After signing former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, the Las Vegas Raiders recently traded for quarterback Geno Smith. Carroll and Smith reuniting in Las Vegas should immediately improve the Raiders’ subpar quarterback situation.
Smith and the Raiders needed a fresh start, as Smith got a chance to play for Carroll again, the coach he had the most career success with. The Raiders get a quarterback who has experience with Carroll and more experience than quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
Steven Ruiz of the Ringer recently noted how Tom Brady’s time as a broadcaster shed light on his thoughts on Smith in real-time, in a situation where Brady had little to no apparent preconceived biases for or against Smith. His comments on Smith were telling.
“Tom Brady’s first season in the booth for Fox was fine. But one of the perks of having the league’s greatest quarterback calling games was hearing his (almost) unfiltered thoughts on the NFL’s current group of passers,” Ruiz said.
“Brady wasn’t overly harsh, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out how he felt about a quarterback—and whether they played the position the correct way in his eyes. Based on the one Seahawks game he called in 2024, a rain-soaked 31-10 loss to the Bills in Week 8, it was clear that Geno Smith was one of the guys who did.
“He can stand in the pocket and fire it with the best of them,” Brady said of Smith after a short completion at the end of the first quarter. “I love that about him, and I love [him] throwing that ball quickly.”
Ruiz noted Brady’s response to another positive play Smith made in the same game, displaying his knowledge of the game.
“A few plays later, Smith recognized the Bills were playing man coverage on a third-and-4 play and called an audible to exploit the tactic, drawing a “love this” from Brady. After Smith climbed the pocket and found Laviska Shenault for the first down, Brady let out one of his signature grunts of approval,” Ruiz said.
“Geno really has control at the line of scrimmage and ownership of this offense,” Brady proclaimed after Smith made another pre-snap change later in the drive.”
Since joining the organization, Brady has not spoken much about Raiders-related moves. However, the greatest quarterback of all time’s influence on the team’s decisions is undeniable.