The Las Vegas Raiders made their move at quarterback this offseason by trading for Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks, reuniting him with his former head coach, Pete Carroll. While that relationship played a big role in getting this deal to the finish line, it turns out Raiders minority owner Tom Brady was also involved.
After laboring through the 2024 campaign with a combination of Gardner Minshew IV, Aidan O'Connell, and Desmond Ridder under center, Las Vegas knew they needed to make a change at quarterback this offseason. That led them to Smith, who they picked up in a big trade with the Seahawks ahead of free agency.
"The Las Vegas Raiders have acquired QB Geno Smith via a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, the club announced Thursday. As part of the trade terms, Las Vegas will send the Seahawks a third-round selection (92nd overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft," the Raiders said in a statement officially announcing the deal.
Carroll's interest in Smith helped the Raiders pull this deal off, but according to a recent report, he also had support from Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl champion issued "a major sign-off" that helped convince Carroll and Las Vegas to pull the trigger on the deal and bring Smith to town.
"Smith, sources say, requested a trade last Thursday night following four days of unsuccessful contract negotiations ... Carroll, with a 'major sign-off from Tom Brady,' as one source familiar with the negotiations said, pulled the trigger Friday evening to land his former quarterback," Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported.
In his third season with the Seahawks as their starting quarterback, Smith threw for a career-high 4,320 yards and 21 touchdowns. After trading away Smith, Seattle responded by going out and signing Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract in free agency.
