The Las Vegas Raiders‘ quarterback situation has been a mess, to say the least. They brought in Gardner Minshew on a two-year, $25 million deal, hoping he’d be the guy. But after some shaky performances and a season-ending collarbone injury, the team found themselves back at square one. With Minshew sidelined and backups like Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder not quite fitting the bill, Pete Carroll’s Raiders are once again on the hunt for a reliable quarterback to steer the ship.
The rumors linked them to the seasoned veteran Matthew Stafford for a while. Geez! The team went all in to offer him a nearly $100M deal to play for a couple of years with them. But nope, the Rams don’t want to move on from their Super Bowl-winning QB and now Stafford is staying in LA. That said, the Las Vegas team is now exploring the QBs, and not just any QBs—the veteran QBs.
On Friday, The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini reported that the “Raiders are exploring veteran quarterback options on the free agent and trade market, per sources.” Well, the free agency market has got its fair share of seasoned QBs up for grabs. Say, Aaron Rodgers, for instance. The Jets are not interested in him. Nah, scratch that. Except for the Giants, no team has shown interest in signing Rodgers for the 2025 season.
The Las Vegas Raiders are exploring veteran quarterback options on the free agent and trade market, per sources.
That includes the possibility of trading for a current starting QB.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 7, 2025
Besides Rodgers, Sam Darnold is coming off a career-reviving season with the Vikings. Plus, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields can also land in free agency if the Steelers decide to move on from both of them. So yeah, there are plenty of options for the Raiders to sign a veteran QB once the free agency kicks off. The kicker? Well, Russini reported that Pete Carroll and Co. can trade for a current starting QB.
Now, that’s where things get pretty interesting. You see, ever since the rumor of the Raiders looking for a veteran QB hit the headlines, the fans are speculating that the team can sign the Seahawks‘ QB, Geno Smith. Yeah, you guessed that right. The fans are expecting a Smith-Carroll union after a couple of years. And let’s be real—Smith’s numbers speak for a potential deal in Vegas.
Take his last season, for instance. The 34-year-old QB completed over 70% of his passes for 4,320 yards and even racked up 21 touchdowns. Plus, the guy is in the contract year, so it’s likely that the Seattle team can offer him a sweet contract extension. But one thing’s for sure: the fans are already rooting for Smith to land in Vegas.
Fans want the Pate Carroll-Geno Smith reunion
Even since the Las Vegas team hired Pete Carroll to take the helm, the fans are waiting for him to make a call on the QB situation. And if you thought that the fans were just sitting back and waiting for an official announcement—think again. Because the moment the news hit the headlines that the team is eyeing a veteran QB, social media turned into a full-blown Geno Smith hype train.
One fan straight-up declared, “This has Geno written all over it,” as if the football gods themselves had already carved his name into a Raiders jersey. Then there was another fan who kept it simple yet effective, “Geno .” Yeah, sometimes all it takes is a pair of eyeball emojis to get the message across.
And how can we forget the Seahawks’ fans? Let’s just say they’re not actually clinging to the guy. One fan chimed in and wrote, “Please come take Geno!” Like he’s an item up for auction. Now’s the big picture that has everyone talking. That Pete Carroll-Geno Smith reunion. Because “Geno reuniting with Pete Carroll?” is floating around like it’s the plot of a feel-good sports movie. And honestly? The storyline checks out.
But the best reaction? Someone hit the nail on the head by pulling out that legendary Geno Smith moment—”They wrote me off, I ain’t write back tho” GIF. And let’s be real—if Geno lands in Vegas, that clip is going to be replayed uncountable times before his first snap in silver and black.
At the end of the day, Pete Carroll and the Raiders are exploring the QB market from every angle. After all, the team doesn’t want to repeat the same mistakes. And if Geno Smith’s move flops, the football world won’t let them forget.
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