Dec 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Geno's Success More Likely with Raiders

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Mar 17, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders made a surprising trade this offseason when they acquired veteran quarterback Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks. Now the Raiders have their quarterback that they have been looking for.

Head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek were not going to wait around and hope a quarterback falls to them. Instead, they went out and looked and finally got a deal done for their quarterback that some think was the best quarterback option for the Silver and Black.

Smith is coming to the Raiders as a new player, but he is very familiar with Carroll because they spent time together in Seattle when Carroll was the head coach there.

The move for Smith made it clear that the Raiders are looking to win next season and will not wait around for a couple of years before they get things moving.

Our Hondo Carpenter and attorney Jonathan Schopp talked about how Geno Smith's best chance to find success is with the Raiders on a recent episode of the "Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast."

"At the end of the day, they [Raiders] said here is Geno who is has tremendous success under Pete Carroll, they are very close, they are tight," said Carpenter. "Chip Kelly recruited him out of college. He did not play for him but recruited him. He is a guy who knows what they want. They know his work ethic, they know his integrity, they know his character ... There are just a lot of reasons to like this. They are going to restructure him and extend his deal."

"There is more right than wrong. The intangibles that line up," said Schopp. "The quantity of Geno Smith. This is a thing that makes his success more likely with the Raiders than with anywhere else he could have gone, I am pretty sure he knows that. What he did not see really was a kind of house cleaning there in Seattle. That is their thing, the Raiders are not worried about that ... Here is what I like from the outside. I like how the Raiders manage the downside here."

Carroll made it clear that he wants to win in his first season with the Raiders. He has put the Raiders in a great position so far, heading into next season to do just that.

This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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