'Wasn't a very long negotiation': Seahawks GM details Geno Smith trade

Nearly a week after the Seahawks dealt Geno Smith, general manager John Schneider explained how the trade unfolded.

Connor Benintendi | Mar 14, 2025

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In this story:

Seattle Seahawks

After a week of varying reports, some concrete details about the March 7 trade of former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith were finally released on Thursday. The team introduced newly signed signal-caller Sam Darnold, and general manager John Schneider spoke to the media.

Smith did not ask to be traded, per The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar, but contract negotiations quickly stalled between the Seahawks and Smith, who was set to enter his fourth season as the team's starting quarterback in 2025.

"We made an offer to Geno, tried to extend him, and it became apparent that we weren’t going to be able to get a deal done," Schneider said, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. "It wasn’t a very long negotiation, and so as a staff, we had to be prepared to pivot."

There are still varying reports about Seattle's offer to Smith, but Condotta and ESPN's Brady Henderson have reported a similar ballpark of $40 million in Year 1 — a similar amount to what the Los Angeles Rams paid Matthew Stafford.

Dec 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) directs a play prior to the snap during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. / Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

When Schneider and Seattle didn't receive a counteroffer, they quickly moved to dealing him. They didn't field offers from other teams other than the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Dugar. The deal came together quickly.

"So, we had sat down with the offensive staff, obviously, the personnel guys were on it before anybody, but always having a contingency plan, and having to pivot," Schneider said. "We had several guys we were interested in, made the trade and we were able to get the guy [Darnold] at the top of the list — which doesn’t happen all the time."

It wasn't a weeks-long discussion dating back to the NFL Scouting Combine, as some had theorized. Schneider said the Raiders and former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll weren't lobbying for a Smith trade at that time, noting "I think they thought they were going to get Matthew Stafford at that point," Condotta reported.

But then Stafford re-signed with the Rams, Seattle couldn't close a deal with Smith and now he's in Las Vegas. Things move quickly in the NFL.

The result was Darnold joining the Seahawks on a three-year deal worth $100.5 million, and he's set to lead the offense into a new era — one that doesn't include former star receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

More Seahawks on SI stories