Raiders' Geno Smith Talks Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant Influence on Seahawks Tension

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith opened up about the end of his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks.

While speaking to ESPN's Ryan McFadden, Smith revealed that he "felt his personality wasn't accepted by everybody" in the Seahawks organization, and he pointed to some of the all-time greats in another sport as examples of why he felt some tension from his former team.

"Not my teammates, but I for sure felt like it rubbed people in the front office the wrong way because of the way I carry myself," Smith said. "But that's who I am. I mean, imagine Kobe Bryant. He spoke his mind about how he felt. Those are my idols. … Michael Jordan and guys like that, who were unapologetic about how bad they wanted to win. If it rubs somebody the wrong way, good. Those aren't the people I want to go to war with. I want people who really go die about it because that's how I am."

Smith, who's preparing to lead the Raiders against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football, said he feels that he's found a perfect fit in Las Vegas after being acquired in an offseason trade to reunite with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.

"I finally got my team," he said. "I always felt like I was trying to replace Russell [Wilson in Seattle], and you can never replace all the great things that he did. So I never felt like Seattle was my team. Also, I didn't feel like I fit the aesthetic of the Seattle organization. The Raiders just fit me."

Smith added that the handling of the end of Carroll and Wilson's respective tenures with the Seahawks made him feel like he didn't have a long-term future in the Pacific Northwest.

"Shoot, if they let him go, they let Russell go, the writing is on the wall, you know," Smith said. "Eventually, they're going to try to find someone younger, which every team does. I wasn't mad at that, but it was more so how they were going about it, like, the honesty of it all. I felt like they were trying not to tell me what direction they were going."