Why Geno Smith is settling in for the long haul in Las Vegas

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Geno Smith feels astatine location successful Las Vegas. Hailing from Broward County successful Florida, the vigor and fast-paced manner acceptable the Raiders' starting quarterback.

Smith says Seattle, wherever helium spent the erstwhile six seasons arsenic a backup turned starter and a two-time Pro Bowl selection, reminded him of his assemblage shot days astatine West Virginia: slow-paced, with constricted sun. Even though helium cherished his clip with the Seahawks, the 34-year-old acknowledged that his property ne'er rather meshed with the Pacific Northwest.

"Vegas is cleanable for me," Smith told ESPN. "... Me being a Miami kid, and however I was raised and act, I truly didn't acceptable the civilization [in Seattle]."

Las Vegas -- Smith's 4th squad successful 11 seasons -- has offered much than preferable upwind to fulfill his hunger.

For the archetypal clip successful his career, Smith walked into a caller enactment arsenic Plan A astatine quarterback.

When Las Vegas traded for Smith from Seattle successful speech for a third-round prime connected March 7, it did truthful with the volition of Smith starring the franchise and providing stableness astatine the astir important presumption connected the field. Smith didn't person to interest astir a grooming campy battle.

"I yet got my team," said Smith, whose Raiders big the Los Angeles Chargers connected Monday nighttime (10 p.m. ET, ESPN). "I ever felt similar I was trying to regenerate Russell [Wilson successful Seattle], and you tin ne'er regenerate each the large things that helium did. So I ne'er felt similar Seattle was my team.

"Also, I didn't consciousness similar I acceptable the aesthetic of the Seattle organization. The Raiders conscionable acceptable me."

Smith is simply a portion of the Raiders' program to crook astir a franchise that has go accustomed to losing, setbacks that person included inconsistent play astatine quarterback. With Smith nether center, there's optimism wrong the enactment that the squad tin beryllium competitory this season.

More importantly, Smith's beardown narration with Pete Carroll and his fiery competitory tone tin assistance acceptable the code for the benignant of civilization the seasoned NFL manager wants to establish.

"He's a facilitator successful that regard," Carroll said. "He's specified an all-in feline that there's nary questioning his committedness and conviction, and truthful that conscionable helps the connection embedded adjacent more. [That's] wherefore he's truthful invaluable to us."

SMITH MIGHT HAVE ne'er been successful Las Vegas -- oregon Seattle -- if not for Carroll.

After making 29 starts successful his archetypal 2 seasons aft his enactment by the New York Jets successful 2013, Smith spent the consequent 5 years arsenic a backup for the Jets, Giants and Chargers, making lone 2 starts successful 7 games played from 2015 to 2018.

Smith was 28 erstwhile helium went successful hunt of a occupation successful 2019, and says helium harbored doubts astir his career. He wanted to beryllium a starter again, but his erstwhile past successful that relation besides warranted uncertainty from others. Smith had gone 11-19 arsenic the Jets starter successful 2013-14, throwing for 5,571 yards, 25 touchdowns and 34 interceptions -- the third-most picks successful the league contempt being ranked 19th successful walk attempts (810) successful that span.

Smith said helium believed nary 1 viewed him arsenic a QB1 and wondered what other beingness mightiness person to offer.

"I'm making money, but I'm not achieving my goals," Smith recalls of that time. "There was this solid ceiling that was enactment supra me. No substance what [I did], I could lone get this far. And truthful I wanted to bash different things extracurricular of football.

"It wasn't my assurance breaking. I deliberation it was the assurance I had successful the evaluators, if anything. I didn't deliberation they saw my endowment oregon what I could bring to the table."

While grooming with erstwhile NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown and Thad Lewis, the existent backmost manager for the Read Entire Article