Now that NFL free agency is a week in the books, there are some teams looking vastly different, and that includes the Las Vegas Raiders.
After all, the most important position in the game, today, also happened to be the team's biggest question mark heading into the offseason. Then, came the news of the Geno Smith trade. It was a move not many saw coming, but Las Vegas viewed it as a necessary deal to get done.
Over all of the moves made in the past week and a half, whether it be via trade or free agency signing, ESPN's Field Yates believes the Raiders made the best one. Yes, even over the likes of Myles Garrett somehow staying in Cleveland, New England snagging Milton Williams and other notable names like Davante Adams and Cooper Kupp on the move, it's Smith to the Raiders who takes the cake.
"This happened a few days before free agency kicked off, but I really like this move. For a team searching for quarterback certainty, there may not have been a better available option than Smith," he wrote.
The Geno Smith trade, above all else, was necessary
Yates' point makes a ton of sense. The Raiders had no idea if they were going to be able to draft their quarterback at no. 6 overall, and they weren't willing to take a chance. Even then, if they somehow managed to get either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, neither one of them are guaranteed to pan out.
We know Smith is a capable starter, and the Raiders wanted just that.
"The Raiders still have plenty of work to do to compete in the AFC West, but securing a starter at the most important position for just a third-round pick was too good to pass up. Familiarity with coach Pete Carroll only emboldens my confidence in this acquisition," Yates finished.
The point of Smith coming in and already knowing Pete Carroll cannot be overstated, either. The familiarity is huge. And, to get a quarterback who has thrown for over 4,000 yards in two of his last three seasons, for just a third rounder, is a steal.
You can argue a few other moves being the best in all of football, over the past couple of weeks, but Yates likes Smith to the Raiders, and this fan base should take much away from that. Vegas is still a ways out from competing, but they got the most important spot under control for the time being.
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