NFL News: Geno Smith Traded to Raiders from Seahawks Amid DK Metcalf Rumors

A quarterback change is coming in the Pacific Northwest.

The Seattle Seahawks are trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2025 third-round pick, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Smith is also expected to get a new contract in Las Vegas, Pelissero added.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini added more insight on a potential deal.

Smith himself addressed the trade in a post on X, writing that he's "excited to get to work and WIN" and that "the time is NOW."

The Seahawks had a difficult decision to make regarding Smith as he entered the final year of his contract. ESPN's Brady Henderson noted he was due to collect a $16 million roster bonus on March 16, giving Seattle a firm deadline to renegotiate his deal, leave everything as is, or let him go.

The decision was to let him go. Fox Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz provided some insight regarding failed contract negotiations that led to Smith's trade request Thursday and a move shortly thereafter.

Asked about the matter in January, head coach Mike Macdonald didn't exactly give a ringing endorsement when he said he thought Smith would be back.

Smith didn't necessarily play poorly in 2024 but provided enough reason to question whether he should remain the QB1 for next year and beyond. He threw for 4,320 yards, 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, and his 53.8 QBR was his lowest since becoming Seattle's full-time starter in 2022, per Pro Football Reference.

The 34-year-old made for a great story when he won Comeback Player of the Year and helped the Seahawks make the playoffs after they had traded Russell Wilson. But he's in the category of quarterbacks who are good but not good enough to meaningfully raise their team's ceiling. Seattle missing the postseason in 2023 and 2024 testified to that.

One problem for general manager John Schneider is that there isn't a clear path to getting an upgrade under center.

The Seahawks lack any serious internal candidates. Backup Sam Howell led the NFL in interceptions during his one full season as the Washington Commanders' starter.

Seattle is on the clock with the 18th pick in the 2025 NFL draft, which means a trade up is required to get any of the top QBs on the board. The talent pool is pretty thin in free agency, too, with Wilson, Sam Darnold and Justin Fields leading that group. Darnold is one to keep an eye on, per Michael Silver of The Athletic.

Still, it's not hard to see why Schneider decided to pivot in a different direction. Smith had a sizable cap hit at $44.5 million, and any extension probably would've been close to that given the present market.

Maybe the Seahawks can strike gold like the Vikings did with Darnold. Absent that, they might be positioning themselves for a pick early enough in the 2026 draft that will help them get a QB for the future.

As for the Raiders, head coach Pete Carroll reunites with Smith, who played in Seattle from 2020 to 2023. Carroll was the Seahawks' head coach from 2010 to 2023 before Seattle parted ways with him.

After a year off, Carroll became the Raiders' head coach. It's a new era in Las Vegas, with seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady becoming a limited partner last October and ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive John Spytek joining the team as general manager in January.

Item No. 1 on the agenda was finding a new quarterback.

The team's interest in Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was abundantly clear, as outlined by Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic after the 37-year-old signal-caller decided to stay in L.A.

"Stafford decided not to uproot his family in the twilight of his career, despite the chance to likely make more money with the Raiders or the New York Giants," The Athletic duo wrote in part.

"The Raiders, led by minority owner Tom Brady, made a strong pitch and were willing to give Stafford a two-year deal for around $90 to 100 million once the trade parameters were worked out, according to league sources."

That didn't work out, and the Raiders moved on to other options before finding an answer in Smith.

Las Vegas has had problems on the QB1 front since the final weeks of the 2022 season, when the team parted ways with longtime starter Derek Carr.

The Silver and Black brought in Jimmy Garoppolo as the new starter in 2023, but he was benched for rookie Aidan O'Connell after six games.

Gardner Minshew II was the Week 1 starter in 2024, but he and O'Connell more or less ended up splitting the starter snaps for the year as the Raiders finished 29th in the NFL in scoring.

Now Smith has been called upon to lead the Raiders into their new era.