The Denver Broncos might find themselves in the most competitive division in football in 2025.
That seems crazy given the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders just completed a lousy season. But the moves the Raiders have made in the last several weeks — starting with the hiring of Pete Carroll as head coach — seem poised to remove the stink of incompetence from a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in 22 years.
And while acquiring Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks for a third-round pick isn’t an instant ticket back to contention for the Silver and Black, it does mean that the Broncos’ bid to sweep the Raiders for a second-straight year won’t be so easy, and that the floor of the AFC West just rose significantly.
1. THE RAIDERS JUST MICROWAVED THEIR WAY CLOSER TO RELEVANCE
Las Vegas isn’t all the way back just yet; the roster still requires significant restoration work in the wake of last year’s 4-13 disaster. But Geno Smith’s mid-to-late career renaissance has established him as a solid second-tier starter who can keep a team in games and maximize weapons around him.
He’ll have an elite weapon on hand in tight end Brock Bowers, who had the finest rookie season for a tight end in 63 years. And the Raiders’ decision to extend Maxx Crosby for three years shows that they mean business in trying to push their way back up the standings.
2. GENO SMITH HAS DONE PRETTY WELL AGAINST THE BRONCOS
Teams quarterbacked by Geno Smith are 2-1 when facing Denver, with the only loss coming in 2014. The Seahawks won both of the games started by Smith against Denver — the opening games for the 2022 and 2024 seasons.
Even though Smith is 34 years old, he still can scramble effectively, which he demonstrated on a 34-yard touchdown scamper last September.
3. RUSSELL WILSON WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO THE AFC WEST
The most delicious storyline possible out of all this would have been a return to the division for the erstwhile Broncos quarterback — and a chance for the home fans inside Empower Field at Mile High to boo Russell Wilson on an annual basis.
Now, the possibilities for Wilson narrowed by one. Of course, Seattle might be looking for a quarterback, but one doubts that a return would be possible — even though that would represent a particularly bonkers storyline.