The Las Vegas Raiders' roster was devoid of answers at quarterback last season. New general manager John Spytek remedied this by trading for veteran Geno Smith, which reunited him with new head coach Pete Carroll.
While Smith is yet to play in anything more than an offseason practice for the Silver and Black, expectations have grown for the Raiders. Training camp is just around the corner for Las Vegas, but Smith is already making headlines.
This past weekend, Smith coached a team in the Overtime 7-on-7 league, and his squad won the championship. Overtime posted a clip of him trash-talking his opponents after the game.
Smith received plenty of backlash for the video, as fans felt that he acted inappropriately after the game.
On Monday morning, Smith finally responded to the comments about him that had been made over the previous two days.
"Having fun with the game I love but man, the need for clicks and negativity takes away from the great event that happened this past weekend," Smith wrote. "All the kids had fun and competed. All around great event. This is how we talk in Dade County I’m sorry u might not understand. Carry on!"
He also jokingly added that this was essentially friendly banter and he meant no harm with his words.
"I’ve heard worse at family reunion spade tables!" Smith wrote.
Smith is entering his 13th NFL season, but just his sixth as the projected starter. He has been to the Pro Bowl in two straight seasons when coached by Carroll and even won the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
The Raiders begin the year on the road against the New England Patriots in Week 1.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!