Getty Seahawks general manager John Schneider (left) and head coach Pete Carroll appear to have won the Russell Wilson trade.
The Seattle Seahawks used their training camp off-day on August 4, 2022 to workout quarterback James Morgan, per Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed. The former Florida International quarterback has had brief stints with the Jets, Steelers, Panthers and most recently, Colts. According to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, Morgan had a “strong workout” with the Seahawks, but the team did not offer a contract to the quarterback as of yet.
“No immediate signing for James Morgan with Seattle Seahawks after a strong workout, per league source,” Wilson tweeted on August 4.
Despite bouncing around on multiple team’s practice squads, Morgan has yet to play in an NFL game. The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta reported that more workouts are likely ahead but did not specify whether Seattle would look at additional quarterbacks.
“Morgan, who is from Green Bay, was as fourth round pick of the Jets in 2020 but has not played in an NFL game,” Condotta noted on August 4. “Seahawks had been expected to work out a few more players this week.”
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Lock & Smith Have Struggled at the Start of Training Camp
Morgan is not the big quarterback move that some Seahawks fans have been awaiting, but it is a potential sign to a larger theme. The Seahawks may not be thrilled about their current quarterback situation despite spending the entire offseason praising Drew Lock and Geno Smith. Through the first week of training camp practices, The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar noted that both quarterbacks have struggled to perform.
“Like, I had low expectations, but I think even the people with high expectations coming in here thinking that maybe Drew or Geno could lead ’em to like an eight- or nine-[win] season, if you’ve watched the first few days you’re like, ‘Wow,'” Dugar said during the August 3 episode of the “Seahawks Man 2 Man” podcast. “I’m just not seeing consistent sharpness, and that’s what I want to see. I don’t expect either one of these guys to be Russ [Wilson] or Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. They’re not. They’ll tell you they’re not, but the inconsistencies are just really, really, really apparent.”
Morgan’s best collegiate season came in 2018 when the quarterback threw for 2727 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 65.3% of his passes during his 12 appearances.
The Seahawks Trading for Jimmy G Is a ‘Long Shot,’ Says Insider
If signed, Morgan is more likely to compete with Jacob Eason to be the team’s third quarterback than emerge as the QB1. The bigger question is if the Seahawks may be changing their tune on making a move for a veteran quarterback. Heavy.com’s NFL insider Matt Lombardo called a potential Seahawks trade for Jimmy Garoppolo a “long shot” but does see Seattle potentially getting more aggressive if the Niners release the quarterback.
“However, while league sources suggest Garoppolo is in play in Seattle, that would seemingly be a long shot at this point,” Lombardo wrote on July 29. “Especially because the Seahawks would be on the hook for the remaining $25.5 million on his contract this season.
“Between the hefty financial commitment and Garoppolo’s limited upside, it sounds as though he’s only an option if he winds up being released by the San Francisco 49ers. The reality is that at this stage of Garoppolo’s career, and in Seattle’s situation, he would be little more than a high-priced stopgap to whomever the Seahawks draft in the future.”