General Manager John Spytek made it clear at his introductory press conference in January that he and Head Coach Pete Carroll would "turn over every stone" to find the right leader and quarterback to guide the Raiders. After acquiring Geno Smith in a trade with Seattle on March 7, the team solidified their commitment to the veteran quarterback Monday morning with a multi-year contract extension.

Joined by Spytek and Carroll, Smith made his first comments to local media members and shared his eagerness to get to work with the Silver and Black.

"It's a really exciting day for me and my family, but also it's an exciting day for the Raiders organization," Smith said. "We've got two really good guys to my right and my left who helped me become a part of this. We're really excited to get here and get to work. Really excited to get to know all my teammates, get to know all the fans, really immerse myself in Las Vegas and be a part of this thing. I've always revered the Raiders from afar. The Silver and Black, all the nostalgia when you think about the NFL, the Raiders is a big part of that.

"We're here to win. We're here to do this thing the right way. I want to lead the right way. I want to be a big part of the culture here and just do the right things and really just leave my mark on my teammates, on the team and the organization."

Smith joins the Raiders after spending his last six seasons in Seattle and most recently, three seasons as the team's starting quarterback. In those three seasons he was named the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year (2022), made two Pro Bowls (2022-23) and won 27 games as a starter, the sixth most among all NFL quarterbacks in that span. Despite the success Smith had with the Seahawks, the two parties could not find common ground on a future together.

"It's just business and that's the way things work in the NFL," Smith said while reflecting on his tenure in Seattle. "There are no hard feelings for anyone there. I have a lot of love for everybody there, really. And I think it's just business. There's new opportunity for everyone. I'm so happy to be a part of this thing. I'm so happy to be here and where I am right now, looking forward to just creating so many new memories. It's going to be exciting, it's going to be real fun."

Smith has already begun the process of getting to know his new teammates.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, he recently scheduled workouts with offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson and has been in communication with Maxx Crosby. As the Raiders get set to begin their offseason program on April 8, Smith is looking forward to the opportunity to continue building those connections.

"I was just talking to Jakobi [Meyers]," he said. "We're so excited about just getting the chance to work together. I followed him from New England to here and I always thought he was a really good receiver, a really good player. Brock Bowers, he's an All-Pro. One of the better tight ends in the NFL already and I still think he's got so much room to grow and to improve. A big part of my job is to help him do that and he can help me improve as well.

"All the relationships with the guys from Tre Tucker to Michael Mayer, all the guys that I feel like we can use and we can be successful with. But it takes an entire team. It takes an entire organization and every single guy is important and we want to make sure that they feel that."

It's that type of leadership – in addition to his skill set – that enticed Spytek and Carroll to make the move.

Familiarity helps too.

In addition to reuniting with Carroll, Smith will be working with quarterbacks coach Greg Olson, who served in the same position in Seattle in 2023. While he's never played for offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, they too have crossed paths at various points in their respective careers. Additionally, Kelly coached Smith's cousin, Jeremiah, on Ohio State's national championship team last season.

"I've known his system from afar," Smith said of Kelly. "He recruited me in college when he was at Oregon, and I really gave it some thought. I thought about going there. I really liked Chip then, just kind of followed him throughout. I saw when he went to the Eagles, I actually had an interview with them when I was coming out for the draft, so I got to meet him again there. And then last year, he was coaching Jeremiah, so I just watched their team.

"I watched the way that he handled the injuries that they had. I watched the way that he managed having two really good running backs and those guys equally had 1,000 yards. They had a bunch of really good receivers who they spread the ball out to. There's a lot of things to like about this system. Obviously, I've got to dive into it and really just learn the ins and outs of it and how he wants things to be run. But just watching it like a fan from afar, I was really impressed."

With his contract extension solidified, Smith is entering his 13th year in the NFL as hungry as ever to prove he belongs in conversations with the best at his position.

"This is the big leagues, and there's a lot of talk that goes on," he said, "but I understand that the work is what matters the most, and what you actually do is what matters the most. I know we're here doing a lot of talking today, but I'm really about, just like Marshawn [Lynch] said, I'm about that action."

"Not in a cocky or arrogant way, but I just feel that I'm one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL," Smith added. "I'm out to go out there and prove it. I want to prove it to my teammates every day. I want to prove it to the organization every day, and then when the product goes out there on Sunday, I want to make sure that I'm one of the best."