OK, so what in the world is going on with the Seattle Seahawks?
The San Francisco 49ers' division rivals have had a bizarre offseason so far. In the space of a week, they've made headlines for cutting wide receiver Tyler Lockett and being open to trading their other top wideout in DK Metcalf.
However, that paled in comparison to Friday evening's news.
The Seahawks traded starting quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round draft pick, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
🚨 🚨 🚨
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2025
The #Seahawks are trading QB Geno Smith to the #Raiders, reuniting him with his coach Pete Carroll, per The Insiders, as Seattle hits reset.
It’s a third-round pick going to Seattle. And a new QB for Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/DTcW0cbtz6
Seahawks trading Geno Smith has 49ers fans smiling
Smith leaves Seattle having resurrected his career; a one-time flameout draft choice of the New York Jets (drafted in the second round in 2013), Smith would bounce back enough in Seattle to earn two Pro Bowl nods in 2022 and 2023, combining that with a Comeback Player of the Year award in the former.
Both of those came under Pete Carroll, who is now coaching at his new home in Las Vegas. The news seems to make perfect sense for the Raiders, who are likely looking for a 'bridge' veteran quarterback to fill the starting spot while they search for a long-term answer, particularly with the impending release of Gardner Minshew.
However, to say this news was a surprise from a Seattle point of view is an understatement - there hasn't been any real rumblings of this happening, and the move leaves Seattle with only two quarterbacks on their roster in Sam Howell and Jaren Hall.
It's hard to know what Seattle's plan is at quarterback from here. The Seahawks could be in the market for a veteran like former Minnesota Viking Sam Darnold, or possibly the New York Jets' Aaron Rodgers, but neither of those seem to move the needle in many ways better than Minshew.
Due to their 10-7 season, they're also picking in the middle of the draft, likely leaving them out of shooting range of the draft's top quarterback prospects, unless they decide to move up.
Both of these things are good news for the 49ers.
It might also help the fanbase recover from the last image of Geno Smith's duels with the 49ers - that being his 11-yard touchdown run into the endzone in Week 11, AKA the shot that finally killed the 49ers playoff hopes in 2024.
Let's watch and see what Seattle do next, but a division rival getting potentially weaker, at least in the short-term, could really help the 49ers in what might be an otherwise tumultuous offseason.