How Pete Carroll, Raiders were able to land Geno Smith in trade with Seahawks
PALM BEACH, Fla. — For the first time in five years, Pete Carroll wasn’t Geno Smith’s coach when the 2024 football season rolled around.
But what turned out to be a momentary change in the official designation of their relationship, didn’t change the nature of it.
In his first comments since the Las Vegas Raiders acquired Smith in a trade with the Seahawks, Carroll said he and Smith remained in contact throughout last season.
“Geno and I have a tremendously long, in-depth relationship,’’ Carroll, who was named as coach of the Raiders on Jan. 25, said Monday morning during his official session with reporters at the NFL annual meeting. “I talked to him all throughout this year. You’d be surprised how much we would just communicate, stay in touch. And really, it’s about me supporting him and hoping for the best.’’
Not that there was anything nefarious in that — Carroll officially held a role of adviser with the Seahawks in 2024, which was the final season on his contract with the team.
But keeping that relationship alive may also have helped sow the seeds for Seattle’s trade of Smith to the Raiders on March 7.
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Carroll inherited a Raiders team that had an uncertain quarterback situation, getting nine starts in 2024 from former WSU standout Gardner Minshew (who went 2-7) and seven from Aidan O’Connell (who went 2-5) during a 4-13 season that resulted in the firing of Antonio Pierce.
It was then reported on March 5 that the Raiders were releasing Minshew, who had one year remaining on his contract.
Carroll said the Raiders batted around quarterback possibilities from the moment he got the job with Smith always right at the forefront.
“He kind of, it was one of the options that I was hoping would be available,’’ Carroll said. “And when we talked right from the beginning there was a number of options of who we could go to at quarterback to kind of start the program up and Geno was prominent in my mind because I know exactly what we were getting.’’
Smith played for the Seahawks for five years under Carroll, the final two as starter in 2022 and 2023 following the trade of Russell Wilson to Denver, before Carroll was fired as coach and replaced by Mike Macdonald in 2024.
Carroll indicated that Las Vegas leapt once they knew Smith might be available
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“When it came around time to get to it, it was an automatic that we would take a shot at it,’’ Carroll said. “Fortunately Seattle was willing to risk it and (Raiders first-year general manager) Johnny Spytek made his first big-time deal and we pulled it off in exactly the manner that we wanted to and gave us a great kick-start to what’s going on.’’
Smith became available when talks on a contract extension with the Seahawks broke down quickly.
Seattle general manager John Schneider said the week after the trade that the Seahawks made an offer to Smith following initial talks with his agents at the NFL scouting combine, which was held from Feb. 24-March 3.
Smith was entering the final season of a three-year deal signed in March, 2023 that was due to pay him $31 million in 2025 and featured a salary cap hit of $44.5 million.
That contract included a $16 million roster bonus due on March 16 that included $6 million in escalators Smith achieved during the 2024 season.
Two sources have said Seattle’s offer to Smith would have topped $40 million a year, one categorizing it as a two-year extension that would have been worth up to $90.
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Schneider said on March 13 that the Seahawks never received a counteroffer.
Seattle hoped to receive an answer by the end of the week of March 7, the week before the NFL free agent negotiating period.
The Seahawks, instead, received only silence, with Smith’s side offering no counter proposal.
“We made an offer to Geno, tried to extend him,” Schneider said. “It became apparent that we weren’t going to be able to get a deal done. It wasn’t a very long negotiation.’’
With free agency fast approaching — and Seattle knowing it would need to move quickly if it wanted a chance to sign Sam Darnold, which the team viewed as its best of the most realistic possibilities in finding a replacement — the Seahawks shipped Smith to the Raiders on the afternoon of March 7 for a 2025 third-round pick.
“We had to be prepared to pivot,’’ Schneider said. “We had sat down with the offensive staff, and obviously the personnel guys were on it before, always having a contingency plan. We had some guys we were interested in, made the trade, and were able to get the guy at the top of the list, which doesn’t happen all the time.”
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The Raiders also explored acquiring Matthew Stafford if he became available. But those hopes ended on Feb. 28 when the Rams and Stafford agreed to a new deal.
That further enhanced the Raiders’ interest in Smith if he were available.
Putting two and two together can easily lead to a conclusion that Smith knew at the time of Seattle’s offer that the Raiders could be a realistic alternative if talks broke down with the Seahawks — and that it also might have led to him being more inclined to play hardball.
Seattle also understood that the mutual interest of Smith and the Raiders provided an easy way out of a potentially sticky situation — but only if the Seahawks moved quickly enough to get a replacement.
During his days coaching the Seahawks Carroll once referred to Smith as “one of my all-time favorite guys,’’ in part for his perseverance and attitude during three years as Wilson’s backup in Seattle from 2019-21.
Carroll reiterated that stance Monday.
“Getting Geno was a really important part of this,’’ Carroll said of Smith, who turns 35 in October. “We’ve had really a rich background and it was really important to me because I know what we can count on. ….
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“The guy sat for six years and in that time, one, he didn’t get the wear and the tear, so that’s why he moves so well and runs really well still. But he took to the game in a manner that was really very impressive. He was able to one day after another take it like ‘the very next play I’m playing.’ … and when he finally played look what he’s done — he’s had three winning seasons and he’s a tremendous completion guy, he’s durable, he’s tough. So we were really fortunate to get him.’’
Now it’s on the Raiders to get the extension done that Seattle couldn’t.
The Raiders and Smith have yet to reach an agreement on a new deal, which is one reason the team has yet to hold a press conference introducing Smith, who has yet to speak publicly about the trade.
Carroll said the Raiders and Smith remain in talks and seemed to hint that Smith will be with the team when the voluntary offseason program begins on April 7.
“We’re working on it,” Carroll said. “Yeah, we’re working on it. G’s excited to get going, get started. He’ll be here when we get rolling. But we are working on it.”
Carroll, though, said there’s no question he considers Smith as the Raiders’ long-term quarterback.
“Yes, absolutely,’’ he said. “I’m hoping that’s the way it’s going to be. … We’re going to get a number of years from Geno at his very best.’’
But what turned out to be a momentary change in the official designation of their relationship, didn’t change the nature of it.
In his first comments since the Las Vegas Raiders acquired Smith in a trade with the Seahawks, Carroll said he and Smith remained in contact throughout last season.
“Geno and I have a tremendously long, in-depth relationship,’’ Carroll, who was named as coach of the Raiders on Jan. 25, said Monday morning during his official session with reporters at the NFL annual meeting. “I talked to him all throughout this year. You’d be surprised how much we would just communicate, stay in touch. And really, it’s about me supporting him and hoping for the best.’’
Not that there was anything nefarious in that — Carroll officially held a role of adviser with the Seahawks in 2024, which was the final season on his contract with the team.
But keeping that relationship alive may also have helped sow the seeds for Seattle’s trade of Smith to the Raiders on March 7.
Advertising
Carroll inherited a Raiders team that had an uncertain quarterback situation, getting nine starts in 2024 from former WSU standout Gardner Minshew (who went 2-7) and seven from Aidan O’Connell (who went 2-5) during a 4-13 season that resulted in the firing of Antonio Pierce.
It was then reported on March 5 that the Raiders were releasing Minshew, who had one year remaining on his contract.
Carroll said the Raiders batted around quarterback possibilities from the moment he got the job with Smith always right at the forefront.
“He kind of, it was one of the options that I was hoping would be available,’’ Carroll said. “And when we talked right from the beginning there was a number of options of who we could go to at quarterback to kind of start the program up and Geno was prominent in my mind because I know exactly what we were getting.’’
Smith played for the Seahawks for five years under Carroll, the final two as starter in 2022 and 2023 following the trade of Russell Wilson to Denver, before Carroll was fired as coach and replaced by Mike Macdonald in 2024.
Carroll indicated that Las Vegas leapt once they knew Smith might be available
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“When it came around time to get to it, it was an automatic that we would take a shot at it,’’ Carroll said. “Fortunately Seattle was willing to risk it and (Raiders first-year general manager) Johnny Spytek made his first big-time deal and we pulled it off in exactly the manner that we wanted to and gave us a great kick-start to what’s going on.’’
Smith became available when talks on a contract extension with the Seahawks broke down quickly.
Seattle general manager John Schneider said the week after the trade that the Seahawks made an offer to Smith following initial talks with his agents at the NFL scouting combine, which was held from Feb. 24-March 3.
Smith was entering the final season of a three-year deal signed in March, 2023 that was due to pay him $31 million in 2025 and featured a salary cap hit of $44.5 million.
That contract included a $16 million roster bonus due on March 16 that included $6 million in escalators Smith achieved during the 2024 season.
Two sources have said Seattle’s offer to Smith would have topped $40 million a year, one categorizing it as a two-year extension that would have been worth up to $90.
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Schneider said on March 13 that the Seahawks never received a counteroffer.
Seattle hoped to receive an answer by the end of the week of March 7, the week before the NFL free agent negotiating period.
The Seahawks, instead, received only silence, with Smith’s side offering no counter proposal.
“We made an offer to Geno, tried to extend him,” Schneider said. “It became apparent that we weren’t going to be able to get a deal done. It wasn’t a very long negotiation.’’
With free agency fast approaching — and Seattle knowing it would need to move quickly if it wanted a chance to sign Sam Darnold, which the team viewed as its best of the most realistic possibilities in finding a replacement — the Seahawks shipped Smith to the Raiders on the afternoon of March 7 for a 2025 third-round pick.
“We had to be prepared to pivot,’’ Schneider said. “We had sat down with the offensive staff, and obviously the personnel guys were on it before, always having a contingency plan. We had some guys we were interested in, made the trade, and were able to get the guy at the top of the list, which doesn’t happen all the time.”
Sponsored
The Raiders also explored acquiring Matthew Stafford if he became available. But those hopes ended on Feb. 28 when the Rams and Stafford agreed to a new deal.
That further enhanced the Raiders’ interest in Smith if he were available.
Putting two and two together can easily lead to a conclusion that Smith knew at the time of Seattle’s offer that the Raiders could be a realistic alternative if talks broke down with the Seahawks — and that it also might have led to him being more inclined to play hardball.
Seattle also understood that the mutual interest of Smith and the Raiders provided an easy way out of a potentially sticky situation — but only if the Seahawks moved quickly enough to get a replacement.
During his days coaching the Seahawks Carroll once referred to Smith as “one of my all-time favorite guys,’’ in part for his perseverance and attitude during three years as Wilson’s backup in Seattle from 2019-21.
Carroll reiterated that stance Monday.
“Getting Geno was a really important part of this,’’ Carroll said of Smith, who turns 35 in October. “We’ve had really a rich background and it was really important to me because I know what we can count on. ….
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“The guy sat for six years and in that time, one, he didn’t get the wear and the tear, so that’s why he moves so well and runs really well still. But he took to the game in a manner that was really very impressive. He was able to one day after another take it like ‘the very next play I’m playing.’ … and when he finally played look what he’s done — he’s had three winning seasons and he’s a tremendous completion guy, he’s durable, he’s tough. So we were really fortunate to get him.’’
Now it’s on the Raiders to get the extension done that Seattle couldn’t.
The Raiders and Smith have yet to reach an agreement on a new deal, which is one reason the team has yet to hold a press conference introducing Smith, who has yet to speak publicly about the trade.
Carroll said the Raiders and Smith remain in talks and seemed to hint that Smith will be with the team when the voluntary offseason program begins on April 7.
“We’re working on it,” Carroll said. “Yeah, we’re working on it. G’s excited to get going, get started. He’ll be here when we get rolling. But we are working on it.”
Carroll, though, said there’s no question he considers Smith as the Raiders’ long-term quarterback.
“Yes, absolutely,’’ he said. “I’m hoping that’s the way it’s going to be. … We’re going to get a number of years from Geno at his very best.’’
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