Geno Smith’s not so subtle message to Seahawks fan in return to Seattle

It’s not every day that you see a player leave a team in the offseason, and their very first game after leaving is against their former team. That was the case with Geno Smith and the Seahawks last night in Seattle.

Mixed emotions in Geno’s return

The former Seahawk, who signed a deal to join his former coach, and former Seattle coach Pete Carroll in Las Vegas, didn’t just debut for the Raiders on Saturday night, but he went back to the place he called home for the last five years.

The reception for his former fans was mixed. Some embraced him and cheered for him when his name was called around the loud speakers at Lumen Stadiums, others were a little more hasty. One fan in particular, who was sitting right where the Raiders came out of the tunnel to take the field, had a sign directed at Smith. The sign read “Bigger bust - Geno or Jamarcus Russell?”

Geno saw the sign, and reacted like anyone who had his name disrespected might. He looked directly at the fan, flipped him the bird and went about his business. Maybe coolest thing about the moment, was seeing defensive end and leader of he locker room Maxx Crosby join in with Geno.

The biggest bust of all time?

If you need a reminder, Geno wasn’t always a starting quarterback. For a long time e was a journeyman that made his living backing up other quarterbacks. That all changed in Seattle when Russell Wilson left Seattle back in 2022, and coach Carroll entrusted the former 2nd round pick. All he did was set the franchise record for passing yards in a season and take them to the playoffs in his first year as as starter.

Smith wasn’t a bust, just a late bloomer who took his advantage when it presented itself. Jamarcus Russell on the other hand, is widely regarded as one of the biggest busts of all time. Russell was drafted by the then Oakland Raiders out of LSU with the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. He lasted three seasons, starting 25 games, threw 18 TDs and 23 INTs while winning 7 games.

In the end, Smith played just one series in his debut for the Raiders, going 1/3 for 15 yards in a short shift from Seattle. Maybe more impactful that his performance was the hit to his wallet. Adam Scheffer reported that Smith was fined $25,000 for the gesture to the fan.

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