Not a lot has gone well for the Raiders in the first month of the season and maybe the most disappointing aspect of the team’s 1-3 start has been the play of veteran quarterback Geno Smith.
In March, the Raiders sent a third-round pick to Seattle for Smith and gave the 34-year-old a two-year extension worth more than $85 million. But in September, Smith did not play well and after four games he leads the NFL in interceptions with seven.
Making matters worse, the Raiders didn’t invest in a quarterback in the draft until the sixth round and when Aidan O’Connell went down in the preseason, they traded the Browns for Kenny Pickett to be their emergency option.
If Smith continues to struggle, O’Connell or Pickett could wiggle into a start or two, but the Raiders still need a young quarterback with upside. Maybe Cam Miller can be that player, but he didn’t make the initial 53-man roster, and it’s hard to imagine the former FCS quarterback is anywhere close to being ready to lead an NFL offense.
With so much uncertainty at the quarterback position, the Raiders should feel some urgency after what they’ve seen from Smith, and one option could be a player they were heavily linked to leading up to the 2025 draft.
Tom Brady distanced himself from the Raiders’ decision to pass on Shedeur Sanders in the draft, and if Brady has any level of intrigue with Sanders, now might be a time the Browns would be willing to trade him.
On Wednesday, the Cleveland Browns announced that Dillon Gabriel will be replacing Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback, and Sanders will remain at no. 3 on the depth chart.
From the day he was drafted, it was clear that not everyone within the Browns organization wanted Sanders, and nothing about the way the last five months have played out would suggest the Browns view him as their quarterback of the future.
In April, the quarterback narrative in Las Vegas was that the Raiders had a franchise quarterback in Smith, and there wasn’t room on the roster for a player like Sanders.
Raider Nation Radio host ‘JT the Brick’ confirmed those feelings following the draft.
“[The Raiders] don’t need Shedeur. Where I am in Vegas, which kind of a decent conversation because the Raiders’ minority owner is Tom Brady. Tom Brady worked out with him. Tom Brady seemed to like him a lot… [but] the Raiders went out and got Geno Smith. They gave him a lot of guaranteed money, but just a short deal. Two years. They didn’t want to bring Shedeur in early in the draft because they got Ashton Jeanty. They got the need players that they needed because they lost 10 in a row last year,” JT said on the team’s flagship radio show.
“They want to completely flip and have a winning season with Pete Carroll and John Spytek. So they didn’t need him… so take them off the list.”
But since those comments from JT, the quarterback situation in Las Vegas has become more uncertain – particularly beyond this season.
There are rumblings that Smith might be reverting back to “Bad Geno” and if that’s the case, would Brady and GM John Spytek consider circling back to Sanders?
It’s an idea they should at least discuss if Smith doesn’t start playing like the quarterback they thought they were getting in March.
Hypothetically, if Smith doesn’t improve and Brady still doesn’t want anything to do with Sanders, it’ll be safe to say there’s something Brady really doesn’t like about him.
x: @raidersbeat
Watch Brady’s buddy, Spytek, squander ANOTHER draft pick on a project QB!
This would be horrible. Spytek and Brady were too dumb to not get Jaxson Dart. It cost the Giants like 2 3rd round picks. These morons can’t scout
Other than Jeanty they aren’t getting much from this draft class. Not good for a team lacking in talent and that had so many draft picks.
Lol, JT, of course. There is no such thing as a 35 year old franchise QB. The number of guys who play well into their late 30s is still extremely limited. Even if Smith was playing well, they’d still have to spend every offseason looking for his successor, IMO. I wanted Sanders to prove all the dorky front office guys wrong, but it’s not looking good. I think if he were a credible option, he would be the #2 there. I don’t think they’re keeping him third pot of spite
The Raiders had a golden opportunity with Sanders — a natural fit for the system and a potential difference-maker. Instead, the front office doubled down on a questionable move, committing over $80 million to a journeyman quarterback. For longtime fans, this kind of mismanagement feels all too familiar. What raises eyebrows is Tom Brady’s selective involvement: he’s been hands-on with other organizational decisions, yet chose to step back from this one, despite having the influence to make it happen. The result? A roster that looks poised to struggle once again. Realistically, the Raiders may be staring at a 5–6 win season and another year in the AFC West cellar.
Carr is out there and in good shape. Bring him back.
Unfortunately Carr not in good shape which why he retired rather than surgery and rehab. His rights would still be with the Saints as well, however that probably wouldn’t be an issue as they’ve moved on. Carr is was and will always be better than Geno but even I as a Carr supporter don’t think that would be wise. This entire situation falls at the feet of one guy and for once it’s not Mark Davis, the culprit is Tom Effing Brady. He doesn’t know what he’s doing and instead taking a simple rebuild he hired and brought in players and coaches not with that simple goal in mind. 11 draft picks in the end and what 3 or 4 are barely doing anything and the others are doing even less.
Absolutely, they needed so much more from this draft class. But so far it looks like they mostly missed, maybe the players develop later?
Don’t compound one mistake with another.
For those of you even thinking about Carr, I say, which one? David or Derek because neither one is worth a nickel. In fact, if that’s your mindset then why not bring Gruden and Mayock back too? The only thing dumber that Raiders ownership is stoopid Raiders fans who want a return to yester year failures.