'Never felt like Seattle was my team': Geno Smith expected Seahawks divorce

It's been six months since Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks parted ways in an offseason trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. The divorce has only gotten messier since.

In an extensive interview with ESPN reporter Ryan McFadden, Smith revealed feelings ranging from not fitting the Seattle culture to his personality rubbing the Seahawks' front office the wrong way to never feeling like it was his team after following in the footsteps of Russell Wilson.

From 2019-24, Smith appeared in 54 total games for the Seahawks, completing 68.5% of his passes and tossing 76 touchdowns to 36 interceptions. He earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods in 2022 and 2023.

Smith started 52 total games for the Seahawks, with most coming from 2022-24 when he was the full-time starter for three seasons. It was his first starting role since 2014 with the New York Jets, where he was drafted. Still, Smith didn't hold back on his former team.

"I finally got my team," Smith said of his new situation with the Raiders, per McFadden. "I always felt like I was trying to replace Russell [Wilson in Seattle], and you can never replace all the great things that he did. So I never felt like Seattle was my team.

Sep 7, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) drops back to pass against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

"Also, I didn't feel like I fit the aesthetic of the Seattle organization. The Raiders just fit me."

Smith indicated he "didn't fit the culture" of the city itself because of "how I was raised and act" after growing up in Miami, Florida. That personality also rubbed people in the Seahawks' front office the wrong way, Smith said.

"If it rubs somebody the wrong way, good," Smith added. "Those aren't the people I want to go to war with. I want people who really go die about [winning] because that's how I am."

Former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who is now the head coach of the Raiders, gave Smith his chance to return to a starting role when the team traded Wilson after the 2021 season. That lasted for two seasons until Carroll left Seattle after the 2023 season, which he has now said was a mutual decision between the Super Bowl-winning coach and the franchise.

When Carroll was hired by the Raiders, Smith said he "knew [Carroll] would be coming for me, and it was a matter of time before it happened."

That was also because, due to the state of the negotiations between Smith and the Seahawks, Smith felt 2024 would be his final season with the team as they entered the season. Much of that feeling came from the fact that Smith wasn't getting clarity from the franchise on its long-term plans at quarterback.

Jan 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) leaves the field following the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"They didn't have a definitive answer [on his future in Seattle]. ... It was kind of up in the air," Smith said. "And so for me, going into the [2024] season, I was like, 'OK, well, this may be my last season here.' I literally had a playlist called 'The Last Dance.' I wanted to go out there and give it my all for my teammates."

Regardless, conversations clearly muddied between Smith and the Seahawks, and it seems to have reached a point of no return — eventually leading to the trade. Seattle went out and acquired Sam Darnold, who is also a quarterback seeking a long-term career revival, while also being six years younger than Smith.

Even though Smith originally wanted to stay in Seattle long-term, he said, Carroll was also critical to his success. That pair is now back together in Las Vegas, and the Seahawks have a potentially above-average quarterback in replacement. In some ways, both sides won.

"I felt like I [had] done all I could do," Smith said of final negotiations with the Seahawks. "I showed them who I am, and if they wanted to go a different direction, so be it."

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