The Seattle Seahawks stunned the NFL world by agreeing to trade quarterback Geno Smith to Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick, per multiple reporters on March 7.
The move came as a surprise since Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald shut down trade rumors while speaking to reporters last month.
"Geno's our quarterback," Macdonald said. "I don't understand the conversation. It's pretty obvious this guy is a heck of a quarterback. He's our quarterback. We love him. Can't wait to go to work with him."
According to SI's Albert Breer, the flip came after the two sides couldn't agree on a contract extension. With the 34-year-old entering the final season of his three-year, $75 million deal, Smith's camp wanted around $45 million annually, while Seattle offered closer to around $35 million.
Now, Smith reunites with former head coach Pete Carroll in Las Vegas, and ESPN analyst Mina Kimes, who's also a Seahawks super fan, can't believe it.
Flat out: this is a terrible move by Seattle. Chances of upgrading are extremely low. https://t.co/0I5mI8jZMP
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 8, 2025
Kimes posted, "Flat out: this is a terrible move by Seattle. Chances of upgrading are extremely low." However, her ire was only with the Seahawks. "On the flip side this is a great move by the new Raiders regime. Far and away the best option at QB and for a third rounder? Yes," she noted.
In response to Seattle going into full rebuild mode, Kimes couldn't fathom the extreme measures. "10-7 last year and missed the playoffs bc of quality of opponent. Nothing about this makes sense," Kimes continued in separate post.
"People really don't understand how bad the pass protection has been in Seattle over the last three years, and how much Geno Smith did to mitigate it," she added.
During Macdonald's first season as head coach in 2024, Smith threw for a career-high 4,320 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions (third-most in the league). He was sacked 50 times (also third-most in the league). While rumors swirl that the Seahawks may look to obtain quarterback Sam Darnold, Kimes couldn't get excited.
"Good schematic fit with [offensive coordinator Klint] Kubiak but he's a pressure sensitive QB and the IOL is one of the worst in football. They'd have to dramatically improve the pass pro," she posted.
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This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 8:24 PM.