The week before free agency has been overly exciting for Seattle Seahawks fans in the last two years. Nothing quite matches 2025, though. General manager John Schneider changed his offense in a matter of about three days.
One move sent wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers. People were concerned about the team's lack of explosiveness if Metcalf left, but as a wideout, Metcalf can only control so much.
It was the trade that sent quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders that potentially had the biggest impact. In return for Smith, Seattle only received a single third-round draft pick. Not only were the Seahawks dealing with a fairly productive quarterback, but not getting much value in return.
Seahawks' trade of Geno Smith already looks like a brilliant move
What a difference four games make, though. Schneider might have gotten rid of Geno Smith just in time. With the Raiders and former Seattle head coach Pete Carroll, Smith has been terrible. He already has seven interceptions, and his quarterback rating is an awful 79.1. He has led his team to a 1-3 record.
This isn't a sudden case of being bad, either. Since the beginning of the 2024 season, Smith has 22 interceptions (and just 28 touchdown passes), and that leads the NFL. His trend of throwing ill-timed passes into coverage hasn't changed, and seemingly never will.
The truth is that had the Seattle Seahawks kept Geno Smith, the team would not be 3-1. Smith would have made too many mistakes and Seattle would be, at best, 2-2, but with no real hope of making the playoffs.
While the Seahawks picked up the No. 92 overall pick in the 2025 draft and chose quarterback Jalen Milroe with the selection, the trade was not one of swapping Geno Smith for Milroe. John Schneider had a very good idea of the quarterback he wanted to replace Smith, and that was Sam Darnold.
Darnold was acquired in free agency and has thrown five touchdown passes and just two interceptions (both of which came in Seattle's Week 2 victory against Metcalf and the Steelers), and has the sixth-best quarterback rating at 106.5. He plays with a poise and calmness that Geno Smith has never had.
And that last part is maybe more important than Darnold's production so far. He is a better leader on a young roster. Smith was volatile, and players might have been afraid to approach him at times. Darnold is getting his offense to believe in one another. That alone makes the Seattle Seahawks' trading Geno Smith a brilliant move.