Raiders quickly come to Geno Smith realization Seahawks fans know well

One of Tom Brady's first orders of business as Las Vegas Raiders minority owner was to shepherd their search for a new quarterback. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell could not hack it. With Pete Carroll taking over as the oldest head coach in NFL history, the was pressure to find a quarterback capable of delivering immediate results.

Las Vegas found its man via trade with the Seattle Seahawks, acquiring two-time Pro Bowler Geno Smith in a move that preceded Sam Darnold's arrival in the PNW. Smith brought immediate credibility to the Raiders offense. The 34-year-old has not enjoyed the most stable career, but his play in Seattle established Smith was one of the most underrated signal-callers in football.

He delivered on the hype in his first drive with the Raiders, slicing and dicing a young New England Patriots defense in order to put Vegas on the board first in Foxboro. It ended with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Tre Tucker.

Geno Smith needed only one drive to show Seahawks what they're missing

Last season was up and down for Smith, who threw for a career-high 4,320 yards, but also set a career high with 15 interceptions. The Seahawks' offense generally performed beyond its means, however. Smith was under constant pressure behind a makeshift O-line, but he was able to navigate it largely with success. Smith gets the ball out quickly and packs real velocity behind his throws.

He can struggle when the pocket collapses, but Smith's effortless mechanics and fearless approach generate plenty of big plays. That has already been on full display for the Raiders. After a successful first drive, in which he turned 3rd-and-11 into a touchdown lob, Smith converted on 2nd-and-15 with a dart to Jakobi Meyers.

The Seahawks are going to miss Smith. There's really no doubt about it. Darnold impressed last season in Minnesota and he has a huge arm, but the accuracy and intermediate game aren't half as effective. Plus, Smith can get outside the pocket and deliver from awkward arm angles in a way Darnold simply cannot.

Raiders get the good and bad of Geno Smith early

That said, Smith's interception problems won't magically disappear. He likes to hunt big plays and it can lead to dangerous throws like this, which don't always end well.

New England's defense is young and vulnerable, but this is also a Mike Vrabel team now. The Patriots invested meaningful resources in improving their defense, especially in the trenches. That means Smith could face more this his share of pressure this Sunday behind a Raiders offensive line with question marks of its own. Las Vegas is still slow-playing its rebuild a little bit around Smith. He isn't flanked by a ton of proven pass-catchers aside from Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers.

In short: things won't get much easier for Smith individually in Las Vegas.

Seattle fans understand the natural ebbs and flows of Geno Smith quarterbacking. He will deliver incredible, high-difficulty throws that only a handful of his NFL peers can make. But he will also rush passes into impossible windows and put his receivers in compromised positions. There is give and take with Smith. It all comes out positive in the wash — he's a top-15 quarterback in my book — but the Raiders will need to live with the risk.

To be clear, risk is far more valuable than trepidation, and Smith's propensity for stretching the field and pushing boundaries is preferable to the dink-and-dunk offense Raiders fans became accustomed to with Minshew and O'Connell at the helm. There will be misfires and setbacks, but at the end of the day, Smith is the right blend of smart and ambitious to lead Las Vegas back to the postseason stage.