The Seattle Seahawks pulled off a massive trade on Friday evening, with the team reportedly sending quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Seahawks are receiving a 2025 third-round pick for Smith. The Raiders have a pair of third-rounders, including their own and the New York Jets’ via the Davante Adams trade. It isn’t clear which one is going to Seattle, but the Jets pick one spot behind the Raiders in the draft order.
Now, the Seahawks will need to find a new starting quarterback with Sam Howell being the only thing close to a possible starter on the roster.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Seahawks are now expected to turn their attention to Minnesota Vikings quarterback and pending free agent, Sam Darnold, among others.
Darnold was a revelation for the Vikings last season and revived his career en route to his first Pro Bowl nod. Darnold is considered one of the top quarterback options on the open market, if not the best. He may also be the most expensive option out there, with Spotrac estimating he’ll land a four-year, $160 million deal.
The trade of Smith is at least somewhat surprising. Granted, there was always a thought he could be traded as he entered the final year of his contract, but general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald both sounded like they were intent on keeping Smith around.
“We’re going to meet with (his agent) this week, and see where it goes,” Schneider said of Smith during the NFL Scouting Combine. “But we expect him to be our guy, but we want to do what’s right, too.”
The Raiders were always pegged as a possible landing spot for Smith given the fact that they needed a quarterback and hired Smith’s former head coach and Seahawks legend, Pete Carroll. The pair will now reunite in Sin City, and reports suggest the Raiders could even extend the veteran signal-caller.
Smith’s Seahawks tenure ends after five seasons, three of which he spent as the starter. The West Virginia product revived his career in Seattle and earned two Pro Bowl nods in that span. However, the Seahawks made just one trip to the playoffs Smith’s three campaigns as the starter and didn’t win a postseason game.
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