Getty The Seahawks are being mentioned as a possible landing spot for Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
All signs point to the Seattle Seahawks going with either Geno Smith or Drew Lock as the team’s starting quarterback for the upcoming season. What the Seahawks do at quarterback beyond 2022 appears far from certain.
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr labeled the Seahawks as a possible landing spot for Goff if the Lions choose to move on from the quarterback next offseason. Seattle offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has familiarity with Goff from their time together with the Rams.
“It would cost relative pennies to release Goff after the 2022 season,” Orr wrote on August 26, 2022. “The question is where he’d go and what kind of support system he’d have when he gets there. Or, will he play well enough for the Lions to warrant a $30 million cap hit in ’23?
“The Rams staff that initially drafted Goff is all but dispersed, which means there are few obvious connections there outside of Mike Groh, who is a really smart offensive mind and currently the Giants’ receivers coach. The Sean McVay crew, which includes Shane Waldron (Seahawks), Kevin O’Connell (Vikings) and Brandon Staley (Chargers) are mostly spoken for at the position. If Waldron is held onto by Seattle after this year, Goff could end up being a suitable, hold-the-fort bridge player with scheme familiarity.”
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Will the Seahawks Make a Move at QB for 2022?
Jared Goff & Khalid Raymond connect for their SECOND touchdown of the day 🎯
Smith appears to have a stronghold on Seattle’s QB1 spot for Week 1 unless Lock is able to make a late run for the starting gig. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted there is still buzz around the league that the Seahawks are a possible landing spot for Jimmy Garoppolo if the 49ers ultimately release the veteran. San Francisco has until the start of the season to cut Garoppolo in order to avoid being on the hook for the majority of the quarterback’s $24 million salary.
“People I’ve talked to around the league still expect that any interested team—whether it’s the Browns, Seattle— they’re waiting for him to be released,” Fowler detailed on an August edition of SportsCenter, via Bleacher Report.
“They don’t want anything to do with that $26 million that he’s owed this year. And they know the clock is ticking on San Francisco—that money becomes guaranteed Week 1. And so they’re just going to sort of wait this out. There’s a chance that the 49ers can try to get some sort of mid-to-late-round pick for him.”
Goff May Be Available in 2023
“Jared Goff is a lot more comfortable & I think he could be a long term solution in Detroit” ~@TJLang70
As for Goff, the quarterback still has three seasons remaining on his four-year, $134 million contract. Detroit does have a potential out in Goff’s deal that allows the team to release the signal-caller next offseason while taking a $10 million dead cap hit.
Goff threw for 3,245 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 67.2% of his passes during his 14 starts in 2021. It is challenging to have a lot of faith in Goff as a long-term solution for the Seahawks at quarterback. Goff would likely function more as a bridge option for 2023 if the Seahawks do not find any of the top college prospects appealing.
The Rams were able to have a great deal of success with Goff as the team’s quarterback including a Super Bowl appearance during the 2018 season. Goff went an impressive 42-27 during his five seasons as the Rams starter. Yet, Seattle may be wiser to use one of their two first-round picks in the 2023 NFL draft to find their quarterback of the future who offers the franchise a bit more upside.