5 reasons Seahawks could work deal with Raiders to trade Geno Smith

Not just why Seattle might move him, but why Las Vegas will want him.

Geno Smith and Pete Carroll with the Seahawks
Geno Smith and Pete Carroll with the Seahawks | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks have to make some moves, and the perfect opportunity has come up for them to make it. Whether it's the right move or not, I'm not sure, But trading Geno Smith to the Raiders makes too much sense to not at least entertain the idea.

The Seahawks face a lot of serious issues this year, not all of them on the field. One of the biggest problems facing general manager John Schneider is the team's cap space. Or to be more accurate, it's the lack of cap space. Several of their top players may have to be moved to other teams. As Geno Smith has the highest cap hit, he's a very likely candidate for a trade.

We can see why the Hawks might want to trade Smith. But why would the Raiders want him, you ask? I have several reasons for Las Vegas to make the deal with Seattle. Well, I have five reasons. For now, I'm not concerned about what the Seahawks would get in return.

Five reasons for the Seahawks and Raiders to deal Geno Smith

Remember, Denver gave Seattle two first-round picks, two second-rounders, a fifth-round pick, two starters, and a backup QB. All for a 34-year-old quarterback who'd shown two straight years of decline and a fourth-round pick. So anything is possible.

The 2025 draft class

There are two great quarterback prospects in this class, but after Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, there's a very serious dropoff. As Jordan Reid wrote for ESPN, we won't see anything like the run on QBs we saw in the 2024 draft. The Raiders have the sixth pick, which normally would put them in a good spot to get their next franchise signal caller.

Unfortunately for them, neither Sanders nor Ward will be there after the first five picks. The Titans have the first pick and have already made it clear that they're looking for a generational player. Will Levis has made it just as clear that he's not a starting NFL quarterback. The Browns and the Giants pick second and third, and both need QBs. There's simply no way for the Raiders to move up to any of those spots when all three of those teams need to fill that same position.

Trading for Geno Smith would allow Las Vegas to draft a Day 2 or Day 3 project. Smith could start for the next two or three seasons while the heir-apparent gets up to speed - literally. A player like Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss or Kurtis Rourke from Indiana is going to need some seasoning before they're ready for the speed of the NFL game. And Old Bay isn't going to cut it.

Cap space

Simply put, the Raiders have it and the Seahawks need it. Las Vegas currently has the second-most cap space in the league, with $95.7 million in Monopoly money to burn. Meanwhile, Seattle has no cap space. They need to trim $23.5 million just to get to zero. Even then, they'll need to cut millions more from the cap just to sign the 2025 rookie class, let alone any new deals.

Now I'm not suggesting that the Raiders will do the Hawks a solid out of the goodness of their heart. I hate those articles that suggest Team A will trade their superstar to Team B but never suggest what Team A gets out of the deal. We've seen too many saying the Seahawks will trade DK Metcalf without even mentioning what the Hawks would get in return.

So what would the Raiders get for taking on Smith's $44.5 million hit? Well, they won't, for one thing. Las Vegas would surely restructure his contract, just as Seattle would if he were to stay. What they would get is a quarterback who can throw the long ball at a very high completion rate. Neither Gardner Minshew nor Aidan O'Connell are that guy. The Raiders can easily afford to add Smith.

John Spytek

The Raiders new general manager should be a big fan of quarterbacks getting a second chance. After all, he was the assistant GM when Tampa Bay signed Baker Mayfield in 2023. I'm not about to suggest that Geno Smith is a reclamation project, as some 12 would proclaim. But he did have some serious issues in the red zone this season.

Despite that, he was vastly better than Mayfield in 2022. The Panthers released him in December after he went just 1-5 in his six starts. The Rams snapped him up the very next day to step in for the injured Matthew Stafford. He pulled off a gutty win on just his third day on the roster, but that was about it for him in Los Angeles. Mayfield played poorly in three of the next four games, all lost by the Rams.

Spytek saw firsthand what a change of scenery can do for a quarterback. I expect he believes Geno Smith could make a similar jump in performance. And Smith has far less to straighten out than Mayfield did. Despite throwing some terrible picks, Smith still finished in the top 5 in passing yards, completion percentage, fourth-quarter comebacks, and game-winning drives.

Tom Brady

I know, 12s. Why would I say Tom Brady would be a key factor in bringing Smith to the Raiders? The clicks guys, the clicks! No, not really. He's not even listed in the SEO tags. IYKYK. I do believe that the guy who won about a gazillion Super Bowls would be very happy to see a solid veteran like Smith join the team.

He knows the Raiders won't be able to move up in the draft to get one of the top two prospects. He also knows they'll have to settle for a quarterback who is in no way ready to start in the NFL in Week 1 of their career. How happy would TB12 be to not only give Geno Smith some tips but also take a raw rookie under his wing and develop him into a real talent? Trading for Smith would give Brady time to impart some of his wisdom to the rookie without the pressure of stepping onto the field on day one.

Brady has to be salivating at the thought of showing the league, again, that a Day 3 guy can be one of the best in the game. You know, sixth-round pick, chip on the shoulder, all that stuff? Brady's a very smart guy, despite agreeing to the roast. I just hope he stays away from the equipment on game day.

Pete Carroll

It should be obvious to any dues-paying member of the 12s that the biggest reason for Geno Smith to join the Raiders is their new head coach, Peter Clay Carroll. By the way, you are up-to-date on your dues, right? Word is that Jody Allen is sending Leonard Williams out to collect. A word to the wise, my friend. Although, how cool would it be to have the Big Cat tear your front door off your hinges?

Okay, back to Pete. the former Seahawks head coach has said many times that Geno Smith is one of his favorite players ever. As Carroll said, "He's taught us about belief in yourself and how powerful that is. As clear as an illustration of anybody that I can ever remember." That's some pretty powerful stuff, right? It takes a lot to be more optimistic than the king of optimism himself.

Now think of the team Carroll has inherited. The Raiders went 4-13 last year. and haven't had a winning season since 2021. That was their only winning season in the past eight years. Carroll will be the fifth head coach in nine seasons. It's a distant memory when this team was known for the phrase, "Just win, baby." Their culture is - I mean, do the Raiders even have a culture at this point? Their fans do, but does the team? What do they do, all get together for a bowl haircut in training camp?

Carroll knows that the biggest reason he's in Las Vegas is to instill a winning culture. To Pete Carroll, no one represents that winning attitude, that never-give-in mentality, than Geno Smith. Yes, I know there's a lot of buzz that Carroll and Russell Wilson have mended fences. Wilson would be a lot cheaper than Smith, too.

But Wilson never had the kind of relationship Carroll shared with Smith. At this stage of his Hall of Fame career, I think Carroll wants to close it out with his guys. And few people represent that more than Smith.

More Seahawks news and analysis:

Schedule