Who Should I Start? Tom Brady or Geno Smith

Monday, January 13, 7:41 PM

As recently as last week, there was a feeling inside the Las Vegas Raiders' team headquarters that owner Mark Davis would give head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco another year to figure things out after a 4-13 finish in 2024. However, seven-time Super Bowl-champion Tom Brady, who purchased 5% of the team last October, felt a total reset was needed and persuaded Davis to fire both Pierce and Telesco. "This is Tom's show now," a person with knowledge of the situation said. Davis will make the final call on decisions for the franchise, but Davis wants Brady to have a "huge" voice and has a lot of trust in him. By firing Telesco, the Raiders have made the head-coach job more attractive to potential coaches, and the Raiders are willing to consider a package deal if their top coaching candidates have preferred front-office leaders in mind.

Tuesday, April 8, 2:12 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders traded for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith last month before signing him to a two-year $75 million contract this week. The move united Smith back with former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, a reconnection the two are excited about. "I think there is unfinished business, and I think when people think about my story, you know, Coach Carroll was a big part of that," Smith said. "He gave me an opportunity when not many people would have. He saw the hard work that I was putting in, he saw the things behind the scenes that I do that allow me to get this opportunity." Smith enjoyed the best season of his career under Carroll in 2022, passing for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. While Smith will be on the fantasy football radar in Superflex and two-QB leagues, he'll likely be a fringe starter in single-QB setups in a rebuilding Raiders' offense. However, tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers give him formidable weapons to put together a solid passing attack.