The Las Vegas Raiders began the offseason by overhauling the team's leadership. Out was head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, and in was Pete Carroll and John Spytek.
Not only do these two bring competence and a winning pedigree, but their experience has netted them an incredible supporting staff. Spytek has been able to pluck executives from the Philadelphia Eagles front office, and Carroll put together an all-star lineup of assistant coaches.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was the headliner from the group, as he is fresh off a National Championship with the Ohio State Buckeyes. However, because his last NFL coaching gig was a failure, much has been made about what kind of impact he can have in Las Vegas.
Geno Smith and Chip Kelly did not run out of good things to say about each other
The most critical component of Kelly's work with the Raiders will be forming a strong relationship with new quarterback Geno Smith.
Based on what the two had to say about each other in last Thursday's press conference, it appears that things are off to a great start.
"There's a lot of things Geno can do, so I don't think you can just pigeon hole him. I think he runs better than people give him credit for ... he can also be a drop back guy," Kelly said. "He's great, he's literally like a second coach."
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Smith echoed this positivity when he spoke. The 34-year-old quarterback went on about what a great person Kelly is and how excited he is to play for him.
"In many ways, it's a dream come true because I've always revered Coach Kelly. I've always thought he's been an excellent coach throughout his career," Smith said. "Here we are today in Las Vegas. Being with Chip, you get to know him as a man, know what's about. Outstanding human being, but also just a great mind. ... He understands how to motivate guys, and I think that's a really good trait."
While it is only OTAs and plenty more will unfold during the rest of the offseason, this is a tremendous starting point for team's new pieces. Clearly, there was a disconnect last season between the head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback. However, things seem perfectly aligned in Las Vegas ahead of the 2025 season.