Early in the offseason, there was a lot of speculation about what the Las Vegas Raiders might do at quarterback. They had been linked to veteran names like Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers, and rookie names like Shedeur Sanders and Quinn Ewers.
However, the Raiders ended up trading for Geno Smith and drafting Cam Miller. The front office has been honest about leaning on new minority Tom Brady when searching for a quarterback.
He's the greatest quarterback of all time, so it makes sense to use him as a resource.
“When we are looking at quarterbacks, we’d have to be fools not to involve him,” general manager John Spytek told The Athletic's Dan Pompei. “Tom is the foremost expert on quarterback play I’ve ever been around.”
While Brady seemed to be the highest on Stafford as an option, once he decided to stay with the Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas pivoted to Smith. According to Spytek, that was a move that Brady was on board with.
“He really respected Geno — the way he can process and throw the football,” Spytek said.
Smith was a late bloomer in his career, as he didn't become a full-time starter until he was 32 after starting for the New York Jets his first two seasons. Brady also had to work his way up to get a starting job, so it's easy to understand why he'd have respect for Smith.
There's no higher endorsement for Smith's abilities. He may not have the ceiling of Stafford, but he should be a significant upgrade over what the Raiders have had the last two seasons.
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