Geno Smith made headlines when former teammate IK Enemkpali punched him in the locker room and broke his jaw. Unsurprisingly, the controversy drew attention among the fans. After the incident, Smith hopped from one team to another, in hopes of securing a starting quarterback role. He played for the Giants and later joined the Chargers. Before the Seahawks decided to give him a shot. A shot turned into 6 seasons. And now, he’s in Las Vegas with a deal worth an eye-watering value. But before that, he had stepped into a coaching role for South Florida Express until another controversy caused chaos.

It all began during the game between Raw Miami and South Florida Express. Smith was coaching the team and basking in the spotlight after securing a 38-21 win. However, what truly became a highlight on social media was Smith’s altercation, which began circulating widely. A clip showed the Raiders’ quarterback arguing with someone. With several members around him, and even security was involved to stop the altercation

“That’s why they pay me the big bucks, that’s why I get paid the big bucks. That’s why they bring the big bucks to me, that’s why they pay me the big bucks!” You could hear Smith claiming as he walked away from the people. After much chatter on social media, Las Vegas Raiders# 7 opened up about what went down that night.

He responded to a post by MLFootball, which featured the clip of the altercation and captioned it, “Trending.” But it wasn’t an altercation as Smith wrote, “Having fun with the game I love, but man, the need for clicks and negativity takes away from the great event that happened this past weekend. All the kids had fun and competed. All around great event. This is how we talk in Dade County. I’m sorry u might not understand. Carry on!” 

Smith’s response also seemed like an attempt to shift the focus to the game’s results. But netizens haven’t stopped talking. He has been receiving backlash for his comment. Many on social media criticized his behavior and added that young players shouldn’t follow his example. However, others praised his attitude and claimed that his competitiveness might motivate the young players.

Many believe that Smith’s comment hinted at his recent two-year contract worth $75 million with the Raiders. Nearly $66.5 million of his deal is guaranteed money. Sure, that means all eyes are on Geno. But like he said, “Carry On,” he’s also showing that in his work.

Geno Smith is putting in the work for the Raiders

After securing the starting quarterback position in 2022 for the Seattle Seahawks, Geno Smith notched up his game with 30 touchdowns and led the league in completion percentage. He made his first Pro Bowl appearance that year and had another solid run in the following season with another Pro Bowl appearance.

The 34-year-old continued his dominance with a career-high 4,320 yards and 21 TDs in 2024. But he lost the love he had for the Seahawks locker room after Pete Carroll left ahead of the last season. Hence why this HC-QB reunion in Sin City makes sense. As per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Smith’s new extension deal might secure $85.5 million with incentives and more during his time with the team. Even Tom Brady and Caroll have backed up the deal. The expectation is clearly high from Smith.

Raiders#7’s doctor, Dr. Sharif Tabbah, recently shared a few pictures of Geno from a workout session on X. He even shared a message along with it. “HUGE congrats to our guy @geno on locking down yet another BAG💰now with the @raiders! Your hard work, patience, and commitment continues (to) pay off! Couldn’t be happier for you 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽,” the post read.

Smith’s new contract with the Las Vegas team doesn’t mean he’ll definitely be their main quarterback for the next three years, but as of now, it seems he is focused on only his hard work and positive vibes