'We want to be explosive': Geno Smith earning the respect of his peers, coaches alike

May 29, 2025 at 04:25 PM

Levi Edwards

Digital Team Reporter

Geno Smith reminded everyone exactly who the Raiders traded for in Thursday's OTAs.

On one of the first reps during team period, the quarterback lined up in shotgun formation. He scanned to field to find rookie receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. cutting over to the left sideline. With perfect timing and placement, Smith put the ball only where the 6-foot-5 receiver could grab it as Thornton leapt up with two defensive backs in his area and dragged his toes inbounds as he came down with the catch.

And yes, it was certainly a great play from the young pass catcher. But not too many quarterbacks in the league could've made it look as effortless as No. 7 did.

"The beauty of Geno is, Geno's been in multiple systems now. And there's a lot of things Geno can do," said offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who tried recruiting Smith out of high school as Oregon's head coach. "I don't think you can just pigeonhole him. ... I think he can beat you with his feet, he plays alive with his feet. He's extremely accurate; he gets the ball out of his hands quickly. He can be a movement guy, but he can also be a dropback guy."

The tone was set with his completion to Thornton, leading to an impressive practice for the Raiders quarterback. Smith spread the ball all over the field, periodically linking up with tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer as well as first-round pick Ashton Jeanty out of the backfield and on screen passes.

As the modest leader of the offense, he credited his weapons for the success throughout the session.

"They're making my job a lot easier," Smith said of his teammates. "Tremendously easy to be out here with these young, talented players. I think we have a really good team, a really good array of weapons and just a bunch of different guys that can do a lot of great things.

"Obviously Brock is who he is. Getting to know Tre [Tucker], getting to know Jakobi [Meyers] and watching Michael go out there and make plays. Ashton is coming along. The offensive line is doing a great job. I think Chip is calling great plays. It's real easy for me, I've just got to go out there and be myself and get the ball into their hands and let them be special."

As Smith establishes a relationship with Jakobi Meyers, the receiver has been impressed with what the quarterback has showcased up to this point. Since arriving to Las Vegas, No. 16 has caught passes from five different quarterbacks in game action and enters the season as the team's WR1 after posting a career-high 1,027 receiving yards in 2024.

While it's still early in building their connection, Smith has provided a level of leadership and assurance to the huddle.

"He's a vet's vet, honestly," Meyers said. "I truly mean that, and I feel like this is the first time where I've had in a minute. I had Tom [Brady] for a year, that was a cool experience. But by having Geno, it kind of brings a sense of stability, if that makes sense. He knows what he's doing. He shows up the same every day, his personality stays the same every day. I haven't seen him have a bad day yet. So, I mean, I can't have bad days if the leader has no bad days."

There are obviously still kinks to be worked out as the team acclimates to a new offensive scheme, but things look promising considering the track record of the Raiders new offensive coordinator and quarterback. Kelly notably won a national championship last season at Ohio State, coincidentally with Geno's cousin Jeremiah Smith leading the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns as a true freshman.

Prior to Geno being traded to the Raiders, he completed over 70 percent of passes for a career-high 4,320 passing yards in 2024. And now being reunited with Pete Carroll, he knows what it'll take to lead the team to success and throw a few more jaw-dropping dimes in the process.

"We want to be efficient. That's the main thing," Smith said. "We want to do well in the situations, the third downs, the red zones. But also we want to be explosive. When teams come up and play us in man to man, we have guys that are going to win those matchups. I really feel good about where we are. We're still in work in progress but we're in a good spot and we've just to keep working hard to get better."

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Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole (6) at an Organized Team Activity (OTA) at Intermountain Health Performance Center.