The Seahawks say they’re set at quarterback, yet we hear rumors every day about another free agent QB coming in to “save” the team. It’s not happening, and it shouldn’t.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll made it clear that his team isn’t interested in signing any of the high-profile free agent quarterbacks. However, a lot of the pundits refuse to believe him. Carroll can’t mention Baker Mayfield by name, as he’s still under contract with the Browns, but Pete did everything but say the Hawks aren’t signing that guy that Cleveland signed with 2018’s first-round pick.
He did say that a QB he does have on the roster would have been the first quarterback taken in this year’s draft, though. As Carroll said, Drew Lock would have obviously been picked before any of this year’s quarterbacks. Lock had three different OCs in Denver. You might have noticed that no matter who they put under center, no one has worked out for the Broncos. Could be why they traded for Russell Wilson, right?
Bringing in a free agent QB would derail the Seahawks future
There are two things that all these talking (and writing) heads that want the Seahawks to bring in a name quarterback seem to forget. First, this team needed more than a QB to get back to the top. Before he was injured last year, Wilson was only 2-2, and well on the way to a 2-3 record.
He came back too soon and lost three more games. By the time he was back on track, it was far too late for the Seahawks to salvage their season. As great as Wilson is, the Hawks needed more.
Now there’s a new flavor of the day that would supposedly great for the Seahawks. For a more in-depth response to the stupidity of Drew Brees coming to Seattle, read Lee Vowell’s excellent article. Brees is still a good QB, it’s true. But as Lee wrote, a 243-year old QB isn’t the long-term solution at QB. Okay, 43 years old. But how’s Drew Brees going to be better than a healthy Russell Wilson? Even if by some miracle he is, he won’t be back next season.
The second issue I have with bringing in a free agent QB is that it puts the Hawks right back where they were with Wilson. Not in wins and losses, but with contracts. Unfortunately, those are the numbers that really count in the NFL. Let’s say the Hawks pull the trigger and sign Baker Mayfield. I addressed this earlier, but let me recap here.
If Mayfield does have a good year, he’s going to want (and deserve) a huge new contract. If the Seahawks wanted to put a huge chunk of their assets in one player, they would have kept Wilson.
And there’s a third issue here. Drew Lock doesn’t need his development set back again. If the Seahawks didn’t see his potential, they wouldn’t have taken him in the Wilson trade. Sitting behind Brees or Mayfield or whoever doesn’t build the Hawks future. Too many people are looking at this upcoming season as if it’s the only one that matters. Franchises that focus on the quick fix for one season are perennially doomed to repeating that process next year. If Lock isn’t the answer, the Hawks have two first-round picks next year to find him. If he is, they can use those picks to keep building the next great Seahawks team. Either way, it’s a win for Seattle.