Geno Smith is headed to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Seattle Seahawks traded their starting quarterback to the Raiders on Friday in exchange for a third-round draft pick, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The trade will reunite Smith with Raiders head coach Pete Carroll, who previously coached him in Seattle.
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported Wednesday that there were whispers about a Smith-to-Vegas trade.
The Seahawks had reportedly been discussing a contract extension with Smith, but couldn’t come to an agreement and opted to trade him instead. Now, they are reportedly targeting Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in free agency.
Smith had one year remaining on his current deal, which comes with a salary-cap hit of $44.5 million per OverTheCap. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports he is expected to sign a new deal with the Raiders.
The move ends a Seahawks tenure that transformed Smith’s career. He joined Seattle in 2019, when he was mostly known for being a bust for the New York Jets and a backup for the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers. Smith was originally brought in to compete for a backup role behind Russell Wilson, but stuck around long enough to take over as starter after Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos.
In his age-32 season, Smith broke out and led the NFL in completion percentage in 2022, firmly establishing himself as a starter. He made the Pro Bowl that season and the next, but took a step backward in 2024 under a new coaching regime.
The Smith trade is the latest part of what is shaping up to be a transformative offseason for the Seattle offense. The team hired a new offensive coordinator in Klint Kubiak after firing Ryan Grubb, the original hire of head coach Mike Macdonald. Tyler Lockett, who ranks second on the franchise’s all-time receiving list, was released earlier this week. DK Metcalf, already sixth on that list, has requested a trade.
And now they need a new quarterback, who will probably be throwing to Jaxon Smith-Njigba a lot next season.
Few teams entered this offseason with as clear of a need at QB as the Raiders, who also have the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
With the less-than-dynamic duo of Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell under center, Las Vegas went 4-13 with a passing game that ranked fourth in the NFL in passing attempts … and 13th in yards. Their rushing game also ranked 32nd in the league in both rushing yards and yards per rush.
The team’s offense was an open vulnerability, though it struck gold with tight end Brock Bowers, who had perhaps the best rookie season for a tight end in history.
The Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce soon after the season and made waves by hiring the 73-year-old Carroll, who had retired from coaching the Seahawks last offseason after 14 seasons in Seattle. Carroll oversaw Smith’s breakout with the Seahawks, and will now try to execute another one with the Raiders.
Las Vegas still has work to do after acquiring Smith, though. With its new QB turning 35 this season, the Raiders might even consider finding a passer of the future if the right player falls to them.
