Geno Smith believes himself to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and wants to prove that after being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders while reuniting with Pete Carroll.
After spending six years with the Seattle Seahawks and the last three as their starting quarterback, Smith had hoped for a bigger contract offer from the team to remain with them. The quarterback had hoped to be given an extension at the end of the 2023 season, something the Seahawks were not willing to do while sticking to their precedent of not giving extensions to players with more than one year remaining on their current deals.
That had begun his thoughts that he may have to leave the team, after he had posted some intriguing tweets around that time in the 2024 offseason leading many to suggest that Smith's may not be for long with the Seahawks.
After finishing out the 2024 season with new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, whom he had praised in his recent introductory press conference with the Raiders, Smith received an offer from the team which he rejected and had no counter.
The deal would have given Smith around the same money as what the Raiders had eventually signed him on, but had also given the Seahawks opportunities to get out of the deal - potentially seeing him released as early as 2026. A younger roster, the Seahawks are trending towards selecting a quarterback in the next few years of the draft, despite signing Sam Darnold to a contract, with Smith potentially releasing he may be more of a bridge quarterback with them.
The Raiders, though, pitched a stronger case. They would make him their starter in a team coached by the man who gave him his opportunity to start with in Seattle in Carroll, while building the offense around him on a three-year deal.
And now, Smith is looking to prove any doubters wrong as he moves over to the AFC West. He said: "Not in a cocky or arrogant way, but I just feel I'm one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. I want to prove it to my teammates everyday and I want to make sure I am one of the best on Sundays."
Smith has played at a high level over the last three years, being a Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023, despite playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league.
While it has been reported that Smith signed a two-year, $77.5 million deal with the Raiders, those figures are not entirely accurate. The quarterback has retained his one-year, $31 million deal from his previous, meaning he'll be contracted with the Raiders through the 2027 season - which is also when Carroll's contract is up.
