"He is jawing off at Maxx" - Geno Smith makes loud first impression on Raiders’ $8,767,762 rookie OL at minicamp

This offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders traded a third round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for QB Geno Smith. Now, a few months after the deal was made official, it appears as though Smith is getting comfortable with his new home and his new teammates.

On June 17, Raiders $8.7 million worth center Jackson Powers-Johnson discussed what he has seen from Smith to this point on the popular 'The Rush Podcast'. Citing how Smith was looking like he was enjoying himself and competing hard at practice, Powers-Johnson also noted how Smith has had his competitive side come out on numerous occasions, even with star defensive player Maxx Crosby.

"Oh he's [Geno Smith] slinging that thing [the football]. And, he's having fun and he's competing. He's jawing off with Maxx [Crosby], it's so fun. It's good. It's good. He's gotten definitely comfortable with the team." Powers-Johnson said.

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With the addition of Smith, the Raiders are expected to be much improved on the offensive side of the ball in 2025. Smith is a major upgrade from Gardner Minshew, Desmond Ridder, and Aidan O'Connell, all of which struggled mightily trying to lead the Raiders last season.

Furthermore, the Raiders used their first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Boise State Broncos superstar running back Ashton Jeanty. With tight end Brock Bowers already established as one of the best in the entire league, expectations appear to be extremely high for the Raiders in 2025.

Las Vegas Raiders 2025 season win, loss projection

We used Sportskeeda's Playoff Predictor Tool to see how the Las Vegas Raiders would perform in 2025. Despite the addition of Jeanty and Smith to the offensive unit, the Raiders still struggled in the upcoming season.

After finishing the 2024 season with a record of 4-13, Las Vegas once again finished with a record of 4-13 in 2025 and last place in the AFC West division. With that record, the Raiders obviously did not make the postseason. However, they were awarded the No. 5 overall draft position in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Sportskeeda Playoff Predictor Tool

Edited by Joshua Gillesby