The Las Vegas Raiders are acquiring veteran quarterback Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks, team and league sources have confirmed to , swinging the first major trade of the NFL offseason just days before the start of free agency.
Seattle will send a third-round pick to Las Vegas in exchange.
The move reunites Smith, 34, with new Raiders coach Pete Carroll, who helped the quarterback resurrect his career as a starter in Seattle. After starting just five games from 2015 to 2021, Smith won the trust of Carroll and became the starter in 2022 when the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson. He led the NFL in completion percentage and took the Seahawks to the playoffs that season.
In 2024, Smith completed a career-high 70.4 percent of his passes but also threw 15 interceptions and took 50 sacks.
The Raiders, who hold the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft, needed to acquire or draft a quarterback this offseason. Carroll inherited a team that started three different quarterbacks last season and ranked 28th in touchdowns thrown. Las Vegas plans to release Gardner Minshew, who started nine of 17 games this season, when the league year begins Wednesday.
Darnold, 27, is coming off a career-salvaging season himself. Another former Jets starter, Darnold took the Minnesota Vikings starting job in 2024 after J.J. McCarthy’s preseason knee injury. Darnold passed for 35 touchdowns and led the team to its winningest regular season since 1998.
Sam Howell and Jaren Hall are the only quarterbacks currently on the Seattle roster.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
