Geno Smith’s Raiders Fit and Seattle’s Master Plan. Plus, What’s Next for the Browns After Signing Myles Garrett?

Welcome back to The McShay Report! It’s trade season in the NFL, and free agency is underway. Significant developments took place over the weekend, including the Raiders acquiring Geno Smith, the Seahawks trading DK Metcalf, and the Browns agreeing to a record-setting new contract with Myles Garrett. In today’s newsletter, I’m going to address each of those moves and analyze the “why” and “what’s next?” behind them. 

Be sure to check out The McShay Show this week on Monday and Thursday. You can find it on Spotify and YouTube or wherever else you get your podcasts.

On Today’s Agenda:

• Why the Raiders Traded for Geno Smith: What makes Smith the right quarterback to help Las Vegas win now and in the future.

• Who the Raiders Might be Targeting With the No. 6 Pick: Sorting through the options, including Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty and Georgia edge Jalon Walker.

• What’s Next for Seattle?: Seahawks GM John Schneider wouldn’t trade his starting quarterback and star wide receiver without a plan. 

• Myles Garrett Staying in Cleveland: Did the Browns make the right call, or should they have traded their franchise player for picks?

Why did the Raiders choose Geno Smith?

As we’ve highlighted recently, the Raiders entered this offseason in the market for a veteran quarterback that could help them win now while also giving them flexibility for the future. Smith checks both of those boxes. 

Let’s start with the first part of that equation: While Smith may not be a top-five quarterback, I think he’s vastly underrated, having thrown for nearly 8,000 yards and more than 40 touchdowns over the past two seasons in Seattle despite playing behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines. In Las Vegas, he’ll join former head coach Pete Carroll and Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly (who recruited Smith out of high school) with hopes of leading a high-floor offense and establishing a winning culture for the new regime in year one. Expect the Las Vegas front office to continue adding talent through free agency and in the draft with an eye on competing for a playoff spot in 2025, which isn’t as farfetched as it sounds. Smith represents a massive upgrade at the most important position in football, and the Raiders defense is better than people think. 

The other important part of this deal is the Tom Brady factor. By having Smith in place, the Raiders can employ Brady’s favored draft-and-develop strategy at QB by targeting someone like Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, or Will Howard, should one of those quarterbacks be available at a spot of value in the second or third round. If the Raiders do select one of those guys and the player doesn’t develop as Brady and Co. hope while sitting behind Smith, the organization can take another swing at the position in the 2026 draft, which at this moment is expected to have a stronger group of quarterback prospects than the 2025 class.

What are the Raiders’ draft options at 6?

I think Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is on the shortlist of players Las Vegas will consider with this pick. He’s an every-down back with exceptional acceleration, vision, cutting ability, and contact balance, and could function as the engine of Pete Carroll’s offense. 

In 2024, Jeanty’s 152 missed tackles forced ranked first nationally (second-best was Cam Skattebo with 103) and set the all-time single-season high in PFF’s database. Over his entire college career, he forced more than 280 missed tackles on fewer than 750 touches—an outstanding ratio. Despite not being a big back (Jeanty is listed at 5-foot-8 and 211 pounds), he’s been effective in the passing game as a blocker and a receiver, catching 66 passes for six scores over the past two seasons. 

Beyond Jeanty, I could see Carroll—who’s always had versatile front-seven guys—coveting someone like Georgia edge Jalon Walker to fill a Cliff Avril/Bruce Irvin pass-rush role in Vegas’s defense. Under Carroll and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, expect the Raiders to employ a lot of hybrid principles similar to those Carroll thrived with during the Legion of Boom Seahawks era.

Wide receiver and cornerback will also be top priorities going into the draft. My McShay Show cohost Steve Muench recently suggested that Travis Hunter could fall out of the top five. If he’s right, the Raiders would absolutely consider the two-way Heisman Trophy winner with the sixth pick.  

If the Raiders front office elects to add to the trenches, Missouri right tackle Armand Membou would be an immediate upgrade over DJ Glaze.

John Schneider just traded his starting quarterback and star wide receiver. Why? And what’s next? 

After the trades of Geno Smith and DK Metcalf, Seahawks fans might feel like their team is entering a complete teardown, but I think general manager John Schneider’s offseason moves can be better described as smart roster management. Both of these trades might hurt in the short term, but Schneider’s a skilled dealmaker who’s earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to roster-building. Still, after this weekend, fans of the Seahawks are probably left wondering: why? 

I’ve known John for a long time. He got his start with the Packers, where building through the draft is paramount and scouts are taught to trust their evaluations. My hunch on these trades? Schneider is calling his shot in the draft. By accumulating more picks, he’s giving his trusted area scouts more bites at the apple in what’s one of the deepest classes in recent memory thanks to a perfect storm of NIL, the transfer portal, and the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s some evidence to support this theory, too: Since taking over as Seattle’s GM in 2010, Schneider’s had only one draft (2021) with fewer than eight picks.

Teams are going to win in rounds two, three, and four of this draft, and Seattle now has 10 picks to work with, including five (18, 50, 52, 82, and 92) in the top 100. In trading two of his star players for draft capital, Schneider must be confident that he can revamp this roster quickly and efficiently. It’s a calculated risk, but one worth betting on. This is the same guy who selected eight Pro Bowlers over his first three drafts and in the process laid the foundation for Seattle’s only Super Bowl championship.

What’s the plan at QB?

The Seahawks apparently tried to extend Smith, but the two sides couldn’t agree to terms. Instead, by trading him, Seattle will free $31 million in cap space and look toward its future at the position. 

Plan A, in my understanding, is signing Sam Darnold, who is seven years younger than Smith and will perform at a similar level short term while offering more long-term upside. Plan B, if they can’t land Darnold, could be pivoting to a stopgap veteran and looking to pair him with a rookie quarterback of their choosing, similar to how Schneider approached the 2012 offseason when he signed Matt Flynn and drafted Russell Wilson in the third round.

The interesting part for Seattle is that these are two very different paths forward. I think they’d much rather find their long-term answer in Darnold now than continue kicking their future at quarterback down the road, but each option is on the table. 

Which positions could they add in the draft?

Wide receiver will need to be addressed in the first few rounds, and upgrading the offensive line should also be a priority. Seattle could stand to improve at center and guard, and would be wise to add a tackle that can compete with Abraham Lucas for a starting job and potentially replace one of Lucas or Charles Cross in 2026 when both can become free agents. 

Some names to look for in Round 1: Alabama OG Tyler Booker, Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas WR Matthew Golden, and Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan. 

And on Day 2, keep an eye on Minnesota OT Aireontae Ersery, William & Mary OT Charles Grant, Arizona OG Jonah Savaiinaea, Sacramento State OG Jackson Slater, Georgia OC Jared Wilson, Ole Miss WR Tre Harris, and Utah State WR Jalen Royals.

The Browns were smart to re-sign Myles Garrett but are still a quarterback away.

On Sunday, news broke that the Cleveland Browns and star pass rusher Myles Garrett had agreed to a new four-year contract worth $40 million per season and $123.5 million guaranteed. The deal made Garrett the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league, and ended a trade-request staring contest between player and team. 

I’m a big fan of this move. Garrett is a historically talented and consistent pass rusher who alters game plans and creates opportunities for his teammates on defense the way a quarterback does on offense. Ignore the money—the cap is going up and guys like this just don’t become available. Another way to think of it: you’d never willingly trade a quarterback of Garrett’s caliber, so why wouldn’t you do everything in your power to retain the best player at the NFL’s second-most-important position? 

While there’s merit to trading a player if you don’t think his peak aligns with your team’s competitive window, the Browns clearly believe they’re closer to competing than their 3-14 record in 2024 suggests. And I tend to agree with that assessment. Cleveland doesn’t have as many personnel needs as you’d expect from a team drafting at no. 2 overall, but they could seek upgrades this offseason at offensive tackle, running back, cornerback, and wide receiver.  

Before they address any of those positions, though, they need to prioritize finding an answer at quarterback. If Deshaun Watson had been even half the player they expected him to be, I think we’d be talking about the Browns as a perennial playoff contender in the AFC. So who is general manager Andrew Berry going to target?

Sam Darnold doesn’t fit given the Browns’ cap limitations, but if they love Cam Ward, they should aggressively pursue him in the draft—even if it means trading up one spot to the first pick to ensure a sleeper team eyeing Ward doesn’t make a deal with the Titans. Another option could be adding Kirk Cousins on a veteran minimum deal similar to the one Russell Wilson signed in Pittsburgh last season, but that only works if they get a better Cousins than the version we saw down the stretch last season in Atlanta. 

If Berry can improve the quarterback situation this offseason to the point that Cleveland’s even league average at the position in 2025, the Browns are going to surprise some people. And if they’re able to land a star at quarterback sometime over the next two years, the sky's the limit. Very few teams boast elite quarterback and elite edge-rush play. By keeping Garrett in tow, that potential still exists—but the puzzle is incomplete.

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