Recent league news has John Spytek and the Raiders completely flipping a narrative and making themselves look great

When the Las Vegas Raiders gave Geno Smith, the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback and new Raiders quarterback, his contract extension, fans and media alike were all very unimpressed.

It felt like everyone thought that Smith was being overpaid, considering he has only had a few good seasons after being a career backup with the New York Jets, New York Giants, and Los Angeles Chargers. But Pete Carroll, his former head coach, and John Spytek believe in his abilities.

When you look at how the contract is all spread out, all of the numbers for every single year, it's a pretty good contract for the Raiders. Smith's dead money this season is $58 million, and it only goes down; the same with the cap hit, which is at $40 million this season. For the 2026 season, the Raiders have a potential out on Smith's contract, and according to Spotrac, there's zero dead money if they do decide to get out of the deal then.

Smith only got a two-year extension worth $75 million, making his annual salary $35.5 million per year, the 18th-highest in the league. The way fans complained, you would think he was the highest-paid QB in the league, but, he's nowhere near it, and if you ask me, he's certainly better than the 18th-best QB in the league.

But some recent news now puts into perspective just how good that deal is for the Raiders.