Seahawks re-sign Drew Lock, setting QB1 AND QB2 for 2023
Seahawks re-sign Drew Lock, setting QB1 AND QB2 for 2023
3/16/2023 - This is not a small deal for Lock and it does have draft implications
As Pete Carroll said they would try to do, the Seattle Seahawks have now officially re-signed both Geno Smith and Drew Lock for next season, agreeing to a one-year contract with Lock on Thursday that is worth up to $7.5 million. This does not keep the Seahawks from drafting a quarterback with pick number five, that’s true, but it does give Pete his two preferred options at starter and backup.
The Seahawks have now given Geno a deal worth up to $105 million ($10 million cap hit in 2023), Lock a deal worth $4 million (guaranteed backup money and the incentives imply that Seattle is very interested in his future, as John Schneider has emphasized multiple times since the trade), and the cost for the number five pick will be a guaranteed contract worth $34.3 million and a cap hit of $6.2 million in 2023.
If the Seahawks do pick a quarterback at five, that’s still not a “bad” investment at quarterback in regards to the 2023 salary cap hit: About $20-$23 million, which is less than many other teams are paying to just one player at the position. Plus, Lock is only signed for 2023, while Geno could be released or traded in 2024 without much on the books.
You could argue the implications for this in multiple different ways, just based on what your incoming bias already is: If you don’t want the Seahawks to draft a quarterback, you can say that these two signings guarantee that Seattle has a QB1 and QB2 for next season. If you want Anthony Richardson, you can say that these deals guarantee that the Florida athlete will spend at least an entire year on the bench getting that mysterious “development” that will change his life and accuracy. If you want Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud…well, I have to say this does change the formula at least a little bit.
Either of those quarterbacks could be better out of the gate than Lock, if not Geno. I’ve rarely heard of teams guaranteeing themselves a $7.5 million backup quarterback prior to drafting a player at the position who could be ready to step in as a rookie.
Read next: Seahawks host 3 on free agent visits, and the new center who also used to snap for Jared Goff
UPDATE: The Seahawks signed Devin Bush as of late Thursday; read all about it here
It all just depends on what you already want and I won’t be able to incept that out of you! All we can say is that Drew is back and he’s backing up Geno Smith next season. That’s what Pete wanted, that’s what he got.
Does John want a quarterback with Seattle’s first pick, and will he get what he wants?
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I don't think this stops the Hawks from taking any QB. They are setting themselves up to take BPA. Could be all sorts of players, could be a tradeback to select a WR for a team that wants 'the best' defensive player in the draft.
Laps for Lock could still be a thing! I've been training. I'm ready-ish.