- The Seahawks also had an opportunity to draft a top-5 QB in 2023 and didn't take it. Look, we could say that it would have been a horrible idea and we may never know if they would have picked Bryce, Stroud, or Richardson, but the Bears were going to trade the #1 pick to the best offer and Seattle declined to make an offer. Will Devon Witherspoon prove too good to have risked for a shot at a QB? I certainly hope so, and he's definitely better than Bryce and AR, but those are the risks teams do have to take sometimes. I'm not sure Spoon can ever move the needle like that.
- Just to reiterate: I'm not saying that the Seahawks "NEED" to draft a QB next year...I'll take OT or Edge. But whether it's 2025, 2026, or 2027, stop making us wait so long to have that experience. That's my opinion. Not exactly "Hey here's the smartest thing you can do" but I really don't need it to be. I just want the full experience of being a fan!
That is basically accepted as fact- and whispers I heard (did a remodel for his son during that time) David (the son) basically acknowledged that his dad was running the show- Which is stupid, you hire football people to make football decisions! And it set the Hawks back for awhile- My personal opinion, is with good scouting and evaluators , finding LB's isn't that tough (In my personal opinion) Edge is slightly different. BUT O-linemen I just don't see how they keep striking out over such a long period of time! It has to be scouts and evaluators! What else can it be ????
Mirer I never minded. He was well-regarded and had a decent rookie season—just didn’t pan out. That choice was a “you cannot win if you do not play” thing.
My take on this article is that you wrote it to stir up some debate.
I, for one, will ALWAYS choose a generational talent over filling a need.
Think Tez, Walter Jones, Easley, Earl Thomas, and maybe eventually Witherspoon and Murphy.
That said, I see Schneider able to identify talent (if the talk about him wanting Mahomes and Allen is true), but too timid to make the blockbuster trade to get them.
Easy to forget that Hawks broke their pattern by drafting Spoon with 5th pick. They had built a culture of CBs in the 3rd round and later. So JS responds to opportunities.
I actually love the bargains & 2nd chances from Tarvaris forward - certainly Russ (early) and Geno helped the budget and led well.
I enjoy looking around for out of favor QBs who might be next (I’m a big Geno fan, not rushing him away). When I see Bryce Young in a bad situation, or any J-E-T-S ever (Wilson?), Trey Lance, Mariota - obviously some of these guys had far less upside than their draft grades suggested.
And, to the cynics who say “if the team that knows that QB wants him gone, then why …?” I say “Lamar Jackson, two years ago nobody wanted to sign the * M-V-P!”
First. That really aged me and now I’m going to go cry in my warm milk (actually don’t like warm milk but man you can be cruel!). Second. Sorry I will 1000%, no make that 10,000,000% want a Penny over another Rick Mirer. No no no. (But yes agree we do want someone to support and go to bat for. I know I really like the Dan McQwire pick. Just no stinking he wears #3 so he’s the next Montana….). Man those were horrific years. But I did love watching Tez.
I really hope there is a solid OT available to us wherever we end up drafting. IMHO, Seattle is an o-line away from being a highly competitive team, once they've had this year to adjust to the new scheme's, and understanding what is being asked of them. They are solid to good at all three levels of the defense (although admittedly, not playing that well together), and good to great skill position players on offense. Draft an OT, and if Abe is 100% next year, kick either him or the new guy inside to solve the RG mess, although I'm still hopeful that Haynes is a player once he adds some strength (note: hope is not a strategy). We still need to sort out LG and C, either through development of existing talent, free agency, or through the draft.
Mike MacDonald thinks this team is close, and I don't think he's saying that just to convince himself of that fact. He believes it. And if he's right, we'll be drafting in roughly the same place as last year, so not ideal for a 'quick fix' type player. But tanking the last 8 games is not good for the DNA of the team.
The personnel folks better be scouting the hell out of every lineman in D-I and D-II. Find two gems please. Please! "Come back with your shield, or on it."
Ken, I agree that JS needs to get us a stud who is an all pro talent at some point. Don’t care if that is a QB, OT, or edge, but our best are maybe pro bowlers not AllPro. Good QBs make up for so many other bad positions. Look at Daniels and Stroud as the best recent examples. Totally made these teams into playoff teams. We have one of the weakest olines in history every year and nothing changes. Geno could be a Purdy if he had a line, but he doesn’t, so we either get 4 new starters on the line or we draft a cheap rookie QB who can run for his life.
Don't understand what the reasoning of not drafting a QB is - It is one of the positions I would be drafting almost every draft - QB's and O-linemen , every draft! Not necessarily high picks , but those positions every single draft ( almost)!
I wish to respect the note at the top that this column is not for those of us who aren't sold on this year's draft class (even though the comments went that way, some of them...). Might I ask for equal time to consider QBs who might be in the league and available? I've trotted out Anthony Richardson as a long-shot, and fear Bryce Young. There's not a name out there that I know of and am sold on. But it's the other possibility, to trade/pick up a starter in free agency who's been undervalued or misused elsewhere. Had I the choice, I would build the line first and then put a young QB behind it. They tend to have fewer injuries and play better that way...imho.
We did so much trading down, surely they owe us ONE trade up!
I didn't even get into this part of it today, but there's also the fact that our biggest fear--"What if the Seahawks trade up and get a bust?!?!"---is not that big of a deal!!
The 49ers traded up for a bust, they still made the Super Bowl.
The Rams traded up for a QB who wasn't good enough and they still made a Super Bowl, then traded him for a different QB and won the Super Bowl!
At the end of the day, if the Seahawks trade up for a player who doesn't work out and they also lose football games, they were probably going to lose those football games anyway.
This year may not be the year for a QB to be drafted. Taken with a grain of salt, I saw a mock draft today with Sanders going #3, Ward #5, and Nussmeier #6, with no other QBs worthy of a first round pick. I'm no scout, but my impression is that Sanders and Ward are the only ones worthy of a first round pick and teams are probably going to have to trade up to get one. Given the draft pick cost of trading up, does anyone really want the Seahawks doing this, especially when the rest of the roster is not even close to ready. If they collapse to 4-13 and end up with a top 3 pick, sure, I could see the justification. But there are so many more busts at QB in the first two rounds than successes and it gets worse the further down the draft you go. Let the bad teams waste the draft capital trading up to get a QB that is worse than a coin flip to be "the guy" (hi Carolina!). In fact, let Seattle trade down and get 3 first rounders in those scenarios. The team has many more needs than a QB. Edge would be my first choice.
P.S. That mock draft had the Seahawks picking a "versatile" OL that is likely to be kicked inside to guard. You know, like every shitty mock draft (like all of them) out there that has no clue about the team's draft tendencies and valuations. They just see a weakness and fill it.
I agree, this is not the year to waste a first rounder in a QB. I saw Ward play a little last year, I'm a coug, and I was very happy he left. I was not impressed. If he is one of the best, oy. I was thinking trade down in a shallow draft unless they have a top 10 pick with a strong (non QB) option.
It's interesting to look at QBs today and force ourselves to accept how poorly most of them were received as prospects, let alone before their college careers were over:
- Lamar Jackson is a WR
- Brock Purdy is a USFL player
- Josh Allen can't hit broad side barn
- Aaron Rodgers is a dick
- Patrick Mahomes is another Air Raid mirage
- Jayden Daniels was mediocre until he got linked with LSU receivers
- Kyler Murray is tiny
- Baker Mayfield is a Lincoln Riley product who is the next Manziel
- Russell Wilson is tiny
- Jalen Hurts legitimately just isn't good at football
- Joe Burrow couldn't get a job at Ohio State
I am with you, Ohratloln. I've been the first, last, and third person alive to say that the Seahawks have to keep getting better at OT and EDGE..OT and EDGE..OT and EDGE...I hope that Seattle's first pick next year, if there's even one available, is OT or EDGE....
However, I'm also willing to correct myself and admit that I don't even know what I don't know and fans have built up this mythical figure of a "Good QB prospect who succeeds in the NFL"...I'm not sure that person exists! The most perfect prospects...Andrew Luck, Trevor Lawrence...not to mention Matthew Stafford's first 12 years in the NFL without a playoff win...
At a certain point we have to let go of the belief that we KNOW the future of these QBs just because we watched them in college. They don't even know what they're going to become after college, they're 21 and 22 years old. Lots and lots and lots of time to get better and the fact of the matter, the fact of it, is that most starting QB talent goes off the board in the first round.
This is going to be an exciting topic to tackle after we know what draft pick the Seahawks have and how the QBs look in February. I would love to chop it up with you and everyone here on the 2025 class, but I don't feel this is the time for it. It's so interesting how last year's draft went with Penix, McCarthy, and Nix all "guaranteed" to be day 2 picks. Jayden Daniels was still not a clear likeable prospect to many people.
And I hope none of this sounds like me saying, "Just you wait and see, there are going to be so many good prospects next year!" Nah, I don't know. This is just me saying, we don't really know yet. But generally, I had to get today's article off of my chest because I KNOW it's going to be true until the Seahawks finally give us another franchise QB (in whatever way that happens.)
Not included for time:
- The Seahawks also had an opportunity to draft a top-5 QB in 2023 and didn't take it. Look, we could say that it would have been a horrible idea and we may never know if they would have picked Bryce, Stroud, or Richardson, but the Bears were going to trade the #1 pick to the best offer and Seattle declined to make an offer. Will Devon Witherspoon prove too good to have risked for a shot at a QB? I certainly hope so, and he's definitely better than Bryce and AR, but those are the risks teams do have to take sometimes. I'm not sure Spoon can ever move the needle like that.
- Just to reiterate: I'm not saying that the Seahawks "NEED" to draft a QB next year...I'll take OT or Edge. But whether it's 2025, 2026, or 2027, stop making us wait so long to have that experience. That's my opinion. Not exactly "Hey here's the smartest thing you can do" but I really don't need it to be. I just want the full experience of being a fan!
I see you as having the full experience as a fan Joe. Picking quarterbacks in the first round is not always what it’s cracked up to be.
The team is what it is, ugly weird warts and all. I love being a fan of this team with all of you!! Thanks for the work as always Joe.
In Seahawks lore, then owner Ken Behring forced Dan McGwire on a reluctant coaching staff and front office that wanted to draft Brett Favre.
That is basically accepted as fact- and whispers I heard (did a remodel for his son during that time) David (the son) basically acknowledged that his dad was running the show- Which is stupid, you hire football people to make football decisions! And it set the Hawks back for awhile- My personal opinion, is with good scouting and evaluators , finding LB's isn't that tough (In my personal opinion) Edge is slightly different. BUT O-linemen I just don't see how they keep striking out over such a long period of time! It has to be scouts and evaluators! What else can it be ????
This is good lore I didn't know!
Whippersnapper!
Yeah, I was around back then. That is definitely how I remember it. But they thought they had a hit with Mirer...
Mirer I never minded. He was well-regarded and had a decent rookie season—just didn’t pan out. That choice was a “you cannot win if you do not play” thing.
https://youtu.be/txb11vp-Luk?si=bMcrFVd8Ymub9Wex
My take on this article is that you wrote it to stir up some debate.
I, for one, will ALWAYS choose a generational talent over filling a need.
Think Tez, Walter Jones, Easley, Earl Thomas, and maybe eventually Witherspoon and Murphy.
That said, I see Schneider able to identify talent (if the talk about him wanting Mahomes and Allen is true), but too timid to make the blockbuster trade to get them.
Well, if Grayson McCall stays retired …
Easy to forget that Hawks broke their pattern by drafting Spoon with 5th pick. They had built a culture of CBs in the 3rd round and later. So JS responds to opportunities.
I actually love the bargains & 2nd chances from Tarvaris forward - certainly Russ (early) and Geno helped the budget and led well.
I enjoy looking around for out of favor QBs who might be next (I’m a big Geno fan, not rushing him away). When I see Bryce Young in a bad situation, or any J-E-T-S ever (Wilson?), Trey Lance, Mariota - obviously some of these guys had far less upside than their draft grades suggested.
And, to the cynics who say “if the team that knows that QB wants him gone, then why …?” I say “Lamar Jackson, two years ago nobody wanted to sign the * M-V-P!”
First. That really aged me and now I’m going to go cry in my warm milk (actually don’t like warm milk but man you can be cruel!). Second. Sorry I will 1000%, no make that 10,000,000% want a Penny over another Rick Mirer. No no no. (But yes agree we do want someone to support and go to bat for. I know I really like the Dan McQwire pick. Just no stinking he wears #3 so he’s the next Montana….). Man those were horrific years. But I did love watching Tez.
I still have Rick Mirer PTSD. Though my Aaron Curry "surest pick in the draft" PTSD is worst.
I just posted basically the same. Never thought to apply PTSD to that pick. Love it
I really hope there is a solid OT available to us wherever we end up drafting. IMHO, Seattle is an o-line away from being a highly competitive team, once they've had this year to adjust to the new scheme's, and understanding what is being asked of them. They are solid to good at all three levels of the defense (although admittedly, not playing that well together), and good to great skill position players on offense. Draft an OT, and if Abe is 100% next year, kick either him or the new guy inside to solve the RG mess, although I'm still hopeful that Haynes is a player once he adds some strength (note: hope is not a strategy). We still need to sort out LG and C, either through development of existing talent, free agency, or through the draft.
Mike MacDonald thinks this team is close, and I don't think he's saying that just to convince himself of that fact. He believes it. And if he's right, we'll be drafting in roughly the same place as last year, so not ideal for a 'quick fix' type player. But tanking the last 8 games is not good for the DNA of the team.
The personnel folks better be scouting the hell out of every lineman in D-I and D-II. Find two gems please. Please! "Come back with your shield, or on it."
Ken, I agree that JS needs to get us a stud who is an all pro talent at some point. Don’t care if that is a QB, OT, or edge, but our best are maybe pro bowlers not AllPro. Good QBs make up for so many other bad positions. Look at Daniels and Stroud as the best recent examples. Totally made these teams into playoff teams. We have one of the weakest olines in history every year and nothing changes. Geno could be a Purdy if he had a line, but he doesn’t, so we either get 4 new starters on the line or we draft a cheap rookie QB who can run for his life.
Don't understand what the reasoning of not drafting a QB is - It is one of the positions I would be drafting almost every draft - QB's and O-linemen , every draft! Not necessarily high picks , but those positions every single draft ( almost)!
I remember when we were rumored to be going after Baker Mayfield after trading Russ, and I was thinking "please God, NO".
I am almost wishing I could have that wish back, but that would be wishy-washy wishing
Love this article...thank you for the smile!
Hope it makes its way to JS somehow lol
I wish to respect the note at the top that this column is not for those of us who aren't sold on this year's draft class (even though the comments went that way, some of them...). Might I ask for equal time to consider QBs who might be in the league and available? I've trotted out Anthony Richardson as a long-shot, and fear Bryce Young. There's not a name out there that I know of and am sold on. But it's the other possibility, to trade/pick up a starter in free agency who's been undervalued or misused elsewhere. Had I the choice, I would build the line first and then put a young QB behind it. They tend to have fewer injuries and play better that way...imho.
I've had thoughts there too!
Instead of trading down , trade up. I’d rather half 2-3 blue chip players vs projects or “ potential “ players.
Instead of spoon I would have traded whatever it took to get the highest rated player they rated. Other than spoon what did we get ? Not much.
We did so much trading down, surely they owe us ONE trade up!
I didn't even get into this part of it today, but there's also the fact that our biggest fear--"What if the Seahawks trade up and get a bust?!?!"---is not that big of a deal!!
The 49ers traded up for a bust, they still made the Super Bowl.
The Rams traded up for a QB who wasn't good enough and they still made a Super Bowl, then traded him for a different QB and won the Super Bowl!
At the end of the day, if the Seahawks trade up for a player who doesn't work out and they also lose football games, they were probably going to lose those football games anyway.
The trading down got downright obsessive. It didn’t yield much, either.
From "The Replacements"
"If I gave you a dollar you could keep most of the change, 'cause all I really want is a quarter back."
Special Shoutout to Taco Time, the real best Mexican fast food.
Crisp meat burrito and stuffed Mexi fries!!
One thing I can say from this post is that when you eventually become a dad SJ, you’re gonna be the king of dad jokes.
(Not sure Howell he’ll do; Favourite Mexican food chain. Really!!??🤣).
Not MY favorite!
Chili is good
Which begs the question, ‘Which one is then?’.
Taco Time!
Truth!
This year may not be the year for a QB to be drafted. Taken with a grain of salt, I saw a mock draft today with Sanders going #3, Ward #5, and Nussmeier #6, with no other QBs worthy of a first round pick. I'm no scout, but my impression is that Sanders and Ward are the only ones worthy of a first round pick and teams are probably going to have to trade up to get one. Given the draft pick cost of trading up, does anyone really want the Seahawks doing this, especially when the rest of the roster is not even close to ready. If they collapse to 4-13 and end up with a top 3 pick, sure, I could see the justification. But there are so many more busts at QB in the first two rounds than successes and it gets worse the further down the draft you go. Let the bad teams waste the draft capital trading up to get a QB that is worse than a coin flip to be "the guy" (hi Carolina!). In fact, let Seattle trade down and get 3 first rounders in those scenarios. The team has many more needs than a QB. Edge would be my first choice.
P.S. That mock draft had the Seahawks picking a "versatile" OL that is likely to be kicked inside to guard. You know, like every shitty mock draft (like all of them) out there that has no clue about the team's draft tendencies and valuations. They just see a weakness and fill it.
I agree, this is not the year to waste a first rounder in a QB. I saw Ward play a little last year, I'm a coug, and I was very happy he left. I was not impressed. If he is one of the best, oy. I was thinking trade down in a shallow draft unless they have a top 10 pick with a strong (non QB) option.
It's interesting to look at QBs today and force ourselves to accept how poorly most of them were received as prospects, let alone before their college careers were over:
- Lamar Jackson is a WR
- Brock Purdy is a USFL player
- Josh Allen can't hit broad side barn
- Aaron Rodgers is a dick
- Patrick Mahomes is another Air Raid mirage
- Jayden Daniels was mediocre until he got linked with LSU receivers
- Kyler Murray is tiny
- Baker Mayfield is a Lincoln Riley product who is the next Manziel
- Russell Wilson is tiny
- Jalen Hurts legitimately just isn't good at football
- Joe Burrow couldn't get a job at Ohio State
I am with you, Ohratloln. I've been the first, last, and third person alive to say that the Seahawks have to keep getting better at OT and EDGE..OT and EDGE..OT and EDGE...I hope that Seattle's first pick next year, if there's even one available, is OT or EDGE....
However, I'm also willing to correct myself and admit that I don't even know what I don't know and fans have built up this mythical figure of a "Good QB prospect who succeeds in the NFL"...I'm not sure that person exists! The most perfect prospects...Andrew Luck, Trevor Lawrence...not to mention Matthew Stafford's first 12 years in the NFL without a playoff win...
At a certain point we have to let go of the belief that we KNOW the future of these QBs just because we watched them in college. They don't even know what they're going to become after college, they're 21 and 22 years old. Lots and lots and lots of time to get better and the fact of the matter, the fact of it, is that most starting QB talent goes off the board in the first round.
Rodgers is still a Dick......
On the other hand, Trevor Lawrence was a can’t-miss generational talent.
At least the view on Aaron Rodgers as a prospect was correct🤣
Beat me to it.
This is going to be an exciting topic to tackle after we know what draft pick the Seahawks have and how the QBs look in February. I would love to chop it up with you and everyone here on the 2025 class, but I don't feel this is the time for it. It's so interesting how last year's draft went with Penix, McCarthy, and Nix all "guaranteed" to be day 2 picks. Jayden Daniels was still not a clear likeable prospect to many people.
And I hope none of this sounds like me saying, "Just you wait and see, there are going to be so many good prospects next year!" Nah, I don't know. This is just me saying, we don't really know yet. But generally, I had to get today's article off of my chest because I KNOW it's going to be true until the Seahawks finally give us another franchise QB (in whatever way that happens.)