Getty The Seattle Seahawks are not interested in Lamar Jackson.
Despite Lamar Jackson’s sudden availability, the Seattle Seahawks are “not interested” in making a blockbuster deal with the Baltimore Ravens for the former MVP, according to head coach Pete Carroll. The longtime Seahawks coach shot down the rumors on multiple occasions during the league’s annual owners’ meetings in Arizona, per The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar.
“Question: You’ve signed a couple quarterbacks with Geno Smith and Drew Lock, but was Lamar Jackson ever considered an option for you guys? Pete: ‘I couldn’t imagine he would be available. And we couldn’t afford him,'” Dugar relayed in a series of March 28 tweets. “Earlier in the session, Pete was asked about Lamar and just flat out said ‘we’re not interested.'”
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson estimated that three future first-round picks could be the Ravens’ asking price in a trade for Jackson. The star quarterback took to Twitter to reveal he requested a trade on March 2.
Jackson is technically a free agent given Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the quarterback, but the team still holds control over the signal-caller’s future. This allows the playmaker to sign with another team, but the Ravens can also match any offer sheet. Spotrac projects Jackson’s market value to be a six-year, $244 million deal giving the quarterback an average annual salary of $40.7 million.
The Seahawks Have Talked to Geno Smith About Potentially Drafting a Quarterback
While the Seahawks are having a bit of sticker shock on Jackson, the team is not backing off on possibly taking a quarterback at No. 5. Carroll traditionally does not attend pro days but has been attendance for Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio State and will end with Florida. Not so coincidentally, these are all the pro days featuring the consensus top-four quarterback prospects.
Carroll and general manager John Schneider have been utilizing owner Jody Allen’s private plane in order to attend these pro day sessions, per Dugar. Either Seattle is seeing through the entirety of a bit they are playing, or the team is serious about potentially taking one of the top signal-callers. Carroll has already talked with Geno Smith about the possibility of the team selecting one of the highly touted prospects.
“He knows what’s going on,” Carroll told Dugar on March 28. “I thought that was an obvious demonstration of respect, understanding how he would look at it and how other guys have looked at it in the past. I told him what we were doing and what the idea was and what could happen. Just like Geno has done with everything, he was totally on board. If we get a guy, he’s going to take care of him and look after him. He gets it.”
The Seahawks Have the Ability to Move on From Geno Smith as Soon as 2024
Smith’s new deal was initially reported as a three-year, $100 million contract, but this is the maximum value. The Pro Bowler really signed a three-year, $75 million deal, per Spotrac, with incentives that can allow Smith to hit the $100 million mark. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio noted that Smith’s contract structure allows Seattle to move on from the veteran as soon as 2024.
“It was broadcast to the world as a three-year, $105 million contract,” Florio wrote on March 9. “In reality, it can be as short as one year and $28 million.
“In a structure similar to the contract the Raiders gave to Derek Carr a year ago — a contract the Raiders tore up after one season and $25 million — the Seahawks can move on from quarterback Geno Smith after one year and $28 million.”