The Seattle Seahawks traded quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders after it “became apparent” the two sides wouldn’t be able to come to an agreement on an extension, general manager John Schneider said Thursday.

Conversely, DK Metcalf’s request for a trade after “a lot of personal discussions” with Schneider is what led to the 27-year-old being sent to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Smith, 34, had one year remaining on his contract and made public his desire for a new deal, ideally one that compensated him like a “top-tier” quarterback. Schneider said Seattle made an extension offer to Smith, and it quickly became clear “there was no back and forth coming” between the two sides. At that point, Schneider said, it became “pretty evident” the Seahawks should trade him to the Raiders, who sent back the No. 92 pick in the draft.

Smith did not ask to be traded, Schneider said.

“It wasn’t a very long negotiation,” the GM said. “So, as a staff we had to be prepared to pivot.”

Speaking later Thursday on Seattle Sports radio, Schneider added that the Seahawks made a “strong” offer to Smith but did not receive a counteroffer, which surprised the GM. Schneider also said he did not shop Smith to other teams, as the Raiders — led by GM John Spytek and former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll — showed interest quickly and made a trade happen.

Seattle pivoted to Sam Darnold, the top quarterback on the team’s list after trading Smith. He officially signed a multiyear contract with the Seahawks on Thursday. It’s a three-year, $100.5 million deal with $55 million guaranteed, according to league sources.

Metcalf’s trade request did not come as a surprise to Schneider, who had been in talks with him about “personal” problems.

“I thought we could fix it, handle it, whatever it was,” Schneider said. “At the end of the day, it was a no, and he wanted to be traded. So, we pivoted and moved forward.

“We want guys who want to be here. We want guys who believe in what we’re doing. You’d have to ask him (for specifics). For one reason or another, he just wanted to move on and get a fresh start.”

At his introductory news conference in Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon, Metcalf did not offer details on why he wanted to be traded. He said the Steelers showed immediate interest and that it felt “homey” and “welcoming” when he spoke on the phone with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, GM Omar Khan and owner Art Rooney II.

Seattle sent Metcalf and a sixth-round pick (No. 185) to the Steelers in exchange for pick Nos. 52 (second round) and 223 (seventh round) in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Why Seattle pivoted to Darnold

Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald described the past week — which also included the release of Tyler Lockett — as “an interesting series of events.” He said of the quarterbacks they considered after deciding to trade Smith, Darnold was the top choice.

“Once we decided to make the move with Geno, understanding who was out there, Sam became the No. 1 focus pretty quickly,” Macdonald said.

Beyond the talent, Macdonald said game planning for Darnold and then seeing him in person when facing the Vikings in Week 16 at Lumen Field played into the decision to move forward with the 27-year-old Pro Bowler as their quarterback.

“We felt him out there,” Macdonald said of Darnold, who led a game-winning drive against Seattle that ended with a long touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson. “When you play quarterbacks, you want to feel them in the game. You definitely feel Sam’s presence and poise, competitiveness, accuracy. The downfield threat, that’s definitely a part of it.

And then being able to run the show, too, operationally, Sam can do it with the best of them.”

Darnold was attracted to Seattle in part because of his relationship with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator in 2023 when Darnold was Brock Purdy’s backup. Being familiar with Kubiak and his scheme, which Darnold says fits his skill set, led to the two sides reaching an agreement.

“Sam is extremely talented,” Kubiak said. “Great thrower of the football. His mobility sticks out, his toughness, his maturity. He’s an A-plus teammate. Elevates those around him, and the guys he plays with respect him because when your best players are your hardest workers, that’s what you really strive for, that’s what you want as a coach. Sam has that in spades.”

Darnold’s new weapon

Seattle will be without two of its top three receivers from last season. On Thursday, Seattle signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a one-year contract. It is worth up to $5.5 million, according to a league source. Valdes-Scantling, 30, spent eight games with Kubiak in New Orleans last season. He recorded 17 catches for 385 yards and four touchdowns while playing with three different quarterbacks — Derek Carr, Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler — in that span.

Valdes-Scantling said Kubiak being the offensive coordinator and the recent departures of Metcalf and Lockett opened the door for him to sign with Seattle. A fifth-round pick of the Packers in 2018, he said Kubiak’s scheme is similar to what they ran in Green Bay during his time there.

“I’ve had a lot of success with that play action and taking shots down the field, and that’s what I’ve done really well for a lot of my career,” Valdes-Scantling said. “And being able to get back to doing that, it’s pretty good.”

Addressing the O-line

Seattle’s only addition up front thus far has been backup offensive lineman Josh Jones. Schneider said he has “empathy” for the fans desperate for the team to make significant moves along the offensive line.

“Everybody sees it,” Schneider said of Seattle’s needs up front.

Schneider said the Seahawks were in on a “big-time” free agent offensive lineman, but because how much money was being offered, they wanted the player to come in for a physical, which couldn’t happen until the start of the new league year Wednesday. One of the other suitors didn’t need the player to take a visit before agreeing to a deal, Schneider said, so Seattle lost out on the player.

(Schneider couldn’t name the player, but he was clearly talking about guard Will Fries, who had surgery in October to repair a tibia fracture. He agreed to a five-year, $88 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.)

“Does that mean you start panicking and throwing money at other guys that aren’t quite as good? No,” Schneider said. “You make the smart, patient decisions. We’ve made decisions in the past that haven’t been the best decisions for the organization because we weren’t patient, and we panicked. And we pay for that.”

Schneider said Seattle is still working on acquiring a veteran offensive lineman but also noted that the new offensive staff likes the young players on the roster. During the radio interview, Macdonald said although they’re pursuing veteran free agents and scouting draft prospects, they expect their returning offensive linemen to improve and contribute in 2025.

“We want to address it but (offensive line coach John Benton and run game coordinator Rick Dennison) are experts, and they like our young guys,” Schneider said. “They like them, they see growth, they see positive development, positive futures with them. But it’s an area we want to address — and we tried addressing it, but sometimes it doesn’t work out.”

Required reading

(Photo of Geno Smith, 7, and DK Metcalf: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)