Traded Geno Smith says goodbye to Seahawks, expresses ‘my love for Seattle,’ has a wish
As he said hello to Las Vegas — as his replacement was signing his contract to replace him with the Seahawks — Geno Smith said goodbye to Seattle.
And he professed his love to the Seattle where the 34-year-old quarterback revived his career.
“My love for Seattle cannot be described in words. I wish I could’ve done more to express that,” Smith posted on X/Twitter Thursday afternoon.
“Thank You for a memorable 6 years!”
The Seahawks who made him their starter after trading Russell Wilson to Denver in March 2022 traded Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in a deal agreed upon on Friday. The Raiders made the trade official on Thursday, the second day of the league year.
As they did, the Seahawks said farewell to Smith.
“A leader both on and off the field,” his now-former team posted on X/Twitter.
The Seahawks traded Smith after they made him an offer on a contract extension beyond his current deal ending with the 2025 season. It was believed to be for $35-40 million per season.
Smith is believed to have wanted $45 million or more annually.
The Seahawks pivoted quickly when Smith didn’t accept their offer early last week. They did that knowing they needed to clear salary-cap and cash to acquire a new starting quarterback in free agency: Darnold. He was coveted as the top QB in the market for coming off a 4,300-yard passing season with 35 touchdowns for the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings.
Once the Raiders hired Pete Carroll last month, Seahawks general manager John Schneider knew he had a likely trading partner for Smith if he needed one. Last week, he did.
Carroll is the man who chose Smith, who in 2022 was on seven consecutive one-year, minimum-salary contract as a backup for four years, as the unquestioned Seahawks starter post-Wilson. It U-turned Smith’s career, and eventually led to his $75 million extension with the Seahawks the following year.
This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 12:58 PM.
