It is hard to find an available quarterback that has not been linked to the Seattle Seahawks, but the team sent a clear message during the draft by not adding another player to the room. When NFL Network’s Rich Eisen asked Pete Carroll about a potential veteran addition, the Seahawks head coach shot down the trade rumors, at least for now.
“Rich, you know we’re always competing, that’s all we know how to do around here,” Carroll noted during the April 30, 2022 interview. “So, we’re always checking out everything that’s possible. Right now, we’re really excited about seeing these guys for the first time, and we’ll see what happens in the time to come. But we’re always competing, we’re always looking.”
The interview took place in the sixth round, and Eisen followed up by asking if the Seahawks could make a new addition by the end of the draft. Carroll’s comments show an odd mix of confidence in Geno Smith and Drew Lock while also admitting that something could change “down the road.”
“Nothing’s going to have to change that quick, no,” Carroll responded. “We’re really happy with the guys we’ve got, to see them battle and we’ll see what happens. You never know what’s going on down the road. We’re always looking.”
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The Seahawks Have Not Been ‘Overly Eager’ to Trade for Mayfield: Report
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Baker Mayfield’s name was never officially brought up, but Eisen was clearly asking Carroll about the potential of a trade with the Browns. Jimmy Garoppolo is the other viable quarterback trade candidate, but the 49ers are unlikely to make a deal with their division rival. Prior to the draft, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reported that the Seahawks were not “overly eager” to acquire Mayfield adding that the team may be waiting for the Browns to eat a good portion of the quarterback’s salary.
“Spoke to a league source on Baker Mayfield. At this time, the Seahawks still don’t sound overly eager on dealing for the #Browns quarterback &* his salary at that price in a situation where they feel Cleveland has to eventually move him. Still worth monitoring,” Anderson tweeted on April 26.
The Seahawks Could Wait Until the 2023 NFL Draft to Add a QB
There is also the reality that the Seahawks may not not make a major quarterback move this offseason. ESPN’s Todd McShay has continuously noted that the Seahawks may wait for the 2023 quarterback class led by Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud to address their long-term need at the position.
“The rebuild is on in the Pacific Northwest, and the list of needs is long,” McShay wrote on April 5. “The Seahawks seem ready to lean on Drew Lock at quarterback for a year, but that wouldn’t necessarily take them out of the mix for Liberty’s Malik Willis — though I think they will wait until 2023 to bring in the long-term fix.”
After the Seahawks passed on a quarterback in the first round, Seahawks general manager John Schneider shed some light on why the team did not add a signal-caller. Despite their praise of the recent quarterback class, the Seahawks clearly did not have a lot of faith in Malik Willis and the other top quarterbacks.
“I personally feel that for these young guys that are competitors, they’re young men, sometimes the pressure that’s placed on them, right?” Schneider explained during an April 28 press conference. “They’re supposed to be first-round draft choices. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen.
“There’s several good quarterbacks in this draft. And there’s millions of mock drafts and that’s cool. It’s entertainment, we all get it. But you end up kind of feeling bad for these guys, right? There’s just so much pressure on them and there’s a bunch of them that’ll get picked- several tomorrow, for sure. But the pressure of the first round is always stronger, especially for quarterbacks.”
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Seahawks Break Silence on Quarterback Trade Rumors