Seahawks Proposed Monster Deal to Raiders Before Geno Smith Trade

Seattle opened talks with a big idea.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Los Angeles Rams with quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks and Las Vegas Raiders agreed to a deal on Friday evening that sends quarterback Geno Smith to the AFC West and could end up sending quarterback Sam Darnold to the Pacific Northwest. In exchange, the Seahawks parted with a third-round pick. Smith has been a reliable option as a starter for multiple years and the Raiders are seeking an upgrade at the position in Pete Carroll's first season.

Before the two franchises agreed on the swap, Seattle came to the table with quite a proposal. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reports that the Seahawks opened trade discussions by broaching the subject of Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf for defensive end Maxx Crosby, which was quickly shut down.

The Seahawks opened trade discussions with the Raiders with this blockbuster proposal—Geno Smith and DK Metcalf to Vegas for Maxx Crosby. Vegas QUICKLY shot that down, and told Seattle that Crosby was not available.

But talks continued, and led to Geno becoming a Raider.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 8, 2025

It may seem like a fairly out there idea, but also consider that there's nothing wrong with asking if a team wants to really amp things up a notch.

Crosby on Wednesday signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension with Las Vegas, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. That was the same day Metcalf requested a trade out of Seattle. On another timeline they could have been in a true blockbuster. Instead they will now be teammates with the Raiders—something Crosby is clearly fired up about.

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