The Las Vegas Raiders have a brand new pair of head coach and quarterback, with Pete Carroll now on the helm of the job on the sidelines and Geno Smith because the projected starter underneath heart for the 2025 NFL season — and certain past.
Though Smith solely has a 12 months left on his present contract, which provides him a base wage of $14.8 million in 2025, at the least some count on that the Raiders will hold him longer through an extension. Whereas no such contract has been signed by the 34-year-old quarterback and Las Vegas, Carroll stated that “we’re engaged on it,” (h/t Charean Williams of Professional Soccer Discuss).
Added Carroll: “Yeah, we’re engaged on it. G’s excited to get going, get began. He’ll be right here once we get rolling. However we’re engaged on it.”
Carroll could be very a lot accustomed to Smith and vice versa. In spite of everything, the 2 labored collectively throughout their time with the Seattle Seahawks for 4 seasons. It was with Carroll and the Seahawks that Smith, who was a second-round choose by the New York Jets within the 2023 NFL draft, bought his professional profession’s second wind.
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Within the two seasons as an everyday starter in Seattle and underneath Carroll, Smith earned two Professional Bowl nods, whereas accumulating 7,906 passing yards and 50 touchdowns in opposition to 20 interceptions on a 67.4 p.c completion fee from 2022 to 2023. Over the identical span, the previous West Virginia Mountaineers star signal-caller put collectively a 17-15-0 quarterback file.
“He’s an excellent competitor,” Carroll stated about Smith, who handed for 4,320 yards and 21 touchdowns in opposition to 15 interceptions on a career-best (as an everyday starter) 70.4 p.c completion fee in 2024 with the Seahawks.
“His conviction to consider in himself is why he’s who he’s. That’s why he’s stood by way of all of those challenges. He’s made it by way of it, and he’s able to be on prime of the world. He can do something on this sport,” Carroll added.
The Raiders are hoping that the duo of Carroll and Smith would key a turnaround for the franchise. Las Vegas has not made it to the NFL playoffs in every of the final three seasons. Furthermore, the franchise has additionally not progressed previous the wild-card spherical because it reached the Tremendous Bowl in 2003 underneath then-head coach Invoice Callahan.