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The No. 1-seeded Seattle Seahawks are just one win away from returning to the Super Bowl. They’re doing this in the second year of a head-coaching regime, with a quarterback they signed in free agency.
However, things could’ve looked quite different at Lumen Field this season. While Geno Smith was most likely going to be shipped anyway, the terms of the trade could’ve been entirely different. So different that it would’ve sent shockwaves through the league.
According to a report by ESPN insider Brady Henderson, the Seahawks tried to lure superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby to Seattle. The Raiders wound up getting Smith, but Mike Macdonald didn’t get his DPOY-caliber defensive end.
The Seattle Seahawks tried to trade for Maxx Crosby
“Seattle’s plan was to offer Smith an extension, but in a free-flowing conversation at the combine, (Seahawks GM John) Schneider floated a potential trade that would have sent Smith and receiver DK Metcalf to Las Vegas in exchange for edge rusher Maxx Crosby, according to a source with knowledge of the conversation. The Raiders eventually shot the idea down and extended Crosby after the combine,” Henderson wrote.
Smith was in the second year of a three-year, $75 million contract extension. But with Pete Carroll, his biggest supporter, no longer there, they weren’t entirely sold on him as a long-term solution. Eventually, they pivoted toward Sam Darnold, and that proved to be the right call.
Ultimately, the Raiders gave Crosby a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension. They acquired Smith for the No. 92 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which the Seahawks used to draft Alabama QB Jalen Milroe. The Pittsburgh Steelers, on the other hand, gave up the No. 52 pick for DK Metcalf, and the Seahawks used him to get a future building block in Nick Emmanwori.
Crosby is one of the three best pass rushers in the game. He had 10.0 sacks in 15 games this season, and he has four seasons with double digits in sacks in seven years in the league. No one on the Seahawks had more than 7.0 sacks this season, but still, the team finished with the ninth-most sacks per game (2.7). Sometimes, the best move is the one you don’t make.
Of course, landing Crosby would’ve probably been better, but it’s not like the Seahawks can complain about how things turned out. Emmanwori was a strong candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Milroe, while still a project, might turn out to be a long-term solution at quarterback once Darnold’s deal runs out.