Seahawks GM John Schneider says 'not proud of' only drafting two QBs in last 14 years

Schneider spoke during the NFL combine on Tuesday.
Steph Chambers/GettyImages
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The questions about what the Seattle Seahawks are going to do at quarterback in 2024 and beyond certainly are not going to go away. The team might not yet know if they will take a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 draft. But if there were any hints dropped by what Seattle general manager John Schneider said at the NFL combine on Tuesday, choosing a quarterback early is definitely a possibility.

In fact, speaking on the NFL Network after Schneider met with the press at the combine, he said that "going through 14 years and only drafting two quarterbacks is not something we're real proud of but it's just the way it's happened...This is a cool (quarterback draft) class." That certainly would imply that Schneider wanted to take a quarterback at many points during the last 14 years but Pete Carroll would not allow him to do so.

Before this year, Carroll, who was relieved from his duties with the team after this past season, had the final say over roster decisions. This meant if Schneider wanted a quarterback but Carroll wanted a cornerback in the NFL draft then a cornerback was going to be taken. One might wonder who Schneider wanted to choose instead of who the Seahawks actually did.

John Schneider made an odd comment about the Seattle Seahawks quarterback decisions since 2010

As far as the quarterback situation currently, Schneider made a point of saying Geno Smith's roster bonus being turned into a signing bonus was to simply create cap room. That does not necessarily mean that Schneider has full confidence that Smith is absolutely going to be the QB in Week 1 of 2024. That is likely, of course, but the team is holding back from saying that for whatever reason.

When asked about Drew Lock, Schneider said the team would love to have him back but he is a free agent who can sign anywhere. Interestingly enough, Schneider spoke more about Lock's personal life, pointing out that Lock and his wife recently had a baby, than he did Smith's. Clearly, Schneider wants Lock back, and maybe even more so than Smith.

Ian Rapoport asked Schneider about how much re-tooling the Seahawks need to do, and the general manager admitted that the team does "feel a little bit behind" and that is why the coaching staff was left behind and did not come to the NFL combine. But he might simply feel that way because he worked with Pete Carroll since 2010 and there were no real questions about what needed to happen in the offseason.

With a new coach such as Mike Macdonald, there is a lot bigger learning curve as Macdonald is not only getting used to a new team but is a first-time head coach. Schneider is going to have to lead him along which will be something new for Schneider as well. 12s just need to hope that everything gels for the team prior to the 2024 season beginning.

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