It’s funny how fast a corner can turn in the NFL — and we’re not talking coverages here. Just a few months ago, Jack Jones was out there, hijacking routes and stealing the spotlight. Remember that Christmas Day pick-six? Yeah, the one that basically got Antonio Pierce the head coaching gig? A movie in which Jones was the one rolling the credits.

But fast forward to this week, and the vibes are… off. Vincent Bonsignore reports the Raiders are trying to trade Jones. If that fails, he’s gone by Monday. Yikes! So, cold cut, no ceremony. From leading the walk-through revolt to walking out of the building. No lie, it feels like someone hit “skip intro” on his Raiders arc.

And the timing? Suspiciously wild. I mean, it was just during the 2024 season when Maxx Crosby shared a story on “The Rush” podcast. Where he basically framed Jack as the heartbeat of the locker room. “Y’all really trying to just do walk throughs… F— that! I’m trying to practice!” Jones said. Maxx? He was all in. “That sh– is fun while we’re out there.” So, it doesn’t sound like a guy teammates are ready to ship off. But… what gives?

Look, no one’s saying Jack Jones was perfect in 2024. Sure, he stacked up a career-high 69 tackles — but let’s not act like all 69 hit the mark. The tape doesn’t lie. Missed tackles, questions about effort, and a résumé that’s got a few off-the-field flags waving in the wind. Then, at the same time, it was also the case of, without Antonio Pierce in the building, the guy who literally stuck his neck out to bring Jones in? Yeah, the safety net’s gone. (Or was it?)

Because while Jack did have his moments — including that walk-through-turned-all-out-practice legend — there’s a different sheriff in town now. Pete Carroll, the sunny-side-up culture guy with a defensive edge. But hey, didn’t Jack want the piece of that cake in Sin City. “Playing for Pete Carroll is going to be like, I don’t know, kind of like a dream come true,” he said on NFL Network. You could hear the hometown kid in his voice. Raised in L.A., grew up on USC Saturdays — this was supposed to be full circle, man.

But nah, looks like the dream’s getting intercepted before it ever really hit the field. Maybe the trust wasn’t mutual. Maybe the leash got shorter. Or maybe Jack just didn’t fit what Pete’s building in Year 1 of his Vegas reset. Either way, it’s wild how fast “cornerstone” becomes “corner on the trade block.”

However, it also doesn’t help that the Raiders went CB shopping. They signed Eric Stokes, drafted Decamerion Richardson, and still have Jakorian Bennett in the mix. Suddenly, the room is crowded, and Jack’s $3.4M cap hit starts looking more like a clearance item. No dead money if he’s moved. Just clean books.

So here we are. From dream come true with Pete Carroll to maybe playing for someone new in a matter of days. But in Vegas, you roll the dice — sometimes you hit the jackpot. Sometimes, it’s snake eyes.

The dice roll over Geno Smith? Maxx Crosby’s all-in

Let’s be honest — the Maxx Crosby era in Vegas hasn’t exactly been sunshine and confetti. The man’s been dragging quarterbacks to the turf while watching his own team’s offense move in slow motion. Painful. So when the Raiders pulled the trigger and locked in Geno Smith and gave him an extension? You could practically hear Maxx exhale through your screen.

“I’m hyped,” Crosby told Jordan Schultz. “Geno’s a baller and exactly what we needed for this team and organization… Let’s go win.” That wasn’t PR-speak. That was Maxx speaking like a guy who’s finally been handed a competent QB instead of another stopgap disguised as a “solution.”

And don’t get it twisted — this move didn’t come out of nowhere. Pete Carroll and Geno? That history runs deep. Geno quietly stacked 4,320 passing yards last season — fourth-most in the league. He threw 21 touchdowns (T-13th), kept the chains moving with a 70.4% completion rate, but yeah… those 15 picks? Not exactly a stat you frame on the wall. Still, the work’s needed and Pete is trusting the chemistry to do it’s job.

But let’s not forget the Spytek-Brady connection behind the curtain. John Spytek worked with Tom Brady in Tampa. You think Brady didn’t have a say here? You think Geno’s landing in Vegas without the GOAT’s blessing? Please. If Brady gave it a thumbs down, this deal never gets past the group chat.

What makes this even better? Geno isn’t just a guy who knows how to run an offense — he brings an actual deep ball, something the Raiders barely saw last season. Like, four deep TDs as a team last year? Geno had seven on his own in Seattle. Raiders fans were out here wishing on a slot machine for 20-yard completions, and now they’ve got a guy who made it look easy.

So yeah, Maxx isn’t just talking. He’s fired up — and he should be. Because this isn’t just about Geno Smith. It’s about a new era, a competent offense, and a defense that no longer has to carry the entire house on its back. The Raiders finally made a move that screams we’re serious.