Seattle Seahawks win again by passing on Baker Mayfield

The Baker Mayfield sweepstakes are over, and the 12s can rest easy that the Seahawks didn’t mortgage their future for a few wins this year. And even those wins would be debatable.

The Cleveland Browns traded Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers, and there was much rejoicing in Seattle. Or there should be, as it would have been a huge mistake for the Seahawks to bring the former first overall pick of the 2018 draft. I don’t dispute that he would be a good addition on the field, or that he might even get the Seahawks a couple of extra wins in 2022. But the Seahawks franchise won’t end this year. We have to look past this season.

Far too many pundits seem to be making this assumption about the Seahawks and their quarterback situation this year. At last count, Pete Carroll has said that he’s happy with his quarterbacks about 638 times. There are arguments for Geno Smith, as we know. No one less than K.J. Wright is solidly in Geno’s corner. And there are reasons Drew Lock is the right choice for the Hawks. It’s probably no surprise that Seattle’s new tight end, Noah Fant, is a big believer in Lock.

The Seahawks are much better off without Mayfield

The great and powerful Oz – sorry, I mean Bob Condotta – wrote about what Mayfield’s move to the Panthers means for the Seahawks in the Seattle Times. As Condotta wrote, this move makes it more clear than ever that the Hawks weren’t exactly over the moon when it came to Baker Mayfield:

"The Seahawks instead have insisted throughout the offseason they are more than content to go into the 2022 season with Geno Smith and Drew Lock battling to replace the traded Russell Wilson as their starting quarterback."

Condotta pointed out the Hawks have $16.3 in cap space this year, and – drumroll please – over $58 million in cap space next year. Hmmm…now where could the Seahawks spend that money? Oh yeah – that big, tall wide receiver wants some cash. And he’s worth every penny.

Let’s not forget that Mayfield will be up for a new contract next season. If he balls out, he’s going to be making serious money, and then Seattle would be right back where they would have been with Russell Wilson. If he doesn’t have a great season, you wasted a year finding out if Drew Lock could be the long-term answer. With two first-round picks next year, the Hawks need to build a team, not rent a player. I wish Mayfield all the luck in the world, but he simply wasn’t the right player for the Seahawks.