The Las Vegas Raiders needed to go out and address their quarterback situation after rotating between three different quarterbacks last season. The franchise was predicted to use the 2025 NFL Draft for that, but new general manager John Spytek had other options when it came to addressing their quarterback need.
The Raiders made a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for veteran quarterback Geno Smith to become the new quarterback in Las Vegas. With Pete Carroll now manning the roster for the Raiders, bringing in a quarterback he is familiar with made the most sense, especially one as gifted as Smith.
Adding Smith to the roster allows more of a consistent presence on the offense, however, the addition doesn't push the Raiders over the edge. It does, however, give them more credibility than they had last year. But with having an older quarterback, it becomes harder to rank them among the rest.
For instance, according to CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin's recent quarterback power rankings, Smith does crack the Top 20, but isn't viewed as a Top 15 quarterback, as some analysts have called him in the past. Below is what Benjamin had to say.
"Is he an upgrade in Las Vegas? Undoubtedly. At 34, Smith's still got a zippy arm to stretch the field. Can he also rein himself in to steer Pete Carroll's sudden win-now setup to the playoffs?" Benjamin wrote.
Perhaps if the Seahawks had made the NFL Playoffs last year, this would be a different conversation, but when looking at these rankings, there are players that Smith could easily pass with a successful start to the 2025 campaign. After all, he did possess the fourth-most passing yards last season, totaling over 4,300.
Smith has the receivers on the Raiders who can help elevate his stock as well. The likes of Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers, and newest addition Jack Bech, could all be utilized in the playing style that Smith likes to use. He is going to throw the ball, and two of the three players listed have proven to be reliable targets.
Going into the new season, fully expect to see Smith climb these rankings.
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