Geno Smith confident he can ‘adjust’ to new system with Raiders

When new head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek took over for the Las Vegas Raiders, one of their primary goals was fixing a moribund offense.

The Raiders had some promising pieces to build around, such as tight end Brock Bowers, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and a decent offensive line. However, issues at quarterback and running back lead to the team being unable to maximize their assets, leading to a dismal 4-13 campaign. The new regime went right to work rectifying both issues, trading with the Seattle Seahawks for quarterback Geno Smith in March, then drafting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft the following month.

With Smith now reuniting with Carroll, the 34-year-old veteran is confident that he can provide the stability the Raiders have been looking for at the game’s most important position.

Smith discussed what he intends to do with the Raiders, as well as his established rapport with his new coaching staff.

According to The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen, Smith is ready to do his part to bring a winning culture back to the Raiders.

“Yeah, I would say win, win a lot of games,” Smith said, per Nguyen. “Obviously, you wanna start with the division. That’s always first things first, take care of your division, win a lot of football games and get our team to the playoffs. That’s the main goal is to get to the playoffs and then obviously to the big dance.”

Fortunately, Smith finds himself playing under a coaching staff that is already familiar with what he brings to the table.

Carroll’s relationship with the veteran quarterback from their two seasons together in Seattle (2022-23) is already well-documented. However, Smith also has some familiarity with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Kelly is the third offensive coordinator Smith has had in as many seasons (Shane Waldron, Ryan Grubb), but the coach tried to recruit the quarterback to Oregon while he was head coach, and was also offensive coordinator last season for an Ohio State Buckeyes team that featured Geno’s cousin, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

“We’ve always had a rapport with one another, which has made the transition smooth,” Smith explained. “And so, learning this offense, I’ve been in three different systems in three years. And so I’ve been able to adjust, and that’s something that I’m good at. I can adjust. And so, just an adjustment period, but the offense is really good. I’m looking forward to it. Won’t give too many details, but we’re looking to be explosive and efficient.”

After what Raiders fans had to witness last season, Smith’s promises to deliver an exciting style of offense has to be music to their ears.