Tom Brady ‘on board’ with major $45m decision that reignites Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce’s fiercest NFL rivalry

The Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback woes are seemingly at an end.

On Friday, the Silver and Black traded for former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick (92nd overall).

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Smith will reunite with former Seattle head coach Pete Carroll after the Raiders hired him following the 2024 NFL season.

The Raiders are reportedly taking on the full $31 million that’s left on Smith’s contract. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the 34-year-old Smith is looking for a contract extension with Las Vegas that will net him in the region of $45 million per year.

The Raiders went 4-13 last season and have been in search of a new quarterback ever since, deeming Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew unfit to be starting under center.

Las Vegas initially missed out on Rams veteran Matthew Stafford, who decided to stay in Los Angeles, but have seemingly found their man after a hunt led by minority owner Tom Brady.

The $375m Fox Sports broadcaster has been heavily involved with the Raiders since becoming a minority owner last year. The seven-time Super Bowl winner acquired a 10 percent stake in the franchise in 2024, causing all sorts of conflict of interest issues with his role at Fox.

According to Fox NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Brady was ‘on board’ with the move to bring Geno to Sin City.

“Tom Brady was also onboard with the move to acquire Smith, per multiple sources,” part of Schultz’s post on X read.

Brady competed against Smith for several seasons in the AFC East when he was on the New England Patriots and Smith was on the New York Jets.

“He’s making great decisions, passing the football very well to guys that are open, he’s getting the ball to ’em,” Brady said of Smith in 2022. “(He) hasn’t had many turnovers. He has enough athletic ability to extend some plays.”

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Many have deemed the move a big upgrade to the Raiders’ QB room.

Last season, Smith threw for 4,320 yards and 21 touchdowns and completed 70.4 percent of his passes.

It also means the Kansas City Chiefs will be facing a new quarterback in the AFC West next season, with the Raiders now in possession of a much greater offensive threat than in previous years.

Smith’s addition will likely be welcome news for the likes of defensive end Maxx Crosby, who has been able to talk the talk in the increasingly heated Raiders-Chiefs rivalry but been unable to walk the walk (not through any fault of his own).

Patrick Mahomes has a 12-2 all-time record against the Raiders.

But despite the lopsided record, Mahomes versus Maxx has become one of the NFL’s premier matchups whenever the opposing forces meet on the field.

“When it’s between the quarters, he (Mahomes) knows what time it is,” Crosby said. “And I know what time it is when he’s out there.”

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There is healthy respect between Mahomes and Crosby, but there is also a burning intensity, evidenced when Mahomes screamed, “You woke up the wrong mother******!” at the four-time Pro Bowler in 2022.

The rivalry between Mahomes and Crosby — which saw Las Vegas institute the Michael Jordan inspired ‘Mahomes Rules’ in 2024 — was highlighted in season one of Netflix’s Quarterback documentary.

“I was messing with him a little bit, pushing him on the shoulder after the ball was gone, just trying to mess with him to see how he would react,” Crosby recalled. “He started getting irritated. He bumped me, and I’m like, ‘What’s up?’ And I walked right up to him and he started walking at me.

“My immediate, just natural human reaction, somebody is walking at me, I’m hitting first. So I headbutted him.”

That strategic attack ultimately backfired, as the Raiders watched a 17-0 lead turn into a classic 30-29 Chiefs victory.

“I’m here all day!” Mahomes yelled back. “I’m here!”.

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Las Vegas last beat the Chiefs on Christmas Day 2023, winning 20-14.

But that revenge was short-lived as just over two months later, the Chiefs secured a tense overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII inside the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.

A steaming Crosby went viral as he stared at a TV screen watching Mahomes win his third championship ring.

On Black Friday last season, it seemed the Raiders were once again going to spoil a Chiefs’ victory on a standalone national game, just as they did on Christmas 2023.

Except this time, O’Connell botched the snap with Las Vegas in clear field goal range to setup the game-wining kick.

The Chiefs recovered the fumbled snap, sealing a 19-17 victory.

Apart from that Christmas Day blip in 2023, it’s been all Chiefs in the league’s most under-rated rivalry.

Since the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020, Mahomes and Travis Kelce have gone 10-2 against the team in silver and black, leading the overall series, 75–55–2 all-time.

But now the Raiders have a Super Bowl-winning head coach at the helm in Carroll, and a more than competent signal caller orchestrating the offense in Smith.

Add to that Jim Harbaugh’s improving Los Angeles Chargers and the resurgent Sean Payton-led Denver Broncos, and the Chiefs may not have the same stranglehold they’ve had over the AFC West in recent years come the 2025 NFL season.

Brady, who has a history of besting Mahomes and the Chiefs when it matters most, will certainly be hoping that’s the case.

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