The Las Vegas Raiders rocked the boat in the NFL this offseason when they made an unexpected trade for quarterback Geno Smith. Of course, given his history with head coach Pete Carroll, the acquisition actually made perfect sense.
Not only did the Raiders need an upgrade under center, but they had the cap space to pay for an upper-tier player at the position. After weeks of negotiations, the two sides agreed on a three-year extension worth $106 million, which is just $37.5 million per year.
While this is obviously an incredible amount of money, it is insanely cheap compared to the contracts for every other premier quarterback. Not only this, but the Raiders have an out after the 2026 season that would only put them on the books for $66.5 million, all told.
49ers just made Raiders’ Geno Smith extension look like a massive bargain
This contract puts Las Vegas is a great spot, as they have no crippling financial incentive to keep Smith in the lineup if he underperforms for the Silver and Black. However, if he plays at the level most expect him to, he will be one of the biggest steals in recent memory.
By contrast, the San Francisco 49ers just made a major investment in quarterback Brock Purdy. They recently agreed to a five-year extension worth $265 million and $181 million in guaranteed money.
While Purdy has certainly enjoyed more playoff success than Smith, you'd be hard-pressed to find many who feel that Purdy can do more on a football field than Smith can. Purdy is younger and likely has a bit more upside, but his production alone does not warrant this kind of contract.
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Teams often struggle with building a roster around a quarterback after paying them the big bucks, and this is likely to happen for the 49ers. They already lost players like Deebo Samuel, Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga this offseason, and more will surely fall by the wayside in the coming years.
Such will not be the case for the Raiders, as they saved money at the most crucial position on the field without sacrificing any quality. This will allow them to add other starting-level players into the fold over the coming years without getting into a tricky situation with the salary cap.
If the team plays its cards right over the next several seasons, Smith's contract may go down as the single-best move made by the franchise in its illustrious history.