What Tom Brady texted Geno Smith after Raiders' win at Patriots

Quarterback Geno Smith officially began his Las Vegas Raiders tenure on a high note as he guided the club to a 20-13 win at the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon. 

Following the victory, Smith spoke with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated and revealed what Raiders minority owner Tom Brady had to say about the result.

Tom Brady texted Geno Smith after Las Vegas Raiders' win

"Good game," Brady texted Smith. "Get ready for the next one."

Smith was originally linked with the Raiders this past offseason shortly after they hired Pete Carroll as their new head coach. Carroll was first Smith's head coach when the two were with the Seattle Seahawks from 2019-23.

That said, it's now known that Brady signed off on the Raiders acquiring Smith and then handing the 34-year-old a two-year contract extension. Brady also may or may not have been at least somewhat responsible for the fact that the Raiders didn't spend a high-value draft pick on a quarterback this past spring. First-year Raiders general manager John Spytek was Brady's teammate at Michigan.

Geno Smith echoes Tom Brady after win

"It’s just one win," Smith said about leading the Raiders to a record of 1-0. "It’s hard to win in the NFL — takes a lot of hard work. The thing I saw with the game flow, midway through the second quarter, we hit a rut, but no one was down on themselves. We regrouped and executed after the half. I always look at the things we can improve on and get better at. But we all stuck together. No one was upset. That’s the markings of a Pete Carroll team." 

ESPN's Ryan McFadden noted that the Raiders defense pressured New England quarterback Drake Maye 11 times in the second half of Sunday's game. That doesn't mean Smith was a passenger during the win. According to Kevin Patra of the NFL's website, Smith's 362 passing yards set a franchise debut record.

"It’s a great opportunity, but we can’t bypass the work," Smith added during his post-victory chat with Breer. "It is cool thinking about what we can be, but if we don’t take the right approach, it will just be a dream. We have to make it a reality." 

Smith and the Raiders will next host the 1-0 Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 15. The Chargers earned a 27-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.