected to several free agent quarterbacks this offseason, the trade with the Seahawks made the most sense when looking at what the Raiders are trying to accomplish while coach Carroll is still in Las Vegas. What better way to get a rebuild in motion than adding a veteran quarterback with his former coach?
That being said, CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo broke down what he believes the Raiders grade should be following the trade transaction. DeArdo graded the move a B+. Below is what he had to say to back up the grade given.
"Carroll isn't interested in a long rebuild, so it makes perfect sense for him to go out and acquire a proven veteran who can bring some level of stability to Las Vegas. Having Smith on board gives the Raiders a chance at being competitive in 2025. And based on how he's played in recent years, Smith still has some good football left him," DeArdo wrote.
Since the 2022 NFL season, Smith has thrown for 12,226 passing yards, which gives him an average of 4,075 passing yards a season. While Smith hasn't always been in a starting position, he found his grove while in Seattle, as the Raider Nation hopes he packed that talent in a bag and brought it with him on the plane.
The Raiders went through a slew of quarterbacks this past season, and now that Smith has been handed the reigns, all he will need is a strong offense to work with. Now that the Raiders brought in Chip Kelly as the new offensive coordinator, the scene in Las Vegas could do a complete 180 if they are lucky.
"Like most older quarterbacks, Smith can only truly have success at this stage of his career if he has a strong supporting cast around him. That is not currently the case in Las Vegas, however, so the Raiders need to have a highly successful offseason if they want Smith to play up to his potential," DeArdo wrote.
