Former Seahawks QB Geno Smith explains why he wanted to leave for the Raiders

Geno Smith was always considered a bridge quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, although it wasn't clear until the very end where that bridge was going. It's also pretty much unheard of for a bridge QB to last for three full seasons as a starter, but Smith was just good enough to keep the job for that long - while keeping the Seahawks competitive despite a seriously imbalanced roster.

While the news that Smith had been traded to the Las Vegas Raiders didn't come as a huge surprise, it was also a major turning point in the history of the franchise, which immediately pivoted to replace Smith with Sam Darnold.

Fair or not, Darnold and Smith are going to be linked and compared for the rest of their respective NFL careers - especially since the extension that Smith got from the Raiders basically amounted to an extra 20-dollar-bill more than Darnold got from Seattle.

To hear Smith tell it, it sounds like his beef with the Seahawks was purely a business matter and he really doesn't have any grudges. Speaking with Raiders beat reporters a few days ago, Geno outlined his reasons for wanting to get traded to Las Vegas - including a chance to reunite with Pete Carroll and be part of an iconic sports brand.