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Geno Smith is already high on his new group of receivers with the Las Vegas Raiders. Although no longer throwing to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Smith believes he gets to work with the second coming of Santana Moss in the form of third-year wideout Tre Tucker.
Tucker, who was third on the team with 539 receiving yards in 2024, has apparently impressed Smith in training camp. Smith called his new receiver a “spitting image of Santana Moss,” according to Underdog NFL on X, formerly Twitter.
There are a lot of factors that go into comparing a receiver with 870 career receiving yards to a former All-Pro like Moss that raised eyebrows.
However, many forget that Moss did not get off to the best start to his career, accumulating just 470 receiving yards in his first two seasons. Perhaps Tucker has a chance to live up to Smith's lofty expectations of him with a breakout 2025 campaign.
The Raiders return two 1,000-yard receivers from the 2024 season: Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers. Smith, however, seems to have the strongest connection with Tucker. There is no reason to believe that Tucker will suddenly emerge as the team's top wideout, but the two have nonetheless appeared to form a bond over the offseason.
Raiders' receivers seek improved numbers in 2025
The Raiders return their top-three leading receivers from the 2024 season — Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker — and expect an even bigger year in 2025. Their acquisition of Geno Smith, whom they acquired in an offseason trade with the Seattle Seahawks, is the biggest factor in the team's confidence.
Since his re-emergence with the Seahawks in 2022, Smith has established himself as a starter in the NFL. Despite his rocky up-and-down year in 2024, he is coming off a career-high 4,320-yard season. His presence under center is a substantial upgrade from the horrid play Las Vegas dealt with between Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder.
The Raiders also made notable upgrades to their receiving room in the 2025 NFL Draft. Following a quiet free-agency period, Las Vegas added intriguing rookie prospect Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton. Both young wideouts are expected to have an immediate role in Pete Carroll's offense.
