Ex-Raiders QB Geno Smith prepares for ‘another game’ against former team

The Las Vegas Raiders are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and head on the road to take on the New York Jets and a familiar face at quarterback — Geno Smith.

After one season with the Raiders, Smith departed during the offseason following a trade that sent him and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Jets in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Smith was originally selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.

During his stint in Las Vegas under Raiders coach Pete Carroll, who was also let go by the organization, Smith did not play like a two-time Pro Bowler. He threw for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions on 448 pass attempts in 15 games.

This season, Smith has cut back on the turnovers, throwing for 10 touchdowns and two interceptions through seven starts. Smith has also passed for 1,623 yards while completing 70 percent of his attempts. The Jets are 2-5 after losing last week to the Miami Dolphins.

When asked if he had any particular feelings about playing his former team, Smith told reporters Wednesday there would be no difference in his approach or preparation heading into Sunday’s matchup.

“It’s another game,” Smith said. “It is another opportunity for us as a team to go out there and try and start a streak and try and establish ourselves. We want to preach improvement every single week.

“Going up against obviously a team that I have played on, I don’t really put too much stock into it. I just think it is another game and that is the way that you need to approach it. It is the most important game because it is the next one.”

This isn’t a new occurrence for Smith, who has played for five different franchises across his NFL career. The 6-foot-2-inch Miramar, Florida, native has amassed 23,791 passing yards and 134 touchdowns while completing 65.5 percent of his career attempts.

As for the Raiders, Smith had high praise for the Las Vegas defense, which has forced 12 turnovers through seven games, ranking second in the NFL behind only the Green Bay Packers (13).

“They are multiple in their fronts,” Smith said. “They are using guys in a lot of different ways. They have some hybrid players like Jeremy Chinn and just the way that they are using Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean is having himself a year.

“All of those guys I think are very capable players and I think their defense is doing a great job of being multiple on the front end and the back end. You have to read the defense and they are going to give you a ton of looks in a ton of different coverages to see if you can dissect it and make plays.”

Smith also highlighted the play of Maxx Crosby.

“He is a guy who is a game breaker,” Smith said. “He is a guy who is always going to be around the football. He plays almost 100 percent of the snaps, and he gives his maximum effort every single time.

“I gained a ton of respect for him from being a teammate and just seeing the way that he works. We used to compete on who could get to the weight room first and who stayed the longest. I have a ton of respect for Maxx, a really good friend of mine and I am looking forward to it.”

Contact Donovan Hicks at [email protected]. Follow @HicksSports on X.