I like it. 

And no, I wasn’t stunned, shocked, stupefied or any of those other dramatic words being tossed around when we all heard the news. 

The Seahawks unloading Geno Smith to Las Vegas for a middling draft choice was really the team’s only logical path.  

It’s pretty simple, really. 

We KNOW that the Seahawks are not going to be a championship contender with Geno at quarterback. 

He’s a decent QB, but nothing more than that. 

If Seattle is going to settle for eight or nine wins while searching for the next franchise quarterback, there’s no reason to give Geno $45 million per year to be a little better than average. 

Smith’s camp made it plain that they wanted a long-term deal, too. 

Now, if you’re Seahawks GM John Schneider, why would you spend elite-level money on a 35-year-old QB who has been good-but-not-great — and doesn’t figure to knock your socks off as he gets older. 

I suspect the Hawks are all in on finding their next long-term quarterback. 

In fact, I’m sure of it. 

They’ve constructed a playoff-level defense already, and so letting new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak put an attack together is the next big item. 

OK, SO the search is on for Seattle’s generational QB. 

It’s not likely that this mystery thrower will show up and produce magic in a single season (unless it’s current backup Sam Howell), which means Schneider, Kubiak and head coach Mike Macdonald are hunting at present for a “bridge” quarterback. 

They almost surely would have kept Smith around in that role, but Geno wants big money and multiple years — amounts that don’t match his talent, or lack of ability to pull a team to the Super Bowl. 

Smith’s true value became obvious with this trade to the Raiders. 

If Geno was the answer, teams would have come calling — and offering something more than the 92nd overall pick in this year’s draft. 

You learn what a player is worth when he’s available. 

Nobody would even part with a second-rounder for a starting quarterback. 

At least, not THIS starting quarterback. 

Part of the problem, for the Hawks and teams who might have been interested in Geno, is that his production has been going backward over his three seasons as a starter in Seattle. 

Things got scary this past season. 

Geno threw 21 TD passes, but that was balanced against 15 interceptions. 

Even worse, a good share of those picks (and several other awful throws) came in the red zone, where errors cost you points. 

Once again, I’m not saying that Smith wouldn’t cut it as a “bridge” QB while his successor worked into the system. 

Geno, though, believes he’s far better than that — and wants to be paid a huge sum for his work. 

So. 

It was time to move on. 

Meantime, all the pundits and podcasters who are howling that the Hawks are ruined somehow have missed the big picture. 

Schneider wants another Super Bowl, and he needs a better quarterback than Geno Smith to land one. 

WHO’S going to get the Seahawks’ blessing (and money) for a shot at returning this proud club to the Promised Land? 

Major national media outlets are all over Sam Darnold, who is a free agent after one strange year in Minnesota. 

Darnold seemed to explode into stardom, but then he flat-out gagged in the Vikes’ final two games — one for the division, one in the playoffs. 

Maybe I’m wrong, but I suspect Schneider (who really knows QBs) has had his shots at Darnold in the past, and sat it out. 

So, got a name? 

Honestly, I think they intend to give Howell a hell of a chance at this. 

We only saw him, totally unprepared, play briefly in one game — when he frankly looked rattled. 

The Hawks’ bosses, though, have seen WAY more of Howell than we have. 

They also traded draft capital to get him, which is often a serious hint. 

Other than that, just guess. 

Aaron Rodgers would make sense for a short-term shot at a title. 

Among free agents, I like Justin Fields because he can run — and we should remember how the Eagles turned Jalen Hurts into a dual-threat star. 

The draft is supposedly weak at QB. 

Schneider, though, may have a lower-round choice in mind. 

Maybe Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss. 

For each of these guys, you might sneer: “Nah, not him.” 

Fair enough. 

But what would you have said a week ago about trading Geno Smith? 

Email: scameron@cdapress.com 

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens (like the Seahawks trading their quarterback). 

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”