Geno Smith returned to Lumen Field on Thursday night as an adversary, taking on the Seattle Seahawks in his first preseason game as the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback.
For the most part, Smith and the Seattle fans seemed to be respectful with each other six months after he was traded by the Hawks and reunited with new Raiders coach Pete Carroll.
What Pete Carroll, Geno Smith said about return to Seattle
There was a notable exception of mutual disrespect, though.
When Smith and the Raiders emerged from the tunnel ahead of the game, they were greeted by a message held up by a fan who regularly brings signs to Seattle home games that heckle Seahawks opponents. The sign read: “Bigger bust – Geno or Jamarcus Russell?”
Smith responded by flipping off the fan with both hands while making his way onto the field. His teammate, perennial Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby, joined in after he saw the sign and Geno’s response.
(Note: The following links include media that contain an offensive gesture.)
You can see a video of the exchange at this link, and pictures from Getty photographer Steph Chambers here and here.
Based on Smith’s comments after the game, during which he led the Raiders’ offense on one drive, he doesn’t seem to have the same feelings for all Seahawks fans that he expressed to one with his middle fingers before the game.
“It means everything to me,” Smith said about receiving a (mostly) warm reception from the Seattle crowd. “It’s always fun when you can go back to a place you love, and I thought it was really good for me and it was a great experience.”
As for the sign that resulted in Smith’s gesture, if it was asking a serious question, it’s not a hard one to answer. Jamarcus Russell, who the Raiders took first in the 2007 NFL Draft, played just 31 career NFL games in three seasons, throwing 18 touchdowns to 23 interceptions.
Smith, on the other hand, did wear the label of “bust” early in his career, but he was a second-round pick, not No. 1 overall. And after struggling as the New York Jets’ starter in his first two pro seasons, he spent the next seven years in the league as a backup, then made back-to-back Pro Bowls after replacing Russell Wilson as the Seahawks’ starter in 2022. He now enters his fourth season as a bonafide starting NFL QB and is set to earn $75 million over the next two seasons.
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