Getty Seahawks general manager John Schneider (left) and head coach Pete Carroll appear to have won the Russell Wilson trade.
All signs point to the Seattle Seahawks sticking with Geno Smith and Drew Lock at quarterback for 2022. Unless either signal-caller is able to surprise this season, it likely means the franchise will be looking for another quarterback in 2023.
Pro Football Network’s Dallas Robinson makes an interesting prediction that the Seahawks could look to make a trade next offseason for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Robinson offered projections for every team’s starting quarterback in 2023 and has Seattle pulling off a deal with Miami.
Part of the challenge the Seahawks could face is winning enough games to knock themselves out of the running for drafting one of the top quarterback prospects. This trade proposal assumes that the Dolphins will also be looking for a quarterback upgrade next offseason under new head coach Mike McDaniel.
“Let’s complete the triangle: Garoppolo to the Raiders and Carr to the Dolphins leaves Tagovailoa in need of a new home,” Robinson wrote on September 3, 2022. “Let’s send him to Seattle, where Pete Carroll and Co. are curiously opting to rely on Geno Smith as their starting quarterback entering the season.
“The Seahawks won’t be good this year, but they’re unlikely to be cellar-dwellers like the Falcons, Texans, or Bears, all of whom are in the midst of complete teardowns. Carroll is too competitive for that, and Seattle has enough pieces to keep them out of the top five picks in the 2023 draft.
“Tua could present something of a bridge option with upside. If the Dolphins are willing to trade him next spring, he probably played poorly enough that he won’t command much of a pricetag. But he’s also young enough that he could start for at least one season while the Seahawks continue building up the rest of their roster.”
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Tua Still Has 2 Years Remaining on His $30.2 Million Contract
Tua to Tyreek first play of the game 🔥 @brgridiron
(via @NFL)
The challenge for the Seahawks is if the Dolphins are willing to move Tagovailoa, this likely means the former Alabama standout underperformed in 2022. Tagovailoa will have every opportunity to succeed in Miami this season thanks to McDaniel’s creative offensive mind combined with the addition of Tyreek Hill. The quarterback still has two seasons remaining on his four-year, $30.2 million rookie contract with the Dolphins.
If Tagovailoa does not impress in 2022, the Seahawks would find themselves in a similar situation to the one they are in now with Lock. Seattle banked on the idea that Lock would thrive after a change of scenery, but his inability to beat out Smith is a bad sign that Seattle will be able to develop a different quarterback than the one Denver saw during his first three NFL seasons.
That said, Tagovailoa has bit more upside given his status as the former No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL draft. The quarterback helped lead Bama to a comeback victory over Georgia in the 2017 national championship game after being inserted in the second half. Tagovailoa threw for 2,653 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during his 13 appearances with the Dolphins in 2021.
Who Will Be the Seahawks QB in 2023?
NFL trades are complicated to pull off, especially when a potential starting quarterback is involved. Chances are that the Seahawks’ solution at quarterback for next season will come either via the draft or free agency.
Seattle will have two first-round picks in 2023 thanks to the Russell Wilson trade and a total of four selections within the first two rounds. Even if the Seahawks’ pick is lower than needed to draft a top quarterback, Seattle could look to trade up to land their target.
Some of the top projected signal-callers for 2023 include Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. ESPN Jordan Reid’s latest mock draft has the Seahawks passing on a quarterback at No. 9 while selecting Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke at No. 24 with the pick they receive from the Broncos.
“With Geno Smith and Drew Lock expected to seesaw atop the depth chart this season, the Seahawks need to find a long-term answer at QB, and after going a different direction with their first Day 1 pick, Van Dyke is still here at No. 24,” Reid detailed on August 25. “Despite an extremely small sample size (10 games, nine starts), he showed potential in those matchups and has excellent arm strength. But there were also too many moments in which he showed his youth last season. With more experience, Van Dyke certainly could make his way up the draft board.”