What are the Seattle Seahawks doing? You’ve probably been seeking an answer to that question since learning they agreed to send quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick, according to league sources. The trade, which will be finalized next week, will save the Seahawks $31 million in cap space, giving them more than $60 million to work with, days away from free agency.
Seattle will receive the lesser of the Raiders’ two 2025 third-round picks. At a time when teams are leaving no stone unturned in their search for competence at quarterback, the Seahawks shipped their established starter away for a late Day 2 pick.
So, why ship out Pro Bowl players like packages? Let’s start with the quarterback, since that’s most pertinent. Smith has long viewed himself as a top-tier quarterback. His two head coaches in Seattle mostly agreed with that assessment. Drew Lock was the focus in the immediate aftermath of the Russell Wilson trade, but Pete Carroll had faith all along that Smith could be the guy — and he was right.
General manager John Schneider was seldom as effusive with his praise. After trading Wilson in 2022, Schneider didn’t re-sign Smith — who was a free agent and could have joined any team — until a few weeks before the 2022 draft. After Smith broke out in 2022, the GM signed him to what amounted to a creatively crafted prove-it deal. The team did not engage in extension talks last offseason, despite Smith’s interest in doing so.
It always felt as if the front office’s view of Smith was noticeably different than that of the coaching staff. This is why I asked Smith in Week 18 if he was confident that the Seahawks saw him the way he saw himself — as a “top tier” quarterback. Smith answered yes. His confidence didn’t seem warranted then, and that’s only been confirmed two months later.
The Seahawks are now targeting impending free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Darnold is the best veteran quarterback available, so a plan to pivot to the Pro Bowl passer would make sense, considering he’s a better fit than Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers (and all that comes with signing him) or Daniel Jones.
After the Smith trade, he’s probably not alone.
But here’s what the Seahawks are not doing: rebuilding. The goal in 2025 is, as it has always been, to contend. That won’t change even if Metcalf is traded. It didn’t change when Marshawn Lynch was no longer crotch-grabbing in the end zone, nor when the Legion of Boom no longer headlined their star-studded defense, nor when a potential Hall of Fame quarterback was sent to Denver. As much as Seattle appreciated having Smith and Metcalf, parting with one or both players will not change the mission.
The question is, will Schneider and Macdonald complete that mission? On Friday, I published a free-agent roadmap for Seattle, complete with contract proposals for ideal fits, including two on the offensive line. The bulk of the Seahawks’ savings from the Smith trade will likely be allocated to a new quarterback, but they still have money to improve the team. Now more than ever, the Seahawks must deviate from standard operating procedure, allocate more funds to the front line and fix the position group that has been the team’s Achilles’ heel for the last decade.
No more short-term solutions for a position group that directly correlates with sustained success. Putting Band-Aids over bullet wounds doesn’t stop the bleeding.
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