The Seahawks beat the Bears 6-3 on Boxing Day. It wasn’t an entertaining or festive experience. After the game, I wrote the following:
The Seahawks didn’t fire Pete Carroll to win nine games. They made that change because they thought the roster was underachieving and the changes would bring about better results. Things about the team may be different — such as the defense — and that’s good news. But the end result is virtually the same — and the team is no closer to being taken seriously as a post-season contender.
Maybe more drastic moves are needed to elevate to the next tier? Perhaps those moves will carry risk of failure? Do you need the courage to risk failing, sometimes? Rather than just going year after year with the end result being very similar?
Maybe it’s time for some risk/reward? New approach to the O-line, new offensive staff, new quarterback?
The Seahawks have a new offensive staff. They will have a new quarterback. Next week I firmly believe they’ll spend money on their offensive line. As discussed in the week, Colts guard Will Fries is the clear best fit for their blocking scheme.
That’s not to suggest this was 100% by design. The intention to replace Ryan Grubb clearly was, as was the likely internal acknowledgement that the offensive line had to be an off-season priority.
The quarterback situation was different though. A parting with Geno Smith wasn’t inevitable. They were never going to take on a $44.5m cap hit. Neither were they going to make a firm commitment financially or with term. There had to be a compromise — an arrangement that ultimately enabled the Seahawks to manage cost and retain flexibility. They wanted the ability to move on when they wanted to. That’s the nature of a bridge quarterback.
Smith wasn’t interested in that clearly. With the Raiders missing out on Matthew Stafford, an opportunity emerged. One that felt distinctly possible following Pete Carroll’s appointment in Vegas.
The Seahawks get a third round pick (#92) for Smith. The Raiders will give him the contract he desires. A win-win for all concerned, I’d suggest.
I never agreed it was impossible for the Seahawks to replace Smith this off-season. They replaced Matt Hasselbeck and Russell Wilson. They can replace Geno. It’s of some considerable relief that the endless discussion about Smith is over, at least in a Seahawks context. One side constantly claiming you’re an idiot for thinking he’s anything less than excellence personified, the other going over the top in their criticism with virtually every incomplete pass.
The reality was somewhere in the middle, which is where Smith deserves to be ranked as a quarterback in this league. He possesses highly impressive physical traits, can complete throws many wouldn’t even try and he won games for Seattle during his time as a starter. He also struggled in the red-zone, had too many turnovers and had moments of erraticism and occasionally lost his composure.
Playing behind a bad offensive line was a major hindrance. Yet he also made mistakes without excuse — including a rotten pick-six against the Rams last November. It was a back-breaking moment in a critical game. He also, too often, failed to take shots to DK Metcalf — something that irked the receiver enough to be one of the reasons why he fancied a fresh start (although let’s be right, contract talks are always king in these instances and Metcalf might want to try something new as he enters the defining years of his career).
I wrote during the season that the Seahawks might pivot to Sam Darnold. John Schneider attended his pro-day and for a brief moment he was linked to Seattle after Adam Schefter tweeted Russell Wilson’s four-team trade list in 2021. The fact he’s worked with Klint Kubiak makes it an obvious connection and Schefter tweeting that the Seahawks will be a suitor is massively telling. This is on the cards.
Darnold’s market is said to be cooler than many anticipated. Albert Breer says the Seahawks were looking at $35m a year for Geno Smith but the Smith camp wanted $45m. If Darnold is more open to a Baker Mayfield contract ($33.3m per season) that would be an obvious, more cost-effective option.
Such a deal wouldn’t make Darnold the confirmed ‘franchise quarterback’ of Seattle — although I’m sure that’s how it would be billed. In 2012 the exact same thing happened with Matt Flynn and he never played a down for the Seahawks. Adding Darnold would be the perfect foil for a dalliance in the draft. I’ve been saying it for weeks — I think this is the year John Schneider drafts a quarterback.
I’ve thought for a while he admires Quinn Ewers. Plenty of teams will be intrigued by Jaxson Dart. Will Howard definitely has fans in important places. I think many people in the league have been surprised by how much they like Tyler Shough during this draft process so far. There are also going to be teams who believe in the upside of Riley Leonard and Jalen Milroe plus the analytics of Kyle McCord.
You’re going to hear a whole bunch of stuff about this being a bad quarterback draft class. Utter bunkum. It’s not an elite class. You’re not going to get the next Jayden Daniels at #18 or #50 or anywhere in-between. Is it possible to get a player who can be your answer to Bo Nix, in a system that has been friendly to quarterbacks in the past (see: Brock Purdy)? Absolutely, yes.
I think that will be part of their thinking. My prediction is they will sign Sam Darnold and draft a quarterback within the first two rounds of the draft.
Here are some other ‘thinking out loud’ ideas…
— I wonder if a new deal for DK Metcalf is more likely now than it was before Geno Smith’s departure? Just a thought.
— Reportedly the Seahawks pitched the idea of swapping Metcalf and Smith for Maxx Crosby. The Raiders said no, emphatically. However, I wonder if — with extra stock acquired and potentially more on the way through Metcalf — whether the Seahawks would call Cincinnati about Trey Hendrickson? He’s 31 this year and wants a new deal but he does have 35 sacks in the last two seasons. Some Bengals fans think he could be available for a second round pick. I think the Seahawks are determined to add a true game-changing EDGE rusher and Myles Garrett likely won’t be available until after June 1st because of his contract (if at all). The Seahawks have the resources to make something happen with Hendrickson if they want to.
— Aside from Will Fries — do the Seahawks now have the money to aggressively go after other players? Can they compete with Chicago for Drew Dalman to properly fix their O-line? Will they look at the pass rush or safety market — where interesting options are available? If they trade Metcalf, will they make a bit of a splash at receiver? They suddenly have $60m in effective cap space (spending money) and can raise more by trading Metcalf ($10.8m) and/or re-working Uchenna Nwosu’s deal.
— I think the Seahawks deserve credit and praise for being bold. Sometimes you’ve got to have the courage to take a chance. I mentioned this the other day — there’s too much fear of change within this fan base. People didn’t want to move on from Carroll, yet 12 months on the defense improves and the team didn’t regress in the win-column. The idea of parting with Russell Wilson was too much for others. The Seattle Seahawks were not a serious contender in 2024 and haven’t been for some time. The chances are they won’t be a contender in 2025 either. Trying to get to that stage sometimes requires risk. Otherwise you just end up stuck in the middle. Nobody wants to be there — we should be grateful ownership and the front office agree with that sentiment.
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