MARCH 31: Greater than three weeks after the Raiders’ Smith trade, the three-year Seahawks starter stays on his Seattle deal. But Carroll confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson) the team is “working on” an extension for its latest QB1. Carroll was with Seattle when the team re-signed Smith in 2023, and while longtime Seahawks copilot John Schneider didn’t see eye-to-eye with the passer’s camp about value on a brand new contract, Carroll’s latest team is all set to log off on one.
MARCH 28: The Raiders have their quarterback of the current in the shape of Geno Smith, and he’ll reunite with head coach Pete Carroll for the 2025 campaign. Smith’s time in Vegas could stretch well beyond the ultimate 12 months of his current deal, after all.
The Seahawks quickly realized a brand new accord wouldn’t be worked out this offseason, prompting the choice to trade Smith and switch their attention to Sam Darnold. One season stays on the present pact for the Raiders’ latest QB1, and shortly after his arrival signs began pointing to an extension being worked out. One just isn’t in place yet, although optimism stays that an agreement will likely be reached shortly.
When speaking in regards to the Smith acquisition, latest Raiders general manager John Spytek noted Carroll’s presence played a task within the move. That comes as no surprise, for the reason that veteran head coach worked with Smith in Seattle from 2020-23. During that stretch, the two-time Pro Bowler had a pair of seasons atop the QB depth chart within the wake of the Russell Wilson trade and played his way into an extension averaging $25MM per season. A much higher asking price is in play this time around.
“The compensation from a draft-capital standpoint wasn’t so costly,” Spytek said during an appearance on the team’s Upon Further Review podcast. “I really like my picks greater than anybody… But, listen, we used a late third-round pick to hopefully have our starting quarterback here for years to return. And it was just too good of a possibility to pass up.
“Once you’ve watched Geno through the years, he can throw the football with one of the best of any of them, truthfully,” Spytek added. “I mean, you watch a number of the throws he makes over and once again downfield, you recognize, short, intermediate. The touch is there, the arm strength is there.”
Smith, 34, has stated a desire to proceed his profession to the purpose of 20 NFL seasons. That goal could thoroughly include a lengthy Raiders tenure if a brand new deal may be worked out soon, although the draft looms as a way of adding a long-term answer on the position. Vegas is ready to pick sixth overall next month, and the team has often been connected to Shedeur Sanders. A drop out of the primary round – and more specifically the highest 10 – just isn’t expected within the Colorado product’s case, meaning the Raiders would should be aggressive in pursuing him.
The rest of the draft will after all offer Spytek and Co. other opportunities to accumulate a young passer, something which makes the Smith extension situation an interesting one. If a long-term arrangement is indeed the team’s goal, it will come as no surprise if negotiations on that front picked up before the beginning of the draft.
