The Seattle Seahawks wanted to find a way to keep Geno Smith in the Emerald City on a new extension, but were unable to do so. It is why the team traded Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third round pick. The immediate assumption from everyone was the two sides could not come to an agreement on how much to pay the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback. These assumptions seemed confirmed when The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Smith was seeking a contract that would pay him between $40-$45 million per year.

There we have it, right? Surely the Seahawks saw the salary request, balked at the number, and moved at a rapid pace to get him shipped off to Sin City. Well…. not so fast. We now have an idea of what Seattle was willing to give Smith, and it sure looks to be similar to what he was looking for.

Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times is reporting the Seahawks offered Smith a two-year deal that would have paid him his sought-after salary range of $40-$45 million per year. Instead of the team deciding to move on from a player, it turns out it was the other way around…

“While reports vary, one person with knowledge of the situation said the offer was a two-year deal in the $40-45 million per year range, similar to that of Matthew Stafford of the Rams, who has a four-year, $160 million deal with L.A.,” Condotta writes. “That would have kept Smith under contract through the 2027 season. The team made the offer early in the week and hoped to wrap things up by the end of the week. Seattle, instead, is said to have gotten no counteroffer. A report from Fox Sports stated Smith requested a trade Thursday.”

Whatever the reason (or reasons) may be, Geno Smith clearly wanted out of Seattle. Now the question becomes why? Did the offer the Seahawks give him not include as much guaranteed money? Was the length of two years not long enough? Were there “easy outs” the Seahawks could take each year in case they wanted to move on from Smith? Was the lack of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf enough for him to decide he wanted to play elsewhere? This is a story with still plenty of questions that need answering, and I am sure we are just getting to the tip of the iceberg on this one.

But for now, we have some increased clarity on the situation. Smith wanting out meant Seattle had to move fast to get the best possible deal available in a trade, and thankfully an old friend in Pete Carroll was there to lend a hand to get himself a quarterback.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Geno Smith requested a trade from Seahawks after contract offer