Raiders' new QB says Carroll, Brady drew him to Las Vegas

Vincent Bonsignore, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Apr 7, 2025

Published in Football

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LAS VEGAS — The chance to work with coach Pete Carroll again was more than enough for Geno Smith to uproot his life and accept a trade from the Seahawks to the Raiders.

Throw in a conversation with minority owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek, and the quarterback was happy to move to Las Vegas and sign a contract extension that runs through the 2027 season.

“Getting to know all the interworkings, getting to meet John, getting to talk to Tom Brady and really just understand what this thing is and the direction they’re going, I saw myself align with that,” Smith said Monday at his introductory news conference. “I think today is the start of what that can be.”

Reunion with former coach

Smith, 34, played five seasons under Carroll in Seattle, three as a backup and two as a starter.

Carroll’s belief in Smith helped revive the quarterback’s career. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023, Carroll’s final two years with the Seahawks.

“He gave me an opportunity when not many people would have,” Smith said. “And he saw the hard work that I was putting in, he saw the things behind the scenes that I do that allowed me to get this opportunity.”

Carroll and the Raiders immediately turned their attention to Smith when a trade for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford fell through.

Smith was in a contract impasse with the Seahawks, who were interested in free agent Sam Darnold. The Raiders acquired Smith on March 13 for a third-round pick, which pales in comparison to what he will bring to a team that needed dependability at quarterback.

“He’s going to bring us great stability and belief in the kinds of things that we stand for,” Carroll said. “His habits are so, so stellar. The way he works, the way he looks at the game, the way he looks at the challenges of it all is exactly in line with the way we think.”

It took three weeks for Smith and the Raiders to agree on a two-year contract extension worth at least $75 million and up to $85 million. But as Carroll, Spytek and Smith sat together Monday, Carroll said the wait was worth it.

“It’s just a great fit,” Carroll said. “Today feels like the real deal. We’re finally here together, sitting next to each other and talking about getting out on the field, throwing a football around.”

Unlikely path back

Carroll wasn’t retained as the Seahawks’ coach after the 2023 season, and he took last season off. So there was no way Smith could have envisioned they would be reunited in Las Vegas.

“The way that life works, you just kind of take it step by step and day by day,” Smith said.

Smith hopes to bring the confidence Carroll instilled in him to Las Vegas.

“Not in a cocky or arrogant way, but I just feel I’m one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL,” Smith said. “I want to prove it.”

And, in the process, help change the culture of a franchise that has posted two winning seasons in the past 21 years.

“We’re here to win. We’re here to do this thing the right way,” Smith said. “We want to lead the right way. I want to be a big part of the culture here.”

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