Back in March 2022, the Seattle Seahawks swung a blockbuster trade that sent longtime franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
Almost exactly three years later, Seattle pulled the trigger on another bombshell trade involving its starting QB.
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As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter late Friday afternoon, the Seahawks are trading veteran quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a first-round draft pick.
To former NFL quarterback Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk co-host Brock Huard, this move was even more stunning.
“This is more shocking to me, quite honestly, than the news a couple years ago that Russell was getting moved to Denver,” Huard said in a video post shortly after the news broke. “I don’t think anybody – anybody – saw this coming.”
‘Bottom line, this is a business’
Huard admitted he was getting more concerned with every day that passed since last last week’s NFL combine, where Smith’s camp and the Seahawks reportedly began discussions on a contract extension.
But ultimately, Huard didn’t think it would end in a trade.
“Every day that passed, there was a little bit more of an ‘Uh oh, uh oh. This might not get done,’ just knowing the way the Seahawks do business,” Huard said. “And (I thought) maybe they would just run out the final year of the deal. But to trade Geno to the Raiders is truly a stunning, shocking move.”
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Smith had one season left on a three-year, $75 million contract extension he signed in July 2023. The 34-year-old veteran wanted a significant raise, with his current $25 million-per-year average ranking just 19th among all QBs, according to OverTheCap. Fifteen QBs have contracts worth at least $40 million per year.
The Seahawks weren’t willing to budge.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that Smith and the Seahawks were “far apart” in their negotiations for a contract extension. Breer said Seattle was closer to $35 million per year, while Smith’s camp was around $45 million per year. Breer said that’s what led to the trade.
Smith initially wanted a new contract last year, according to a report last September from ESPN’s Brady Henderson. But as Henderson reported, that was a “nonstarter” for Seattle, which has a longstanding policy of not extending players with more than a season left on their contract.
“Geno wanted a lot more money than the Seahawks were willing to pay,” Huard said. “Bottom line, this is a business. And we saw this last training camp, when he sat out a couple days with a knee injury at that time over frustration that he couldn’t get any more new money on his deal.
“The Seahawks have threshold. They have done this for 15 years under John Schneider: ‘This is what we’re comfortable with. This is our budget. This is our plan. And if you don’t want to be a part of it?’ Well, we’ve seen this a bunch. Now we see it at the most high-profile position.”
A ‘significant swing’
Ever since their back-to-back Super Bowl trips in the 2013 and 2014 seasons, the Seahawks have spent the past decade hovering in that good-but-not-great range.
Over the past 10 years, Seattle has totaled nine winning seasons and six playoff appearances. But during that span, the Seahawks have reached the 11-win mark just twice and haven’t advanced past the NFC divisional round. That makes them one of just four franchises – along with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Chicago Bears – who haven’t reached the NFC Championship game in the past decade.
In many ways, Smith has mirrored that good-but-not-great status.
Smith had a breakout first season as Seattle’s starting QB in 2022, when he led the league in completion rate and ranked seventh in ESPN’s QBR metric. His production dropped a bit in 2023, but he still was an above-average 14th in QBR.
This past year was more of a mixed bag. Smith finished fourth in passing yardage and fifth in completion rate, but threw the third-most interceptions and dropped to 21st in QBR. However, it was difficult to truly evaluate Smith’s 2024 campaign without factoring in Seattle’s continued struggles along the offensive line. Pro Football Focus ranked the Seahawks’ O-line as the second-worst in the league.
For Huard, trading Smith represents Schneider and the Seahawks taking a big swing at trying to lift themselves out of their nine-to-10-win rut – whether that’s next season or further down the road.
“They’re willing to take a significant swing and risk to try to go from good to great,” Huard said. “Geno’s a good quarterback. He’s a really good quarterback. … But I think ultimately Mike Macdonald, John Schneider and ownership said, ‘Yeah, we’re kind of tired of winning nine to 10 games. How do we find and pursue that next guy to make us great and to be a world champion?'”
An ‘aggressive mentality’
Huard also pointed out how this move fits with the overall aggressive approach the franchise continues to take.
When Schneider and former head coach Pete Carroll arrived in Seattle back in 2010, they completely remade the roster with a slew of transactions over their first couple of years. In the process, they built a juggernaut that won a Super Bowl, captured back-to-back NFC titles and led the league in scoring defense for four straight seasons.
Macdonald also hasn’t been afraid to make bold moves, as he showed with a series of personnel decisions on defense last season. None were more emblematic of that than the in-season shakeup at inside linebacker, which saw the Seahawks replace both of their season-opening starters midway through the year and then morph into one of the league’s best defenses over the second half of the season.
Trading Smith might be the latest – and boldest – move yet.
“Just bottom line, that aggressive mentality,” Huard said. “Pete moved out 13 months ago, and Mike Macdonald and John have now moved in. And much like Pete and John did the first time around 15 years ago, (Mike and John) are going to aggressively attack personnel and acquisition to be great, and not just settle for being good.
“That meant cutting players in-season last year. That meant uncomfortable conversations. … It means just aggressively, in every way, going after that opportunity to be great again.”
Listen to Brock Huard’s full video post in the video player at the top of this post.
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