The Las Vegas Raiders have already answered the biggest questions of their offseason by hiring veteran head coach Pete Carroll and making a surprise trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.
Following Gardner Minshew II’s release, Smith is expected to step in right away as the Raiders’ starting quarterback in Year 1 of Carroll’s tenure, with Aidan O’Connell backing him up.
Thanks to a new extension, Smith should be the starter in Las Vegas for at least the next few years. While he’ll still have his doubters — he’s got just one playoff appearance on his résumé — he already has the support of the most important people in the Raiders’ building.
Tom Brady ‘Recognized’ Why Geno Smith Was Right for Raiders
In a new report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Smith spoke about the days leading up to the trade that landed him in Las Vegas and his inability to agree on an extension with Seattle.
Maybe the most eye-opening part of the conversation was Smith’s mention of a FaceTime call with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. The legendary quarterback gave Smith high praise and some simple, straight-up advice.
“I’ve always really been hard on myself about being able to play the game without using all the physical attributes. And from watching my tape, that’s something that [Brady] noticed, how I handle protections and can get in and out of plays,” Smith said.
“We ran a very intricate system [last year]. It was our first year in the system, but we didn’t hold back on anything. And I think that’s something that [Brady] recognized, he noticed … Stuff from the neck up, decision-making, leadership, just all those things are the things that Tom talked to me about — reasons why they wanted me.”
Smith finished 15th in PFSN’s QB+ metrics in 2024, ending the year with a 77.6 QB+ grade. That’s not eye-popping, but it was better than O’Connell (20th, 73.8) and Minshew (35th, 60.6).
Even with Seattle’s shaky offensive line, Smith completed 70.4% of his passes for 4,320 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions on 407 completions. The turnovers need to come down, but he’s still an upgrade from what Las Vegas rolled out last season.
Looking at the advanced stats, Smith’s final game as a Seahawk in Week 18 was a beauty: 0.37 EPA per dropback, a 54.5% third-down conversion rate, 1.04 EPA/DB inside the opposing half, and 7.8 net yards per attempt. He was efficient both from a clean pocket (0.45 EPA/DB) and under pressure (0.17 EPA/DB).
Still, the full-season numbers were just OK. He ranked 21st in EPA per dropback (0.03), 20th on third downs (37.4%), and 14th in nYPA (6.9). It was a repeat of his 2022 form, but Seattle watched the playoffs from home this time.
Brady has become a key voice in the Raiders’ building and was involved in hiring Carroll and the trade for Smith. His fingerprints are on nearly every big move the team made this offseason, including the signing of former Patriots linebacker Elandon Roberts.
As for Smith, having the GOAT in your corner is not a bad feeling. A career year could be right around the corner for the 34-year-old QB.