The Las Vegas Raiders needed a massive upgrade at quarterback this offseason. After a brutal 2024 campaign that featured Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder as the team's starters, the new brass in Las Vegas went out and traded for veteran Geno Smith.
Smith provides instant stability at the position, and he is likely the best player the Raiders have had under center since Rich Gannon back in 2004. He won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022 and has been to the Pro Bowl twice in the last three seasons.
His rapport with new head coach Pete Carroll should be a distinct advantage as well. However, for as great a quarterback as Smith is, he is not without his faults. One of the things that makes him great, actually, could be seen as a limiting factor for this Raiders offense.
Geno Smith's big-play ability could mean two things for Raiders
Earlier this week, Raiders reporter Levi Edwards answered a question about Smith in his offseason mailbag. He talked about how the team's new quarterback has ample arm strength and confidence, but sometimes, that can be a double-edged sword.
"His biggest attribute I've noticed is his ability to place a ball only where his intended target can reach it. And for better or worse, he's confident enough in his arm to make the throw in double coverage," Edwards said. "Sometimes, it's resulted in an interception. But often, he's split the safety and complete a big gain or a would-be touchdown."
According to Pro Football Focus, Smith has been the highest-graded deep passer in the NFL over the last three years. While he will certainly need to push the ball downfield and hit deep threats like Tre Tucker and Dont'e Thornton Jr. for this Raiders offense to reach its potential, others would argue that Smith needs to rein it in a bit at times.
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Over the last three seasons, Smith has also thrown 35 interceptions. Granted, his turnover numbers were much lower when being coached by Carroll, as 15 of these came in 2024 under Mike MacDonald. However, Smith developed a reputation as being a bit turnover-prone last season.
Smith had the third-most interceptions in the NFL behind Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins in 2024, but several of these were the fault of poor protection or wide receivers dropping passes. With Carroll in tow, Smith's decision-making should be even better, and with the Raiders' offensive line and sure-handed guys like Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers, Smith should not have this problem again.
Las Vegas is poised for a major season with Smith under center, and while he may like to throw in tight windows and have a hankering for big plays, it will be nice for Raider Nation to watch a quarterback with confidence, for once.