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The Las Vegas Raiders are making major changes as they look to compete in the tough AFC West. After a disappointing season, the Raiders parted ways with Antonio Pierce and brought in Pete Carroll as head coach. Carroll, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, brings championship experience to the role. But his first move with the Raiders, having faith in Geno Smith, is being challenged.
Smith, who revived his career in Seattle and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2022 and 2023, now faces the challenge of guiding the Raiders back to relevance. Running back Ashton Jeanty, widely regarded as the top back in the 2025 draft class, will support him. With Smith under center and Jeanty in the backfield, the Raiders could field a dynamic offense this season. However, the Raiders’ minority owner, Tom Brady, doesn’t have full confidence in Smith.
Maybe that’s why the Raiders also drafted quarterback Cam Miller from North Dakota State in the sixth round. Despite coming from a smaller program, Miller is eager to prove himself. Also, he already has the backing of Brady. According to Dan Pompei of The Athletic, Brady endorsed the pick during a conversation with GM John Spytek.
Spytek noted that Brady was impressed with Miller’s throwing mechanics and body control. He stated, “He liked the way he threw, his technique, how he used his body from the ground up, and his mechanics. He thought he had the potential to improve.” Notably, Miller led North Dakota State to two FCS national championships. Also, he posted a 45–11 record as a starter, and entered training camp with high motivation and strong credentials.
Meanwhile, drama off the field is brewing for the Las Vegas Raiders…
Raiders owner calls out Dolan: Is Geno Smith in trouble?
In Las Vegas, Mark Davis runs the show. And he clearly has his eyes on a different kind of performer. In a fun twist, the Raiders’ owner was super excited about Beyoncé wrapping up her “Renaissance” tour at Allegiant Stadium in July. He even joked that if Beyoncé could throw a football, he’d be more than happy to have her join the team. And that too at the quarterback position.
“I’m certainly not going to send Beyoncé a cease-and-desist,” Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, showing some humor. “In fact, if she can throw the ball, I’ll take her on the team.” This playful remark, which almost seemed like putting Geno Smith in a tough spot, came after James Dolan, owner of the Las Vegas Sphere, sent a cease-and-desist order to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” singer for using his venue’s intellectual property without permission.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Jacksonville Jaguars at Las Vegas Raiders Dec 22, 2024 Paradise, Nevada, USA Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis looks on during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium. Paradise Allegiant Stadium Nevada USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKirbyxLeex 20241222_map_al2_291
Beyoncé recently kicked off her tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. There she featured a video of herself walking along the Las Vegas Strip and reaching for the Sphere. The issue? She’s set to perform her Las Vegas shows at Allegiant Stadium—not the Sphere. As a result, James Dolan’s team sent her a cease-and-desist letter demanding the removal of the scene.
And while the Sphere may have tried to shut things down, they couldn’t have predicted the massive buzz Beyoncé created by including the venue in her tour visuals. As her lawyer, Kathleen McCarthy, put it: “Beyoncé — many orders of magnitude larger than the Sphere venue — leans over, picks up the venue, and looms over it.” McCarthy also noted that it caused “significant speculation” that Beyoncé might do a Sphere residency to wrap up her tour.
Looks like while Mark Davis focuses on making sure Beyoncé has a grand finale, Dolan’s over at the Sphere still tries to figure out how to handle the situation. It’s like one big drama from The Real Housewives of Vegas.
The post Raiders Owner Confesses Not Trusting Geno Smith as QB; Open to Getting NFL’s 1st ‘Female QB’ Instead appeared first on EssentiallySports.
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