Seahawks are playing quarterback chicken, and maybe that’s fine

Drew Lock isn’t good.

He’s not accurate, short or deep: 59.3 completion percent for his career, 31st-rated QB for 2020 by PFF grades.

He’s not mobile or evasive: 72 career rushes for a 4.0 average, 7.5 sack percentage last year.

He’s not a guy who finds a way to win at the end: 8-13 record as a starter.

He’s not careful with the ball: 25 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, 13 fumbles.

So in addition to not being good, Lock possesses none of the specific skills a Pete Carroll quarterback is required to possess. The ones above.

(I promise this is a 2022 NFL Draft post.)

There’s a reason the Denver Broncos were eager to move on from him, a reason the Seattle Seahawks brought Geno Smith back on a deal for more than they have paid him in seasons past, a reason every QB in the class has been linked to Seattle. Lock lacks luster.

And now, having chosen exactly zero quarterbacks on the first two days of the draft, the Seahawks find themselves looking for a new face of the franchise. Jason Bourne will help us organize their options. Yes, that Jason Bourne. Don’t worry! He is not an off-ball linebacker from McDonald Community College you’ve never heard of. The spy guy is exactly who I mean.

The Mayfield Ultimatum

Baker Mayfield has put his Cleveland Browns in something of a pickle. Cleveland had been seeking a second or a third for Mayfield this week in order to offset some of the cost of trading him. With those rounds completed, their task gets more challenging.

Some creative accounting will be needed to move Mayfield, and it’s hard to see the Seahawks putting up good money for him when they could, uh, not. If Seattle misses out on their Day 3 target (Sam Howell?) or is uninterested in anyone mentioned below, though, a conversation may open up.

Remember how Russell Wilson was an early MVP candidate in 2020? (Dumb question. Don’t answer that. Objection. Leading. Sustained.)

That was two seasons ago. Not exactly an eternity.

What it would take: The deal would’ve been easier to consummate on Thursday or Friday. Now the Browns pretty much have to take on plenty of salary for any team to be interested. If they decide that’s fine, who knows? A conditional 2023 pick, tied to appearances, is a good start. That’s how the Eagles moved Wentz two offseasons ago.

Likelihood: 15/100

The Mustache Identity

Far be it from me to define any other human by one physical characteristic, but Gardner Minshew has embraced it, so we’re good.

Minshew should be a starter somewhere. 41 TD and just 12 INT in his career, to go with a 104.8 QB rating last year, leadership intangibles, a successful college resume, and three years of experience. He’s a gunslinger who doesn’t commit many turnovers and has been in three offensive systems, so you know he can adapt. Has anyone ever mentioned he went to college in the great state of Washington? Give him a rebuilt line, two elite receivers, a young dynamic TE, two explosive runners, and who knows.

Fellow Cougar Abe Lucas is technically the newest Seahawk, drafted in the third round just hours ago. He should feel free to start recruiting the Mustache today, if not last night.

What it would take: The Eagles are wheeling and dealing right now, so any reasonable offer will get their attention. PCJS spent a third and swapped seconds with the then San Diego but now Los Angeles Chargers to acquire Charlie Whitehurst in 2010, and it’s hard to imagine Minshew would cost that much even. No more than a fourth.

Likelihood: 30/100

The Strong Supremacy

Carson Strong remains on the board as the fourth round begins. The Nevada QB with an accurate (70.1 percent) arm and plenty of ball security (63-12 TD/INT the last two seasons) would have been picked already if not for two surgeries on his right knee and a joint condition called osteochondritis dissecans. Which sounds bad. And turned out to be bad enough to scare off every team picking in the first three rounds.

The Seahawks could bite. The price of a fourth or a fifth may be an acceptable risk. Reports such as this one list Seattle as a primary suitor.

Likelihood: 25/100

The Love Legacy

Jordan Love may not have impressed Seahawks fans who watched him struggle against the Chiefs in Week 9, to the tune of 19-of-34 with a pick and three and a half scoreless quarters until a semi-garbage time score.

Yet he’s not that far removed from a college sophomore season where he put up 39 total touchdowns (against only six interceptions) at Utah St. He’s only 24 months removed from being the 26th pick in the draft. He’s got his whole career ahead of him. Not impossible it begins for real in Seattle.

What would it take: Green Bay has virtually no leverage in a trade, having re-signed Aaron Rodgers to all the years and all the money. A future mid-round pick might do it. Maybe Dee Eskridge for Love straight up? I really don’t know. But he would come cheap.

Likelihood: 10/100

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The Seahawks don’t have to make a move for a signal caller today. Carroll said as much Thursday, in the first draft clue, before anyone got started. He had clearly and obviously already punted the QB choice into 2023:

But on the extreme off chance my interpretation fails, probably good to brace oneself for one of the situations above, and stat. Because things have been entirely too normal out of Renton this draft season.