There’s been so little said about Geno Smith’s future since the combine. No updates. No informed opinion on how close an agreement was. Just silence.

Now things are changing.

Firstly, this video from Tom Pelissero:

Pelissero notes that in the next 72 hours, there are a lot of dominos to fall regarding quarterbacks in the league. He noted the contract negotiations between Seattle and Smith were ongoing and pondered whether the offer the Seahawks are making is to Smith’s liking.

It was always going to come down to compromise. Is he willing to work with the Seahawks on a deal that suits both parties? Potentially giving him more money in his pocket this year, lowering his cap hit and giving the Seahawks the flexibility to move on at the end of every season?

I would suggest this is the sticking point. The reason it’s now Friday and this hasn’t been resolved is because, at the moment at least, they can’t reach that compromise. I’m guessing we’re now approaching a pivotal weekend. Either an arrangement will be agreed, or there’s going to be a parting of ways.

Meanwhile, Dianna Russini tweeted this:

Vincent Bonsignore from the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweeted this:

And Charles Robinson from Yahoo Sports reported the following:

Two league sources believe there is a possibility that the Las Vegas Raiders could pursue a trade for Seahawks QB Geno Smith after striking out on Stafford. That would reunite Smith with Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and open up a quarterback slot in Seattle, potentially putting Darnold in play for the Seahawks.

It’s an intriguing scenario that comes out of two developments: First, the Raiders missing on Stafford and then having reportedly soft interest in Darnold; and second, NFL teams now operating with the knowledge that Darnold wasn’t tagged and will indeed be an unencumbered free agent. That latter point is important, because it’s possible that some teams didn’t have legitimate interest in Darnold until they knew he was actually going to hit free agency. Now that he’s a real option on the table, it could lead a team like Seattle or another unknown club to reassess its own quarterback room … and potentially make a player available for calls.

A picture is starting to emerge. Either the Seahawks and Geno Smith will find their compromise or he’ll end up in Las Vegas — with Seattle moving on to another quarterback, potentially Sam Darnold. A player, lest we forget, who worked with Klint Kubiak in San Francisco in 2023.

There’s also another angle to this. If Smith ends up in Vegas, I’d suggest that puts to bed any possibility DK Metcalf goes there too. I do not see the quarterback and receiver reuniting there or anywhere else.

At the moment, many people consider Vegas to be Metcalf’s most likely destination. If he goes there, then it will be the surest sign — in my opinion — that the Seahawks are going to find common ground with Smith. If Metcalf goes elsewhere, all bets are off. That’s my reading of the situation.

Meanwhile, Daniel Jeremiah says “Everybody in the league thinks that DK Metcalf is going to New England.”

It’s worth remembering that three years ago Jeremiah also said the following:

“In talking to friends around the league, the expectation from every single one of them is that when it’s all said and done, Deshaun Watson is going to be the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.”

Metcalf himself has already said he has no interest in living in Boston so I’m not sure how likely this is. However, he doesn’t have a no-trade clause. The Patriots need a #1 receiver. They possess two third round picks. An offer worth #38 and #77 could get it done. Metcalf wouldn’t have any choice — and the Pats have the most cap space in the NFL ($117m) to help persuade him that a move to New England can be worthwhile.

I made my thoughts clear yesterday. I’d move on from both. The financial saving is massive and will enable the Seahawks to address their offensive line next week. I think the quarterback class contains players who can start quickly, especially now you have an offensive coordinator who comes from a system that has enabled Brock Purdy to thrive early in his career. We even saw some positive moments from Spencer Rattler in New Orleans last season, considering the incredible number of injuries the Saints had on offense.

John Schneider mentioned on Seattle Sports yesterday there were a couple of quarterbacks who performed well enough at the combine to warrant further scouting and research. My guess is one of those two players might be Tyler Shough at Louisville. Not because they’ve not done initials checks and grading — but because he’s suddenly much more intriguing than most people thought initially.

I’ll also remind people that this time last year, there wasn’t any conviction that Michael Penix Jr and Bo Nix would go in round one — let alone the top-12. Nix ended the season as a rookie of the year candidate.

I don’t think Smith is noticeably better than Sam Darnold. If Darnold’s market is weaker than he expected, I think you have to consider him too — perhaps in competition with a rookie.

I think there are also receivers in this draft who can be developed to become effective pieces within this scheme.

I’m even more convinced this is the right thing to do 24 hours on. If Metcalf wants out, so be it. If Smith wants a big financial and term commitment, let someone else give it to him.