The Las Vegas Raiders were one of many quarterback-needy NFL franchises entering the offseason, but wasted little time in finding a solution under center with Friday's trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.

The Seahawks traded quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick on Friday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, who also revealed Darnold is a viewed "leading contender" among veteran quarterback options Seattle intends to explore.

Seattle is widely expected to heavily pursue free agent quarterback Sam Darnold to replace Smith. When this news broke, I began to wonder why the Seahawks would be willing to potentially pay Darnold roughly $40 million per year (which is what Spotrac is estimating he will fetch) when they apparently did not want to give Geno Smith the $40-$45 million a year he is reportedly seeking.

The Seahawks wouldn’t have traded Smith without feeling strongly that next Wednesday they could sign Darnold, clearly the top free agent QB on the market.

The Los Angeles Rams might see a familiar face in their division next season. But after 12 sacks in two games last year, they won't be worried.

The Raiders have a new starting quarterback, while the Seahawks reportedly plan to target Sam Darnold in free agency.

With Geno Smith off to the Raiders, his former team plans to go after another ex-Jets quarterback — Sam Darnold. The Seahawks traded Smith to Las Vegas on Friday in exchange for a third-round pick, per multiple reports.

Matthew Stafford decided to compromise and stay put with the Los Angeles Rams. Now league sources are predicting a similar outcome with the Minnesota Vikings and Sam Darnold, who may be facing a weaker set of free agency options than anticipated.

With Geno Smith on his way to Las Vegas, the Seattle Seahawks are zeroing in on free agent quarterback Sam Darnold