The Raiders managed to upgrade at the quarterback position in the offseason, but does Geno Smith have it in him to play at the level Derek Carr did for so many years with the Raiders?
At least one beat writer covering the team seems to think so.
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter has followed the Raiders during OTAs and he believes the team is getting the best quarterback play he has seen in six years covering the team.
“I will tell you in the six years that I have watched the Raiders and covered this team, and this is no disrespect to anybody, though everyone’s going to take it that way… it’s the best quarterbacking I’ve seen in offseason drills,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“This is my sixth one, and [Geno Smith] looks better than anybody they’ve had, period,” Hondo continued on his podcast the next day.
“I don’t want to hear that, ‘Oh, Hondo hates Derek [Carr],’ because you know that’s not true. I consider Derek a friend, [I’ve got] a good relationship with him. Geno is just smooth… He is just so smooth with the football, and he knows when to zip it. He knows when to put touch. He has a much quicker release than I thought. I’m a little bit surprised.”
There will be plenty of time to discuss where Smith stacks up against Carr and other quarterbacks to wear the Silver & Black, but it sure seems like the organization is heading into the 2025 season with the most stability at the quarterback position they’ve had in a while.
If the Raiders were good enough to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs with Aidan O’Connell at quarterback, they ought to be able to compete in the AFC West with the addition of Smith and one of the most accomplished head coaches in the league, right?
Everyone knows about Pete Carroll’s history with Smith, but according to NFL insider Adam Caplan, Chip Kelly wanted Smith long before Carroll ever had him.
In segment last week with flagship radio host Q Myers, Caplan said Smith was the quarterback Kelly wanted with the Philadelphia Eagles more than a decade ago.
“Interesting little fact for you. Chip Kelly, when he was the Eagles head coach, Geno Smith was his guy leading up to the draft,” Caplan said on Raider Nation Radio’s Unnecessary Roughness.
“Actually, it was really…. I would say, the combine, the offseason, and then they went to his pro day work out at West Virginia and they kind of moved off of him. But [Chip Kelly] knows Geno. He studied him. He thought he was a good fit for him… I know it’s a long time ago, but he’s more than familiar with [Geno].”
x: @raidersbeat
Again Hondo needs to go away! To bring up that dumb story about how Chip wanted Geno right up until the point he went to see him live is just a terrible story. Geno has a really good story of how he went from young starter to a backup quickly then becomes a starter again with moderate success. I’m glad Geno is here instead of Minshew or Jimmy G and I’m glad that it’s Pete rather than AP or McDaniels. However, can we please let the team play a game or two before Hondo starts calling Geno the best QB in Raider history? Once again Hondo please go away.
Not knocking Geno but it is at least a 50/50 chance that ANY starting quarterback, in the NFL, won’t get dinged up at some point during the regular season. The undeniable truth is that Adian O’Connell has shown very limited mobility when being pressured by pass rushers. While it would be extremely optimistic to believe that should Geno and Adian subcumb to injury that a rookie could lead this offense, I suggest that the Raiders trade for a proven, mobile veteran quarterback, namely Joshua Dobbs. He’s cerebral, mobile and a proven veteran. Neither O’Connell nor an unproven rookie bring as much to the table as a proven, battle tested veteran. Acquiring Dobbs would constitute an insurance policy in case of unforseen injuries at the quarterback position. Anyone who understands the concept of insurance knows that it is better to have it and don’t need it than to need it and don’t have it.
Speaking of insurance, adding Caleb Jones, to the roster, wouldn’t be a bad idea either. At 6’9″ and 340lbs, he could possibly open a lane or two for Ashton Genty and possibly get in the way of a defensive lineman or two. Adding depth on the offensive line is NEVER a bad move. Just ask Patrick Mahones.