What Pete Carroll's comments on Geno Smith, defense mean for Seahawks 2023 draft plans

The Seahawks know they're way behind the 49ers on defense, how will they catch up? Seaside Joe 1414

A year ago, Pete Carroll would not have met with the media and said that the Seahawks were “excited to trade Russell Wilson” and “on the verge of a thrilling release of Bobby Wagner”. Pete would not just be keeping these secrets close to the vest to protect the innocent, he also genuinely wanted to keep Bobby and definitely wishes that Russ could have finished his career in Seattle.

I want to caution fans against taking Pete’s comments to the media on Monday as gospel or clear indications of what the Seahawks intend to do in the offseason with regards to Geno Smith and their first round draft picks—we know Pete has a tendency to tell people what he thinks they need to hear—while also sharing this information with you because Pete likely means every word of it, too.

With regards to Geno, the writing has been on the wall for weeks that the Seahawks would like to find the path that leads him back to being Seattle’s starting quarterback in 2023. It also falls in line with everything we know of Pete Carroll, the guy who bugged John Schneider over and over again until he could find a way to keep the team from releasing Bobby Wagner last year…but the Seahawks never found a way.

Pete spent almost a decade with a quarterback who he didn’t have to teach everything to (Pete and Russ were together for a decade, but of course there were many teaching moments, especially in the beginning) and then he transitioned to a quarterback who now has four years in Seattle’s locker room. That consistency paid off for Geno and it’s the main reason that he was always in the lead position ahead of Drew Lock in the quarterback competition.

If the Seahawks lose Geno, expect them to “overpay” Lock to stick around and to give him the advantage in any quarterback competition against a rookie or a veteran who isn’t guaranteed to start. If the Seahawks keep Geno, expect Lock to still stick around, perhaps one day reaching his third or fourth year in the system.

There are advantages to keeping Geno Smith. At the moment, he’s a top-five quarterback in the NFC, with uncertain situations following Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and probably Kirk Cousins after his latest early playoff exit.