When John Spytek took the Las Vegas Raiders general manager position alongside new head coach Pete Carroll, the shiny new Silver and Black tandem was adamant about solving the club's quarterback conundrum.
Less than two months after Spytek was introduced as the Raiders GM, he engineered a trade to answer Las Vegas' QB question with the acquisition of Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks.
Based on an overall appreciation for his skill set and intangibles, coupled with Carroll's past relationship with him, Smith taking over the QB reins was the right move for the new-look Raiders.
"As we got into it and we evaluated the options in free agency, the other players that maybe were available via trade, ultimately we arrived at a spot where we thought adding Geno made a lot of sense for us," Spytek told the team's "Upon Further Review" with Eddie Paskal. "It upgraded the position in our opinion. The compensation from a draft capital standpoint wasn't so costly. I mean, I love my picks more than anybody and I gotta remind coach Carroll how much I love picks. But listen, we used a late third-round pick to hopefully have our starting quarterback here for years to come. And it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up."
To be exact, the Seahawks sent Smith to the Raiders in exchange for a 2025 NFL Draft third-round selection -- the 92nd overall pick. Smith, 34, is entering the final year of his current contract, so an extension -- and a bit more than the just paying the cost of a pick -- could be likely. Nonetheless, Smith portends to be a significant upgrade under center for a franchise that's cycled through Derek Carr, Jarrett Stidham, Jimmy Garoppolo, Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew over the past three seasons -- each of them losing campaigns.
During that same span, Smith led the Seahawks to three straight winning years and a playoff berth, while earning a pair of Pro Bowl selections. Seattle's success was hardly overwhelming, hence Carroll's departure after the 2023 season. Nonetheless, Smith's career was revived under Carroll and he played some stellar ball, even if he's not always recognized among the elite.
"Obviously, there's a familiarity with coach and with Geno from Seattle, and really Geno played his best football for coach there," Spytek said. "And, when you've watched Geno through the years, he can throw the football with the best of any of them, honestly. You watch some of the throws he makes over and over again downfield, short, intermediate, the touch is there, the arm strength is there."
Smith garnered an 82.5 overall grade from PFF in 2024, good for ninth overall -- just above San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy and just below Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes. Over his three seasons starting in Seattle, Smith's accuracy has been his calling card, as he's completed 68.5% of his passes for 71 touchdowns, 12,226 yards and 35 interceptions.
For a Raiders squad looking for a quick turnaround, Smith might well prove to be the best solution at the game's most important position.
"Really, the opening press conference, I feel like coach and I kinda hammered home we were going to leave no stone, no rock unturned at really any position, but critically the quarterback position," Spytek said. "We were trying to be involved in any possible player movement that there was at the quarterback position."
Spytek and Carroll carried out their quest in quick fashion.
"Super excited that's Geno here," Spytek said, "and can't wait to see what he can give to our offense."
