Even though a segment of Las Vegas Raiders fans didn't think much of Derek Carr, they would have loved to have him under center the last two seasons. A quarterback upgrade was in store this offseason, and ties to head coach Pete Carroll fueled a trade for Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks.
The Raiders have a challenge ahead to climb the standings in a tough AFC West this year, but an air of on-field credibility automatically comes from having a capable quarterback. Las Vegas' key pass catchers will also benefit from having Smith, especially tight end Brock Bowers, who had the most uncatchable targets among tight ends last year.
With some question marks on the defensive side of the ball, especially at cornerback, the Raiders' offense is going to have to produce at a high level, week in and week out. Smith will, of course, be a major catalyst in whether that happens.
Prediction for Geno Smith in 2025 would foretell good things for the Raiders
ESPN's Dan Graziano has offered up a bold prediction for every team in the league heading into the 2025 NFL season. For the Raiders, Graziano said he would not be surprised if Geno Smith set a career-high in passing yards.
"Smith's current career high is the 4,320 he put up last season in Seattle behind a substandard offensive line. Las Vegas doesn't have a great O-line, but there are signs that it should be better than what he had in Seattle," Graziano wrote. "Plus, second-year tight end Brock Bowers and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty bring explosiveness to the offense and will offer new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly the ability to get creative with alignments and play calls."
Much has been made about Kelly's revamped offense, and Smith is sure to benefit from the variety of offensive weapons in Las Vegas. But if he set a career-high in passing yards this season, it would be the most in a single year from a Raiders quarterback since Carr's 4,804 in 2021.
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In two of his last three years with the Seahawks, Smith was top-10 in the league in pass attempts and eclipsed 4,200 passing yards. This was all while having a completion percentage nearing 70%.
It's also fair to say that his situation with the Raiders is a few notches better than his situation in Seattle last year. Not to mention, given the state of the defense, Smith may have to throw the ball a lot for Las Vegas to stay in games.
If Smith resets his career-high in passing yards this year, even if some negative game scripts help him get there, it will undeniably be a good thing for the Raiders. More than that, his mentality, along with that production, will make the Silver and Black a team to be reckoned with each and every week.