The Seattle Seahawks offseason was filled with quarterback rumors, none of which ever came to fruition as the team opted to stick with Geno Smith and Drew Lock. Seattle was initially mentioned as a potential landing spot for Baker Mayfield, but the Panthers trade shows how little interest the Seahawks had in the former No. 1 pick.
Carolina was able to receive a major discount on Mayfield by only giving up a conditional future day-three draft pick, while Cleveland paid $10.5 million of the quarterback’s salary. Jimmy Garoppolo became the next available veteran in focus, but a deal with the team’s NFC West rival was unlikely. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was asked if the team ever had an interest in Mayfield, Garoppolo or adding another veteran quarterback. Carroll emphasized that the team wanted to see the competition between Smith and Lock but left the door open for a future quarterback move.
“Our kind of standard answer to that is we’re always looking and listening and watching and seeing what’s going on, we never stopped that,” Carroll explained during a September 10, 2022 press conference. “But we set our sights on the matchup that we had and wanted to see it through, and so we did that. But we’re always competing, now. So, we don’t ever turn away from an opportunity.”
The Rams Had an Interest in Adding Jimmy G: Report
Ultimately, the 49ers opted to restructure Garoppolo’s contract rather than releasing the quarterback and potentially having him land with the Seahawks. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it was another NFC West franchise that would have attempted to land Garoppolo if he was cut.
“Garoppolo and the Rams had the makings of a deal if he was released by the Niners, who were unaware that the defending Super Bowl champions were looking into signing him, according to sources,” Schefter wrote on September 11. “The 49ers didn’t learn about the Rams’ interest until after they agreed with Garoppolo on a one-year deal worth up to $16 million, sources said.
“‘It was going to be such a Rams move to make,'” a member of the 49ers organization told ESPN. “‘Sean McVay and Kevin Demoff would have been basking in it.'”
The Seahawks Were in Attendance to Watch 2 Top QB Prospects: Report
All signs point to the Seahawks sticking with Smith and Lock throughout the 2022 season. If things do not go as planned, the soonest the Seahawks could have an exit ramp to find a new quarterback is likely the 2023 NFL draft. According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Seattle was one of the teams in attendance to evaluate Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis for the Gators-Wildcats matchup on September 10.
“A lot of NFL execs in Gainesville tonight to see Will Levis and Anthony Richardson,” Brugler said in a series of September 10 tweets. “The Giants reserved 3 spots for their brain trust: Joe Schoen, GM Tim McDonnell, Dir. of Player Personnel, Dennis Hickey, Asst. Dir. of Player Personnel. A few other notable evaluators expected to be in Gainesville for tonight’s QB showdown: Ray Agnew, Lions Asst. GM Matt Berry, Seahawks Dir. of College Scouting, Dan Morgan, Panthers Asst. GM Anthony Robinson, Falcons Dir. of College Scouting.”
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Seahawks Get Candid on Blockbuster Quarterback Trade Rumors