Drew Lock entered Sunday with an opportunity. Three touchdown passes later, Richard Sherman was already thinking about what it might be worth.
The former Seattle Seahawks cornerback reacted as Lock carved up the Arizona Cardinals in his first Seattle start since 2023, with all three of the quarterback’s touchdown passes going to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
“Drew Lock!!! 👀👀👀👀👀👀🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 making himself some money today! Great throw!” Sherman wrote on X after Lock’s third touchdown.
There is a reason the money part lands.
Lock is playing the final season of the two-year, $5 million contract he signed to return to Seattle in 2025. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
One September start does not set an NFL quarterback market. But opportunities like this absolutely get filed away.
Drew Lock’s Seahawks Performance Comes With Contract Stakes
Lock signed his current deal with $2.25 million guaranteed and is due $2.25 million in cash for the 2026 season, according to Over the Cap. His average salary on the deal is $2.5 million.
That is backup-quarterback money.
Sunday looked considerably different.
With Seattle leading Arizona 24-7 early in the fourth quarter, Lock had completed 18 of 25 passes for 231 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Smith-Njigba had caught eight passes for 151 yards and accounted for every one of Lock’s touchdown throws.
The first one required all of two Seattle offensive snaps.
Lock found Smith-Njigba for an 82-yard touchdown on his first pass attempt, the longest reception of Smith-Njigba’s career. The play also tied for the fourth-longest touchdown pass in Seahawks history, according to Seattle Sports.
Lock later hit Smith-Njigba for touchdowns of 7 and 12 yards.
Different throws. Same answer.
Sam Darnold’s Injury Gave Drew Lock His Opening
Lock was not supposed to be Seattle’s Week 2 starter.
Sam Darnold suffered a glute injury during the Seahawks’ season opener against the New England Patriots, putting Lock into the game. Lock responded by completing 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, posting a 113.3 passer rating as Seattle rallied for the win.
That earned him the start against Arizona with Darnold unavailable.
Seattle already knew what it had in Lock as a backup. The Seahawks brought him back in April 2025 after his one-year stint with the New York Giants, and defensive tackle Leonard Williams went so far as to call him “the best second-string quarterback in the league” before Sunday’s game.
Sherman’s point is slightly different.
NFL teams pay for starting-caliber quarterback play, even when it arrives from somebody listed second on a depth chart. Lock still has a season to play and Darnold remains Seattle’s starter when healthy. Nothing about one afternoon changes either fact.
But three touchdowns in a division game are useful evidence.
And with free agency waiting on the other side of this season, Lock picked a profitable time to produce it.
Drew Lock’s 3-TD Seahawks Start Gets Telling Reaction From Richard Sherman