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Stafford to stay with LA Rams | 00:46
The Raiders have their new quarterback.
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Las Vegas is acquiring quarterback Geno Smith for a 2025 third-round draft pick to reunite him with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, according to multiple reports.
Smith is entering the final season of his three-year, $75 million contract, and, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the quarterback sought a new deal with Seattle in the $45-million-a-year range.
The Seahawks came in about $10 million lower.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Smith is expected to get a new deal with Las Vegas.
Days after star defensive end Maxx Crosby agreed to a $106.5 million Raiders extension, he shared an exultation over the Smith news.
“LFG!!!!!!!!!” he wrote on X after the trade was reported, adding three skull and crossbones emojis.
The Raiders sought to improve upon their quarterback play after a 4-13 season that saw Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell share the bulk of snaps.
As a group, the team’s quarterbacks threw for a combined 3,797 yards and 19 touchdowns with an 82.4 rating, while the team had the fourth-worst scoring offense in the NFL (18.2 points per game).
They had flirted with Matthew Stafford as a potential option to take over as signal-caller before he decided to remain with the Rams on a restructured deal.
Now, the Raiders get Smith, who revived his career in Seattle, where the quarterback played for five seasons, four of which came with Carroll — who was hired as Raiders head coach this offseason — at the helm.
Smith was a second-round pick of the Jets in 2013 but largely floundered during his four seasons with Gang Green after replacing Mark Sanchez under center.
He bounced to the Giants and Chargers for one-year stints before finding a home with the Seahawks.
Smith’s first year as Seattle’s starter in 2022 was arguably his finest as he led the league in completion percentage (69.8) en route to winning AP Comeback Player of the Year.
The two-time Pro Bowler threw for a career-high 4,320 yards with 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions last season.
In an interesting twist, Seattle is now looking at former Jets and Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold as an option to fill their QB void, The Athletic reported.
This article first appeared on The New York Postand was reproduced with permission.
