When the Seattle Seahawks upset Russell Wilson’s Denver Broncos in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season, Geno Smith famously declared “they wrote me off, but I ain’t write back though!” Well it appears he may have to but out his stationary, because he might have some letters to prepare. On Friday morning, it was reported by NFL insider Ian Rapoport that Smith’s current team, the Las Vegas Raiders, are set to release the veteran quarterback when the new league year begins on Monday. Assuming they cannot engineer a trade before then, of course.
Smith will now be looking for his third NFL home in as many years.
It has been a precipitous fall from grace for Geno Smith this past year. Last offseason, after three moderately successful seasons in Seattle, Smith requested a trade from the Seahawks after spurning their contract extension offer. Seattle acquiesced his request and sent him to Sin City to be reunited with his mentor and former head coach Pete Carroll. The Raiders then gave Smith a two-year deal worth up to $88.5 million, with $66.5 million fully guaranteed.
Well just like the Pete Carroll experiment didn’t work, neither did the Geno Smith experience. Smith was a disaster in Vegas, throwing only 19 touchdown passes against a league-leading 17 interceptions. The Raiders won their opening game in New England 20-13, but proceeded to lose 13 of Geno’s next 14 starts, including nine-straight to end the year.
Smith’s path is eerily similar to the man he succeeded in Seattle, Russell Wilson. Both quarterbacks were unhappy with their situations with the Seahawks, requested trades, were sent to the AFC West and both had disaster seasons, while Seattle returned to the playoffs in their first year without them. In 2022, the Seahawks merely made the Wild Card, but in the first season post-Geno the Seahawks went on to win Super Bowl LX.
I think it’s safe to say teams are going to think twice when deciding to trade for a Seahawks quarterback at this point.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: NFL free agency: Las Vegas Raiders plan to release QB Geno Smith