Geno Smith aims to bring stability and firepower to Raiders' struggling offense

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Raiders have been searching at quarterback since a messy divorce late in the 2022 season ended Derek Carr's nine-year reign.

And even Carr's tenure came up short of expectations with the team making the playoffs just twice.

Now the Raiders are counting on veteran Geno Smith to provide much-needed stability and add punch to an offense among the NFL's worst last season. But, he isn't expected to do it by himself in Las Vegas.

He has two potentially dynamic offensive weapons in tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty, as well as wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who comes off his first 1,000-yard season. All three are 28 and younger, and Smith is closing in on 35 as he enters his 12th season.

“In this league, every day you got to prove yourself, not only to your guys but to the rest of the league,” Smith said. "So for me, when you’re coming to a new team, you got to set the standard, set the example, and it’s through hard work. I wanted to make sure that my guys know that I was going to be here 100% of the time, going to put all the work in, going to maximize our resources and just really put our best foot forward.

"I’m not a big talker. I just want guys to kind of follow me through example, and I just try to push myself, push the guys and let the rest handle itself.”

It may be a new city and a new group of teammates for Smith, but there is a sense of familiarity as he goes back to work for coach Pete Carroll. His career was in limbo when Carroll signed him in 2019 to join Seattle.

He became the starter in 2022 and led the NFL that season by completing 69.8% of his passes while throwing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He was named the AP Comeback Player of the Year, and the Seahawks had winning records in all three seasons with Smith at the controls.

Smith threw for 4,320 yards and 21 touchdowns with 15 interceptions last season, but he failed to reach an agreement to stay in Seattle. The Raiders acquired him in a March 7 trade in which they sent back a third-round draft pick.

The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback then signed a two-year, $75 million extension that takes him through the 2027 season. Smith said at his introductory news conference that he had “unfinished business,” given the way his time ended in Seattle.

“He’s such an all-in guy that there’s no question what his commitment is and his conviction, and so that just helps the message (get) embedded even more so,” Carroll said. “It’s why he’s so valuable to us.”

Smith is a major reason why the Raiders have genuine hope they can improve an offense that last season ranked 29th in scoring and 27th in yardage.

Having Bowers and Jeanty in the lineup are two other notable reasons for such optimism.

Bowers was second in AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting last season to Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels. Bowers set an NFL rookie record with 112 catches for a first-year mark for a tight end with 1,194 yards receiving and was named to the AP All-Pro team.

“He’s one of the better tight ends in the NFL,” Smith said. "I can’t give him the ball enough. I feel bad every time I don’t throw him the ball. So I’m just trying to make sure that I’m maximizing his ability, his talent, because that’s going to help our team.”

Jeanty is expected to be the Raiders' next Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, and in fact is the favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Las Vegas took him sixth in this year's draft after Jeanty led the nation with 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns rushing to finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting.

“Ashton is a smooth running back out of the backfield,” Smith said. “We’ve seen what he can do against contact and breaking tackles. The thing that’s really impressing me is his ability to catch out of the backfield. He’s a real natural in that aspect.”

The NFL, in the end, is a quarterback-driven league, and the onus ultimately will be on Smith to make all the pieces work in Chip Kelly's offense.

The Raiders have been searching for such a quarterback. Maybe Smith is the answer.

“Geno is a hell of a quarterback," defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “He’s another guy that gets slept on for some reason, but Geno can play and he’s super competitive. Getting to see him and go against him every single day has been an awesome experience so far.”

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) speaks to media during the team's NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) warms up during the team's NFL football training camp Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Henderson, Nev. AP Photo/Ian Maule)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday asked lawmakers to approve reforms to the oil industry that would open the doors to greater foreign investment during her first state of the union speech less than two weeks after its longtime leader was toppled by the United States.

Rodríguez, who has been under pressure by the Trump administration to fall in line with its vision for the oil-rich nation, said sales of Venezuelan oil would go to bolster crisis-stricken health services, economic development and other infrastructure projects.

She outlined a distinct vision for the future, straying from her predecessors, who have long railed against American intervention in Venezeula. “Let us not be afraid of diplomacy” with the U.S., said Rodriguez, the former vice president who must now navigate competing pressures from the Trump administration and a government loyal to former President Nicolás Maduro.

The speech, which was broadcast on a delay in Venezuela, came one day after Rodríguez said her government would continue releasing prisoners detained under Maduro in what she described as “a new political moment” since his ouster.

On Thursday, Trump met at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, whose political party is widely considered to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro. But in endorsing Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president since 2018, Trump has sidelined Machado.

Rodríguez, who had a call with Trump earlier this week, said Wednesday evening on state television that her government would use “every dollar” earned from oil sales to overhaul the nation’s public health care system. Hospitals and other health care facilities across the country have long been crumbling, and patients are asked to provide practically all supplies needed for their care, from syringes to surgical screws.

The acting president must walk a tightrope, balancing pressures from both Washington and top Venezuelan officials who hold sway over Venezuela's security forces and strongly oppose the U.S. Her recent public speeches reflect those tensions — vacillating from conciliatory calls for cooperation with the U.S., to defiant rants echoing the anti-imperialist rhetoric of her toppled predecessor.

American authorities have long railed against a government they describe as a “dictatorship,” while Venezuela’s government has built a powerful populist ethos sharply opposed to U.S. meddling in its affairs.

For the foreseeable future, Rodríguez's government has been effectively relieved of having to hold elections. That's because when Venezuela’s high court granted Rodríguez presidential powers on an acting basis, it cited a provision of the constitution that allows the vice president to take over for a renewable period of 90 days.

Trump enlisted Rodríguez to help secure U.S. control over Venezuela’s oil sales despite sanctioning her for human rights violations during his first term. To ensure she does his bidding, Trump threatened Rodríguez earlier this month with a “situation probably worse than Maduro.”

Maduro, who is being held in a Brooklyn jail, has pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking charges.

Before Rodríguez’s speech on Thursday, a group of government supporters was allowed into the presidential palace, where they chanted for Maduro, who the government insists remains the country’s president. “Maduro, resist, the people are rising,” they shouted.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez makes a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, smiles flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez after making a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)