Report expands on how Raiders pivoted to Geno Smith after Matthew Stafford pursuit

Shortly after the Las Vegas Raiders struck out in their pursuit of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Raiders completed a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for veteran signal-caller Geno Smith. 

For a piece published on Thursday, Tashan Reed of The Athletic shared how new Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was involved in the decision to bring Smith to Vegas back in March. 

"After failing to trade for Matthew Stafford earlier this offseason, the Raiders held meetings to chart their path forward at quarterback," Reed wrote. "Kelly was included alongside quarterbacks coach Greg Olson, coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady. Smith’s arm talent, accuracy, mobility, leadership and intelligence all helped make him the consensus answer among the group."

The Raiders acquiring Smith was hardly a surprise considering he played under Carroll from 2019-2023 when the two were with Seattle. That said, Smith clearly wasn't the Raiders' first choice and wouldn't be Vegas' QB1 during organized team activities had Stafford not decided to leave some money on the table to remain with the Rams. Meanwhile, the Raiders were willing to give Smith the type of contract extension he wasn't going to receive from the Seahawks ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Previous stories noted that Brady approved of the trade for Smith and was also at least somewhat responsible for the Raiders convincing Kelly to leave his role as OC at Ohio State this past winter. It turns out Kelly and Smith were quite familiar with each other before they began working together in Vegas. 

"Kelly attempted to recruit Smith to play at Oregon and coached his cousin Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State last season," Reed explained. 

Smith is no stranger to being counted out as an NFL quarterback, and he could have somewhat of a chip on his shoulder due to the fact that the Raiders truly wanted Stafford to be their starter earlier this year. Las Vegas can escape the deal Smith received in April as soon as next offseason, so the 34-year-old will still have plenty to prove while playing in Kelly's offense this coming fall.