The Las Vegas Raiders shocked the football world by trading for quarterback Geno Smith. The team gave a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for the 11-year vet, and both sides have received mixed reactions since agreeing to the deal.
New Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is familiar with Smith, having coached him for four years in Seattle. However, former NFL head coach Jay Gruden doesn’t like the move for Las Vegas.
Jay Gruden Is Confused By Raiders Trading for Geno Smith
Smith comes to Las Vegas after three successful seasons in Seattle. He won the starting job and made the Pro Bowl in 2022, throwing for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Seattle went 9-8, Smith won Comeback Player of the Year, and the team secured a Wild Card Berth.
The following year, he went 8-7 in 15 starts, and the team missed the playoffs with another 9-8 record. Carroll was surprisingly fired after the season, but Smith stayed on for 2024.
Last season, he threw for a career-high 4,320 yards, adding 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also had the most attempts in his career (578) and completion percentage (70.4). The Seahawks improved to 10-7 but missed the playoffs again in head coach Mike Macdonald’s first season.
Las Vegas made it clear they were in the quarterback market, being linked to Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford at different times this offseason. They hold the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft but are expected to miss out on the top two quarterback prospects. Stafford re-signed with the Los Angeles Rams, and Darnold is set to hit the open market, but the Raiders didn’t want to wait.
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The Raiders traded for Smith and expect him to ignite their stagnant offense. Seattle has already caught a lot of heat for making the deal, with insiders questioning the team’s culture after also trading DK Metcalf. However, one former NFL head coach has an issue with the move for Las Vegas.
"I don't know what Vegas is doing, quite frankly."@Coach_JayGruden thinks Seattle got the better end of the Geno Smith deal 👀 pic.twitter.com/mV51ioDMJg
— Underdog (@UnderdogFantasy) March 8, 2025
Gruden said, “Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, who got the better deal? Seattle getting a third-round pick for Smith and losing all that money on their cap, or the Raiders getting Smith and paying him that kind of money and having him be the face of the franchise.
“I tend to think it’s gonna be Seattle. Maybe they get a younger Darnold. Maybe they trade up in the draft to get a quarterback, I don’t know. I don’t know what Vegas is doing, quite frankly. I’m not a big fan of this deal for Vegas. I really am not. But what do I know? Good luck, Vegas. Good luck, Geno. And good luck, Seattle.”
[the_ad id=”310498″It’s an aggressive move by Las Vegas, who likely takes itself out of drafting a quarterback. They won’t have to give up picks to move up for a top prospect and can focus on other areas of need with the No. 6 pick. Smith has one year remaining on his contract and carries a $31 million cap hit into 2025, with the Raiders having nearly $51 million in cap space.
Las Vegas may want to sign Smith to a multi-year deal, but for now he appears to be a short-term fix for the team’s quarterback problems.