Schneider: Seahawks pivoted after talks with Geno Smith stalled
G.M. says failed negotiation with Smith's agents "wasn't very long."
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When the Seahawks abruptly traded quarterback Geno Smith, only 10 days after G.M. John Schneider said there was no doubt Smith was the guy for 2025, it became apparent that the deal happened after talks on extending Smith's contract faltered.
Schneider confirmed this reality in a session with reporters on Thursday.
"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. Yeah, it wasn’t like a very long negotiation. And so, as a staff, we had to be prepared to pivot."
Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports that the offer the Seahawks made to Smith would have paid out $40 million in the first year. This hardly means the deal would have averaged $40 million annually; last year, for example, the Falcons paid $62.5 million to Kirk Cousins on a deal that averages $45 million per year.
As far as APY goes, Smith wanted more than $40 million per year. The Seahawks got former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold for $33.5 million. It's a basic question of price and perceived value, with the Seahawks drawing a line for Smith and rolling the dice that Darnold's 2024 performance wasn't an aberration.
