As part of yet another accelerated rebuild, the Las Vegas Raiders brought in quarterback Geno Smith and head coach Pete Carroll to compete with the rest of the AFC West. The Raiders have failed these soft rebuilds before and it took just one play in OTAs for Smith to prove to LA Chargers fans that they shouldn't be worried.
Smith, who was traded by the Seattle Seahawks and replaced by Sam Darnold, started his Raiders career off in the worst way imaginable. The veteran quarterback stepped back and fired an interception to the middle of the field on the very first play of Raiders OTAs
Safety Jeremy Chinn came away with the interception and while one may spin it as a hot start for Chinn, it's really a concerning start for Smith in the silver and black.
Geno Smith wastes no time comforting Chargers fans during Raiders OTAs
Smith's breakout in Seattle is one of the best NFL stories of the last half-decade. Seemingly destined to always be a team's No. 2, the former Chargers backup quarterback got one last chance to start after the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
Smith didn't just outplay Wilson, he played line one of the best quarterbacks in the sport. This gave the Seahawks enough hope to start Smith the next two seasons. And while Smith had some great moments, his numbers did start to slip toward the end of his Seattle tenure.
Smith completed a career-high 70.4% of his passes in 2024 but he also threw 15 interceptions to only 21 passing touchdowns. Only Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins had more interceptions last season. Mayfield at least had 41 touchdowns, Cousins was benched midseason in favor of Michael Penix Jr.
The arrow is pointing down for Smith and if there is one team that is great at getting off quarterbacks at exactly the right time it is the Seahawks. They did it with Matt Hasselbeck, they did it with Russell Wilson, and now, they may be doing it with Smith as well.
Plus, there is a certain hex on the Raiders franchise that always seems to impact players. In Smith's case, it may be a simple combination of regression for a quarterback in his late-30s mixed with wide receivers who aren't as good in Vegas as they were in Seattle (although Brock Bowers is elite).
This isn't to say the Raiders can't win games if Smith takes more of a game-manager approach and relies on Ashton Jeanty to carry the load. But as far as franchise quarterbacks go, the Chargers don't have to worry about Geno Smith on the Raiders.