What Does Geno Smith Trade Mean for Giants?

Ultimately, he restructured and stayed home in Los Angeles. It was a crushing blow for a franchise devoid of hope, and things might get worse before they get better.

The Giants got bad news after the Geno Smith shocker on Friday. The Seattle Seahawks dealt Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick after extension negotiations broke down.

It isn’t clear whether the Raiders were the highest bidder or the only team in on the secret, but Smith was available and was not traded to the Giants. For Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, that’s a gut punch ahead of free agency.

The crop of passers New York will sort through includes Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers, and Sam Darnold. Smith, entering his age-35 season, is better than all of them. He, like Stafford and unlike the free agents, is capable of injecting true playoff hope into a beaten-down fanbase.

On the other hand, Smith wants a long-term extension, and Schoen would have no leverage, potentially handing out an albatross of a contract for a passer soon to approach 40 years old. That has some disaster potential written on it, and is enough for some fans to write Smith off as an option.

That doesn't preclude this trade from hurting New York.

Las Vegas is still in the market for a young quarterback. There was a world in which the new regime was content with taking the second passer off the board and a less-prioritized veteran passer. The Raiders might not be trading for the top pick, but it opens up a lucrative landing spot in Seattle for one of these quarterbacks.

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is highly-touted, and while there’s some level of retooling on the way, a strong stable of running backs and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a promising landing spot. Head coach Mike Macdonald is far more likely to have his job in two years than Daboll, too.

The former Giants quarterback already has a spot in the franchise’s lore, but he won’t have his chance at redemption in East Rutherford. That could play a role in deciding Schoen’s fate in New York.