Tom Brady wanted Geno Smith on Raiders over Seahawks QB Sam Darnold

On March 13, 2025, the Seattle Seahawks traded quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, reuniting him with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.

The same day, the Seahawks signed quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year contract to become their new starter in Smith's place. It was a transformative swap that led to ample speculation about how each arrangement would pan out for both players and franchises.

Ten months later, the Seahawks are 14-3 and the No. 1 seed in the NFC with all the advantages of a potential Super Bowl run on their side. The Raiders finished 3-13, earned the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and fired Carroll after his lone season with the team.

The state of both teams is due to a lot of factors outside of just the quarterbacks. However, according to a June report from The Athletic's Michael Silver, Raiders minority owner and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady preferred Smith over Darnold after they failed to secure a trade for Matthew Stafford.

And per ESPN's Kalyn Kahler and Ryan McFadden, Brady's opinion holds extreme weight in that building.

"The Athletic reported that Brady was not in favor of signing free agent quarterback Sam Darnold," Kahler and McFadden wrote. "So the team traded with Seattle for quarterback Geno Smith, while Seattle signed Darnold, who has put together back-to-back 14-win seasons for two different teams.

Jan 3, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) reacts during the first half at Levi's Stadium. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

"Brady's big swings for coach and quarterback -- which seemed possible because of the allure of who he is and what he represents -- winning and consistency -- both missed, and Las Vegas wound up with two compromises at the two most important spots."

Smith's future in Las Vegas is uncertain after Carroll was fired and he posted an NFL-high 17 interceptions this season. Regardless, it may be up to Brady.

"Tom definitely influences everything that goes on there," an agent of a Raiders player said, per ESPN. "The coaching hire, the Geno Smith trade, Matthew Stafford recruitment, he was involved with all that."

Meanwhile, Darnold seems to have solidified himself as the Seahawks' quarterback for at least another season. Darnold has led the league in total turnovers, but the Seattle passing offense has had stretches of excellence with him under center.

Ultimately, it's comparing one organization that has had two winning seasons since 2003 against another that has only finished below .500 five times in that span. It's an organizational issue, and there's no certainty that Darnold would have performed any better than Smith with the Raiders.

The Seahawks got their man at quarterback for the time being, however, and they're going further than Smith took them in three seasons as the team's starter.

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