The Las Vegas Raiders were undoubtedly one of the NFL's worst teams in 2024, but they made the necessary improvements this offseason. Unlike in years past, the Raiders actually have a glimmer of hope in 2025 due to major upgrades at quarterback and head coach.
Geno Smith and Pete Carroll are now in charge of the Silver and Black, which most in league circles believe is, at worst, an above-average pairing. Smith has been to the Pro Bowl twice in the last three seasons and recorded a career-best 4,320 passing yards last year with the Seattle Seahawks.
However, ahead of his age-35 season, Smith continues to be disrespected by a few specific outlets. NFL Spin Zone's Lou Scataglia, in particular, is not a fan of Smith's fit with the Raiders, as he displayed in two recent articles.
Raiders' Geno Smith disrespected in recent NFL quarterback talks
On Saturday, Scataglia ripped Smith apart when listing his three most overrated quarterbacks in the NFL ahead of the 2025 season. Joining Smith on this list were the Chargers' Justin Herbert and Super Bowl-winner Jalen Hurts of the Eagles. Smith, however, got disrespected the most.
"Geno Smith has a weird sect of 'truthers' across the NFL landscape, and it's just odd. Smith is entering his age-35 season in the NFL and was a bad QB for about a decade," Scataglia wrote. "He broke out in the 2022 NFL Season with the Seattle Seahawks but has not been able to regain that magic since then. He was so [good] for Seattle that they traded him to a dysfunctional franchise for a third-round pick. I mean, what are we doing here? Comfortably the worst QB in the AFC West and one of the worst in the AFC itself, Geno Smith is a fine short-term option, but is not going to amount to much with the Raiders in 2025."
This is a pretty brutal attack on Smith that feels personal against both him and the Raiders' organization. While nobody would argue that the Silver and Black have been well-run over the last few years, it is a different era with Carroll, John Spytek and Tom Brady in charge.
Also, there is nothing comfortable about Smith being the worst quarterback in the AFC West, as both Herbert and the Broncos' Bo Nix are yet to win an NFL playoff game either. Nix certainly exceeded expectations as a rookie, but most still expect his ceiling to be limited and the Broncos to plateau.
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In another article on Sunday, Scataglia went after Smith again. He ranked each of the NFL's starting quarterbacks before the season, and Smith landed at No. 22, his lowest such ranking by any media outlet this offseason.
"Someone is going to have to talk to me like I am six and tell me why there are so many people out [there] who think Geno Smith is among the better quarterbacks in the NFL - it simply does not make any sense. Smith is entering his age-35 season in the NFL and was shipped to the Raiders for a third-round pick earlier this offseason," Scataglia wrote. "No better than an average QB in this league, I suppose Geno Smith could be viewed as an upgrade to what the Las Vegas Raiders previously had, but he's not nearly as good as Derek Carr was for them and is firmly the worst QB in the AFC West as well."
All of this offseason blabber and anti-Raiders bias will not matter when the regular season begins, and Smith is no stranger to being doubted. NFL fans, especially those in "Broncos Country," know all too well what happens when they write off Geno Smith: he won't write back.