Geno is still with the Seahawks. Is Seattle done at QB, though?

The Seahawks Tao Te Ching: Sign Jacoby Brissett short-term and wait until next year to draft a QB

The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu preached, among other things, the effectiveness of detachment versus the corruption of ambition. That is to say, oftentimes, in the pursuit of endless improvement, it can be all too easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and ignore the realities that are staring one dead in the face.

In this instance, the reality for the Seahawks is that the defensive line was largely listless last season, even with improvement from Darrell Taylor and the steadiness of Uchenna Nwosu. The offensive interior could also use some work as well. Austin Blythe was a stopgap for a better center even before he retired, and Gabe Jackson simply hasn’t been the answer at right guard.

This draft is lousy with defensive linemen. Even assuming Will Anderson gets scooped up and Jalen Carter has too many flags on his portfolio, Tyree Wilson would also be a chalkboard pick at 1.05. Further back, there are even more possibilities, like Lukas Van Ness, Bryan Breese, Nolan Smith, Myles Murphy, and Mazi Smith. The Seahawks could turn their roster into an eldritch horror simply by choosing to wait a year to draft a QB.

And it’s not like the 2024 draft is bereft of options under center. In fact, two very good options exist within state boundaries, between the Washington Huskies’ star QB Michael Penix, Jr. and WSU Cougars star Cameron Ward. For the truly daring, trading for a chance at USC Trojans’ phenom Caleb Williams isn’t out of the question, either. Drake Maye and Spencer Rattler also join the board as intriguing names across the country.

Truthfully, whether or not the backup is Brissett or Baker Mayfield or Mike White or Sam Darnold or anyone else in this scenario, it’s completely immaterial. Anyone who can run the offense competently and keep the offense on schedule will do. That’s all you can truthfully ask from a backup QB.

That’s one of the luxuries that locking up Geno Smith for the next few years brings – it’s not necessary to have all the answers for five years from now right this second. At the end of the day, Seattle’s in a good spot for the future. Plus, more important than knowing exactly who they want under center in 2030 is knowing that their QB, whoever that may be, will be supported by a good team with a strong foundation.