The Seattle Seahawks shocked everyone ahead of free agency, agreeing to deals that sent starting quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders and star receiver DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While Seattle’s urgency can partly be attributed to its playoff drought — the team hasn’t won a postseason game since 2019 — one insider claims the fire sale raised questions about the team’s culture.
Shocking Geno Smith, DK Metcalf Trades Raise Questions About Seahawks’ Culture
Metcalf had already requested a trade after six seasons in Seattle, while Smith, now 34, had one year left on his contract. After both stars were dealt within days of each other, Seahawks reporter Corbin K. Smith suggested that while Seattle wanted to keep its quarterback, Smith was more interested in reuniting with Pete Carroll in Las Vegas.
“The more we learn about this Geno Smith trade, it becomes clear that the #Seahawks wanted him, but he wanted to move on. The Pete Carroll effect is real. And from Geno’s view, it’s understandable why he’d want to play for him again. He’s the coach who gave him a second chance,” he wrote.
Smith spent two seasons as Carroll’s starter in Seattle, throwing for 8,159 yards and 51 touchdowns. However, after losing his starting job to Ryan Fitzpatrick in his second season with the Jets, he went six years without a full-time starting role. His 2022 comeback was an incredible turnaround, and now he’ll get another shot with the coach who gave him that opportunity three years ago.
But what does that say about the Seahawks’ culture?
“Also left to wonder if the issues at receiver made Geno Smith think twice about hitching to Seattle on another extended contract. Everything that transpired the past few weeks has created major questions about the culture that the organization once had, IMO,” Corbin continued.
Also left to wonder if the issues at receiver made Geno Smith think twice about hitching to Seattle on another extended contract.
Everything that transpired the past few weeks has created major questions about the culture that the organization once had, IMO.
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) March 9, 2025
There’s also a possibility that Smith and Metcalf simply weren’t a fit for Seattle’s future, perhaps one reason the Seahawks initially discussed trading them as a package deal.
“You can also make the argument that two players will be gone that weren’t aligning with the culture. Time will tell on that front. All that we do know is that Smith and Metcalf wanted to be elsewhere,” added Smith.
You can also make the argument that two players will be gone that weren’t aligning with the culture.
Time will tell on that front.
All that we do know is that Smith and Metcalf wanted to be elsewhere.
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) March 9, 2025
According to NFL insider Albert Breer, Seattle initially proposed sending both Smith and Metcalf to Las Vegas in exchange for Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby. However, as Breer reported, the Raiders immediately rejected the idea, unwilling to part with their $106.5 million star.
Seattle’s willingness to move on from both Smith and Metcalf is understandable — one had requested a trade, and the other was unlikely to justify the cost of a new contract.
However, trading them is only half the equation. The Seahawks now have a glaring need at quarterback, and general manager John Schneider is under fire following the Smith deal. He’ll hope that news of his attempt to land Crosby is seen as ambition rather than desperation. Either way, he has work to do in the coming months to salvage his reputation, and possibly his job.
The Next Steps in Seattle: Sam Darnold in, Smith/Metcalf Out
With Metcalf and Smith out, the Seahawks turn the page on Year 1 under Mike Macdonald and look to the next chapter in Seattle’s history, this time headlined by free agent acquisition Sam Darnold.
Much like Smith, Darnold is being rewarded off a one-year breakout as a former highly touted NFL Draft prospect, but the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback may come at a lower price tag while also being much younger (27).
“In a vacuum, Darnold at roughly $33.5 million per year is a reasonable value. That checks in at 19th among quarterbacks in terms of average annual salary and will likely drop lower once other quarterbacks sign,” PFSN’s Sterling Xie said about the move.
“However, this is an extremely bizarre fit for a team that also traded away DK Metcalf, cut Tyler Lockett, and has significant questions along the offensive line. Even if the Seahawks want to remain in playoff contention next season, their actions haven’t created an environment capable of maximizing Darnold like the Vikings did.”
Consequently, the next move for Seattle is to figure out how to maximize Darnold. In Minnesota, he benefitted from an offense that was led by Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage while having weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones. However, with Lockett and Metcalf gone, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is elevated to the No. 1 option after just one year of success (100-1,130-6 in 2024).
“The issue for the Seahawks is that they have allowed both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf to depart, leaving Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the only show in town at wide receiver. Smith-Njigba is talented, but asking him to be the No. 1 is a big step suddenly. At the very least, the Seahawks need to put another reliable receiver in this offense if they want to get the best out of Darnold,” said PFSN’s Stats and Insights team in the NFL Free Agency Grades.
“One positive area for the Seahawks is on defense, where they retained key pieces in Ernest Jones IV and Jarran Reed. They had to cut a few pieces for salary cap purposes, but they will return most of their starting defense, which ranked sixth last year.”
In the early stages, Seattle has received a free agency grade of a D, as they still have work to do. The top free agent pass-catchers are Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, and DeAndre Hopkins, though it might be more likely they target some mid-round options in the NFL Draft like Jayden Higgins and Elic Ayomanor.
Seattle now has five top-100 picks in the NFL Draft (Nos. 18, 50, 52, 82, and 92), so they have plenty of opportunity to add talent to their roster in the next era of Seahawks football. You can try for yourself using PFSN’s Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator With Trades.
