This episode of Purple Insider is presented by Fandul.

All right.

We welcome in on Radio Row.

Q Myers, Raider Nation Radio, also ESPN Radio as well.

He's been hired for 14 more jobs since he's been here.

He's become three radio stations program directors. Q, it's great to have you back. Great to see you again on Radio Row in the worst time zone in the nation. Worst ever, ever. Between that and the weather, I'm good. And look, I get it. You probably understand the weather a lot better than I do. I got on the plane in Vegas. It was 70.

I got here. It was 25. So between the weather and the time zone, I'm done. Okay, we do have slightly different perspectives on that because I think when I left, it was 10. So I got here and I was like, oh, great. I don't need my jacket. Yeah. This is all I brought. Just a little vest for Indianapolis. I respect that.

So here's what I was little vest for Indianapolis. I respect that.

So here's what I was told hanging around Indianapolis last night.

Okay. I was told that I am not giving enough credence to the idea of Gino Smith, ending up as the Minnesota Vikings quarterback.

You made a face. Yikes. For those on audio, he made a face. Yes. What happened to Gino Smith last year with the Raiders? Honestly, it wasn't all Gino's fault. I mean, he wasn't very good, obviously, right? I mean, throwing all the interceptions that he threw, but he just at some point thought that he had to be the hero. And that's unfortunately what happened to him the last year in Seattle, too, when he

threw a lot of interceptions, took a lot of sacks.

The Raiders did him no favors. They didn't put a good offense a line around him. Their play calling wasn't very good. Chip Kelly and Pete Carroll were never on the same page. There was a lot of dysfunction from the beginning. So he didn't, he wasn't done any favors, but he also didn't play well.

And he tried to force the ball and So he didn't, he wasn't done any favors, but he also didn't play well. And he tried to force the ball. And he, you know, it's like every time he made a mistake, he tried to make up for it. And then he made another mistake. So it just snowballed on him. So it was a bunch of different things that went wrong. With that being said, if Minnesota wants him and he's under contract with the Raiders, I'm sure the Raiders would be happy to make that trade right now. I don't think there's any way they get an asset for him in the contract. It would have to be a situation where they would just straight up release Geno Smith. Right, which is exactly what they're going to do at some stage of the game if they don't get, you know, a late round pick or a pick swap.

Like they're going to do everything they can to try to exhaust, you know, the efforts to get something in return for him. They're already on the hook for $18.5 million. That's already done deal. So they're trying to probably move him before with the, what, $26, the extra $8 million gets in there. but like you said most likely they'll just cut them make them available and then anyone can pick them up so how do we parse out like what's left

with gino smith because he was a backup for so long and then he emerged where you don't realize

is that he's like old now yeah and he's taken 105 sacks over the last two seasons.

So that's a big part of my concern with him is that when he just straight up

throws the football down the field, it is a work of art sometimes.

But so many sacks.

And I know the offensive line was a massive struggle for the Raiders, but how were you

looking at what's still there potentially for Gino Smith? Because it couldn't be more night and day from going to Kevin O'Connell, Justin Jefferson, the Vikings offense, versus what you're talking about last year with the Raiders. Well, the good thing is Justin Jefferson is pretty much quarterback proof, right? I mean, he's that guy where you get a guy to throw him the rock.

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