For the past year, questions surrounding Geno Smith’s long-term future with the Seattle Seahawks have hovered over the franchise.

Seahawks to trade Geno Smith to Pete Carroll’s Raiders

But as this offseason progressed, it seemed increasingly likely the 34-year-old Smith would at least remain Seattle’s quarterback for the 2025 season. In various press conferences and interviews over the past two months, head coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider repeatedly reaffirmed their belief in Smith and expressed optimism that they would reach agreement on an extension to keep the veteran QB in the Emerald City.

That’s what made Friday afternoon’s bombshell so stunning.

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According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Seahawks are trading Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round draft pick. It will reunite Smith with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who was hired to coach the Raiders in January.

When the news broke, Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob co-hosts Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton were likely just as surprised as countless Seahawks fans across the Pacific Northwest.

“Wow, I did not see this coming,” Wyman said on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “… I’m speechless.”

“This is shocking news,” Stelton said. “I’m shocked.”

What led to this?

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 had one season left on the three-year, $75 million contract extension in March 2023. His $25 million-per-year average currently ranks just 19th among all QBs, according to OverTheCap. Fifteen quarterbacks have contracts worth at least $40 million per year – including nine QBs with annual averages of at least $50 million.

Smith famously played with a chip on his shoulder in Seattle, where he resurrected his career with a breakout 2022 campaign.

Wyman, a former NFL linebacker, thinks that same chip might have played a role in the two sides being so far apart.

“Maybe that’s what we missed out on,” Wyman said. “We just didn’t realize that he was gonna dig his heels in, because it sounds like he wants more money than the Seahawks want to pay him.”

Stelton also pointed out the possibility of there being some friction between the two sides. ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported last September that Smith’s agent approached Schneider in the hopes of discussing a new contract, but that it was a “nonstarter” for Seattle, which has a longstanding policy of not extending players who have more than a season left on their contract.

“Maybe (Smith) went into this with a level of tension like, ‘Look, you guys didn’t do me right last year. You better do it now,’” Stelton said. “And it didn’t happen, at least to the satisfaction of his reps and him.”

What’s next?

The big question now, of course, is who will be playing QB for the Seahawks this fall?

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that Seattle is targeting soon-to-be free agent Sam Darnold, who had a career resurgence this past season with the Minnesota Vikings. However, Darnold struggled down the stretch in a Week 18 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions and a blowout wild-card playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

It’s also not considered to be a particularly great QB class in this year’s draft.

“The obvious candidate, to me, does not exist,” Stelton said. “… We’re talking about guys like, ‘Maybe Justin Fields could find it, and maybe Sam Darnold is this guy, and maybe Aaron Rodgers has got one year left in the tank.’ I mean, there’s nobody you feel like, ‘That’s a no-brainer.’”

There’s also the question of what happens with star wide receiver DK Metcalf, who requested to be traded from the Seahawks on Wednesday.

“We’ll see if there’s gonna be another move with DK, and maybe this could be a stepback year where they trade DK and Geno and they pile up a bunch of draft picks,” Stelton said. “I don’t know.”

Listen to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2 to 7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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