Matt Calkins: Geno Smith trade begs the question: What are the Seahawks doing?

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Mar 9, 2025

Published in Football

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SEATTLE — It was hard to look at that Seahawks roster and see something beyond mediocrity. This was true last week and became even more so when receiver DK Metcalf requested a trade Wednesday.

It's been a position Seattle has been stuck in for several years, missing the past two postseasons with winning records and sneaking into the playoffs three seasons ago at 9-8.

It's about the most unexciting place you can be in sports — barely relevant but with no juice for the future. So it seems general manager John Schneider pressed reset, for better or for worse.

And it could very well be worse.

On Friday, reports surfaced that the Seahawks will trade starting quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round draft pick, which was confirmed by Seattle Times reporter Bob Condotta. Hey, there have been third-round picks that have changed franchises, but the odds of grabbing a true impact player that low are slim.

So the big question is: Are the Seahawks punting on the 2025 season? Or are they targeting another quarterback that they think can be an upgrade over Smith?

After all, Sam Darnold, who had the best year of his not-so-storied career with the Minnesota Vikings last season, is out there as a free agent. And after the Geno trade news, reports began swirling that the Seahawks have their eyes on him.

Darnold, like Smith, is one of the more enigmatic quarterbacks in football — one where it's nearly impossible to gauge whether he will be effective in 2025.

The fact that Darnold finished fifth in the NFL in passing yards and sixth in passer rating for a team that went 14-3 suggests he could take the Seahawks places. The fact that he completely flopped in the two most important games of the year — the regular-season finale vs. Detroit and the first-round playoff loss to the Rams — suggests you could bump your head on his ceiling.

There is also no guarantee that the Seahawks would land Darnold if they pursued him. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Seahawks were in talks with Geno's camp about extending his contract but couldn't meet his number. Would they be able to meet Sam's? And would that be a long-term solution?

It's hard to find good quarterbacks in this league, and make no mistake — Smith was a good one. His iffy decision-making kept him shy of being a great one, but the man who passed for 4,320 yards (fourth in the NFL) last season while completing 70.4% of his passes (fifth) was more than productive behind center. Throw in that he had four game-winning drives and four fourth-quarter comebacks, all while playing behind one of the shoddiest lines in the league, and you have to wonder if they can find someone better anytime soon.

The Seahawks sit 18th in the draft order, staring at a draft class that isn't particularly deep at QB. Might Shedeur Sanders be sporting green and blue?

If I had to pick one scenario, I would say the Seahawks go hard after Darnold in what just became an extremely intriguing offseason. They might even be thankful he played so poorly in his last two games so as to bring down his price. And if they don't get him, my guess is Schneider is content with having a down year so that they can improve through the draft. That said, it's fair to question the Seahawks' draft acumen at this point.

Remember, they got back-to-back first- and second-round picks from the Broncos when they traded Russell Wilson. Yet they weren't able to turn themselves into a contender despite having a surprisingly capable quarterback in Smith. If you're a nervous 12 right now, it's justified. It's possible this team will struggle for a while.

As for Smith himself, he'll always be welcomed in Seattle. He became an instant fan favorite after his 2022 debut against Denver, which started with "Ge-no!" chants and ended with his famous "they wrote me off, I ain't write back, though" quote. And his incessant grace endeared him to the fan base even more. He might not have had the hardware, but he had the heart. That matters around here.

What matters more, however, are those W's. And the best way to get them in the NFL is by having a productive quarterback. The Seahawks don't have that right now, and might be without their most imposing receiver soon, too.

The Seahawks picked Schneider over Pete Carroll when Pete was fired after the 2023 season. Now, more than ever, is when he has to prove he was the right choice.

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