Raiders counting on Geno Smith to bring 'stability' where they need it most

From left, Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek, quarterback Geno Smith and coach Pete Carroll attend a press conference at Raiders Headquarters, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Henderson. Photo by: Wade Vandervort

In the little more than two seasons since the Raiders moved on from longtime face of the franchise Derek Carr, they’ve started six different quarterbacks.

Now Las Vegas sees a path to sticking with one for at least the next three years. New coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek introduced their handpicked passer, veteran Geno Smith, Monday morning at Raiders’ headquarters in Henderson shortly after signing him to a contract extension that runs through the 2027 season.

“He’ll represent us in magnificent fashion,” Carroll said of the 34-year-old Smith. “I think it gives us instant stability in a crucial spot.”

Nothing else about Smith’s arrival in Las Vegas felt all that instant. Exactly a month before Monday’s event, the Raiders upended the offseason quarterback market by swinging a trade for Smith with the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a third-round pick.

Typically, teams rush to stage a news conference right after acquiring a player the caliber of Smith, a two-time Pro Bowler and 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award winner.

But Smith and the Seahawks’ disconnect stemmed from a failure to agree to a new deal, and it appears there was at least some similar hold-up with the Raiders given how much time elapsed after the trade.

Smith and the Raiders ultimately agreed to a two-year extension valued at $75 million with undisclosed incentives that could earn him around $10 million more. Smith said he harbored no ill will towards the Seahawks — calling their break-up “just business” — and felt the Raiders fairly compensated as the 16^th highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.

“I just feel I’m one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL,” Smith said. “I’m going to go out there and prove it.”

Mounting as much as a league-average passing game and overall offense would be a welcome change for the Raiders. After ranking no worse than 11^th in yards per play in the final four seasons with Carr, they’ve dropped to the league’s bottom five in each of the last two years.

Their collective average of less than 4.9 yards per play in that span has not been enough to stay competitive.

Smith’s offenses in three seasons as the starter in Seattle meanwhile averaged better than 5.5 yards per play to rank in the NFL’s top 10. The South Florida native has etched his place in history as having one of the best-ever career second acts among quarterbacks.

Initially drafted by the New York Jets in the second round out of West Virginia University, Smith struggled in his initial two seasons as a starter with 25 touchdowns to 34 interceptions. He then spent six straight seasons with four different teams as a backup until Carroll gave him a chance in Seattle following a trade of mainstay quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver.

Smith has never looked back from there, throwing for 12,226 yards with 71 touchdowns to 35 interceptions while only missing two games to injury.

“We talked when Pete and I got these jobs that every avenue we could explore to find a quarterback we would do,” Spytek said. “To have one that’s as accredited as (Smith is exciting). We were talking upstairs about his journey, the adversity he’s been through. He’s going to be a great resource to our players in this organization. He’s been through the worst. He’s seen it, and he’s come out the other side.”

Smith is still driven by being overlooked for most of his career and forced to take a roundabout way to the top. He said his own confidence in himself never waned though.

“I don’t want to sound arrogant but I knew an opportunity would come if I just continued to work hard and continued to believe,” Smith said. “Right before coach called me and said, ‘Hey, we want to give you the opportunity to start, you’ve got to compete for it,’ I was already saying I’m going to take somebody’s job somewhere.”

Carroll wants his whole team to have that level of determined self-belief, and his familiarity with Smith made him a natural target for the Raiders after a well-documented run at Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford fell short.

Carroll described Smith’s work ethic as “stellar.” The way the quarterback approached every day for two years in Seattle despite being the backup is what impressed Carroll the most and ultimately made Smith one of his favorite players he’s ever coached.

Carroll wasn’t around for the musical-chairs routine of the Raiders' quarterback position the last two seasons so when he talks about “stability” — a word he used numerous times on Monday — he’s referencing Smith’s everyday routine.

“I think about consistency and I think about integrity,” Smith said when asked what stability means to him. “Those are two things that I know I hang my hat on. I want to be consistent. I want to be the same guy every day. I want to be the first guy in, last guy out and I want to do that whether someone’s watching me or not.”

It’s taken a long time for Smith to get to the point of his career where he’s being counted to instill a team’s culture. It even took a relatively long time to iron out the details of his move to Las Vegas.

But he’s here now, and the Raiders are counting on him to stabilize an offense badly in need of a boost.

“It’s just a great fit,” Carroll said. “I’m so thrilled. This has been coming but today feels like the real deal. We’re finally here together, sitting next to each other and talking about getting out on the field and throwing the football around. That’s what we’re all about. We couldn’t be more connected in that regard.”