The Las Vegas Raiders entered the offseason with several major question marks, but none bigger than at the quarterback position.
They hired Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll to replace Antonio Pierce. The next big move for the front office was finding the QB of the future. While they secured one even before free agency began, the Raiders shocked the football world by trading for quarterback Geno Smith.
The team gave up a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for the 11-year vet, and reactions to the deal have been mixed on both sides.
NFL Analyst Predicts Raiders Will Fail To Make Playoffs With Geno Smith
Las Vegas made it clear they were in the quarterback market, being linked to Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford at different points 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 while Darnold was available at the time before signing with the Seahawks, the Raiders wanted Smith, who is familiar with Carroll.
Las Vegas expects Smith to ignite its stagnant offense. Both Seattle and Las Vegas have already received criticism for making the deal, but NFL analyst Chris Broussard has no hope for the Raiders’ 2025 chances.
“They [Raiders] will not make the playoffs for the fourth straight season. That’s the ceiling. Obviously, they’re not in the Chiefs’ league. I will take the Chargers over them, and right now, they’re the fourth-best team in a four-team division,” Broussard said on “First Things First.”
While Broussard acknowledged that Smith was an upgrade over the Raiders’ 2024 quarterback rotation of Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O’Connell, and Desmond Ridder, he argued it wouldn’t be enough to push them into the playoffs.
“I will give them a shot at surpassing Denver, a shot, and I’m probably short-changing the Broncos. But no, this doesn’t change. He’s the best quarterback they’ve had in a while, I give em that. It’s not a bad move, but no, they’re not going anywhere.”
“They will not make the playoffs for the 4th-straight season. That’s the ceiling.”@Chris_Broussard is not happy with Ge-NOOOO going to the Raiders 😅 pic.twitter.com/miR0EWLlgV
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) March 10, 2025
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 finished 9-8 but missed the playoffs. Carroll was surprisingly let go 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 of his career (578) and set a career-best completion percentage (70.4%).
The Seahawks improved to 10-7 but missed the playoffs again, and Broussard sees a similar outcome coming for the Raiders in 2025.
It’s still an aggressive move by the Raiders, who likely take themselves 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, meanwhile, has one year remaining on his contract and carries a $31 million cap hit into 2025.