Analyst says 'everyone wins' in Seahawks-Raiders Geno Smith trade
It has now been more than three months since former Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Geno Smith requested a trade and was sent to the Las Vegas Raiders to reunite with Pete Carroll. Both teams have now completed their draft classes, offseason workouts and mandatory minicamps.
While it's still impossible to gauge who won the trade in the long term, we at least know what both franchises got out of the trade. How well those new assets pan out for the respective teams is the unknown variable.
The Seahawks received the No. 92 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which was used on uber-athletic quarterback Jalen Milroe. Seattle also signed Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract, while Smith inked a two-year, $75 million extension with the Raiders. From a certain perspective, the Seahawks got two quarterbacks for the price of one while Las Vegas hopes it remedied its near-league-worst situation at the signal-caller spot last season.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler called the swap a deal where "everyone wins" based on how it immediately improved both teams' situations. That declaration is based on Darnold and Smith being comparable starting quarterbacks.
"Smith's deal included $58.5 million guaranteed at signing compared with Darnold's $37.5 million, but from a practical standpoint, assuming both quarterbacks play two seasons with their respective teams, Seattle would owe Darnold $65 million during that span, while Smith would earn $66.5 million," Fowler wrote. "So, essentially, Seattle got Darnold, Milroe and $1.5 million in cash in exchange for Smith. The Seahawks also get a quarterback who's six years younger, plus the flexibility to get out of Darnold's deal quicker if things go poorly in 2025."
There's no guarantee Darnold or Milroe become long-term starting options for the Seahawks, but they now have options. General manager John Schneider clearly wasn't ready to commit to a 34-year-old Smith who will turn 35 during the 2025-26 season. He now has two quarterbacks with potentially high ceilings who are both 28 years old or younger.
Las Vegas, which was in a full freefall at quarterback, is now closer to where the Seahawks were when Smith took over in 2022 — fielding a stable, quality passer who could help the team win 10 or more games while they search for a franchise option.
This upcoming season will be a measuring stick for which team is better off after the deal. If Darnold falls back to Earth following his breakout 2024 season, the Raiders could be in an immediately better place. If Darnold continues his stellar play and Milroe flashes at times, the Seahawks could be set for years to come.
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