The 'disconnect' that led to Raiders QB Geno Smith's shocking Seahawks departure

When Geno Smith signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, some thought it was because the Seattle Seahawks didn't pay him enough. Interestingly, though, there is more to the story than that.

With first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, he led Seattle to a 10-7 record and nearly made the playoffs. Still, there was a clear disconnect between Smith and the head coach, according to Albert Breer of SI.

“Obviously, they have young guys in the building that they want to step up and be leaders, and they got a new head coach last year,” Smith says. “And Mike was good for us, and I really enjoyed being with him for that season.

“But again, man, when you’re talking about business, and you’re talking about a quarterback who wants not only to get paid—every player wants to get paid—but to be respected, that’s the most important thing. It’s the respect factor. And I just felt like there was a disconnect there.”

While Smith is a veteran and Macdonald was in his first season, that's not good for the Seahawks faithful to hear. After all, there were some much-needed changes. Some of which, weren't too pleasing for Smith.

Now, he is reunited with former head coach Pete Carroll in Las Vegas and ready to find that immediate success he once had.

Raiders' Geno Smith left the Seahawks for interesting reasons

Usually, there are monetary complications involved, as to why someone leaves. While the Seahawks didn't offer the $40 million he sought, the Raiders did.

With a new ownership group, they seemed grateful to land a veteran like Smith. Not to mention, Tom Brady is a massive part of the new Raiders front office.

At the end of the day, there was more to the story than disrespect. The standard he set wasn't met, and something that weighed on him heavily.

“It was very frustrating last year, because as a team, we set goals for ourselves, and we didn’t achieve those goals,” he says. “Being a part of the team, being a quarterback, I take that right on my shoulders.”And I feel like that’s my responsibility to make sure that stuff happens.

“We weren’t able to reach our goals, weren’t able to get to the playoffs. That’s the ultimate goal, to give yourself a chance to go out there and win a championship. That’s what frustrated me the most.”

Some might question jumping ship from the Seahawks to the Raiders for success. However, some of the pieces are already in place. Guys like Maxx Crosby alone make it worth signing.

Once they round out the roster, Carroll will hope to replicate his success in Las Vegas with Smith, like they did in Seattle.