Seahawks fan survey offseason edition: Keep Geno? Draft a QB? Make a trade?

The simple "Yes/No" answers to complicated questions: Seaside Joe 1434

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Darren Rovell @darrenrovell

Biggest surprise of draft so far: That general managers obsessed with the 40-yard dash, let this guy, DK Metcalf, who ran a 4.33, slip to No. 64.

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Okay enough with the self-promotion and onto the survey!

I’ve run hundreds of fan surveys over the years because I’ve always thought it is very important to know what fans think. That will tell you at least as much as hearing what players and coaches and analysts think; definitely more than what most analysts think.

What have I said? The collective knowledge of the community is so much more than what I can ever know. And I never take that for granted.

In running so many surveys, I’ve seen the same reactions to certain questions over and over again. One such response is: “I needed a poll answer that wasn’t an option.”

That’s fair. There are only so many words you can write in a poll and only so many available spaces for possible answers. There are many nuances to the questions we often ask about football (or other topics) and understandably there will always be people who didn’t see the answer option that they needed to see.

However, I am going to press you to make difficult decisions in the following polls. Why? Two reasons:

1. I think it will reveal something important to know what you would say when you’re forced to make a difficult decision without all the nuance; oftentimes this is the same way that players, coaches, owners, and general managers must act when making decisions

2. It won’t kill you

These are just polls. Surveys. A feeling for what fans are feeling. There are no consequences and there is no wrong answer. There is no result that can be wrong. There is just the revelation of the answers. That’s it. Pete Carroll and John Schneider will not make decisions based on the outcome of these polls.

Not unless maybe you sign them up for Seaside Joe and get them a gift subscription or something. I’m not opposed.

I’m going to broach some of the big Seahawks topics of the moment and then we’ll talk about the poll results later in the week.

The Geno Smith decision

Let’s keep it as simple as possible. Geno is a free agent. You’ve read a lot about his pending free agency. You’ve seen the franchise tag number ($32 million) and you know that’s about as much money as Seattle has to spend in free agency right now, but they can always create more space.

You’ve also watched Geno Smith start 21 games in the last two years. Good feelings or bad, you have a sense of what he is at quarterback and what the alternatives are, as well as the cost. You know the Seahawks can’t keep Geno without some form of contract. Don’t overthink any answers here, just answer with your gut.

The QB Draft decision

The Seahawks hold the number five pick in the draft. Many draft experts say that Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Will Levis are in competition to go in the top-five as quarterbacks. They also believe that Will Anderson and Jalen Carter are defensive linemen set to go in the top-five. We don’t know how close to reality all of these prognostications are, but we have a sense that if the Seahawks really want to draft a quarterback early, they will definitely have that option for somebody.

Your gut.

Cap Savings: Shelby Harris

The Seahawks may need to find room in the budget no matter what happens at quarterback. The team would save $8.94 million by releasing Harris, with $3.27 million left in dead money against the 2023 cap. Harris had two sacks, 44 tackles, five tackles for a loss in 15 games.

Trade: Jamal Adams

Adams, 28, has missed 26 games since the Seahawks traded two first round picks for him in 2020. Seattle will save no money by trading Adams, in fact it would cost them $3.2 million more against the cap to trade him. The trade return probably wouldn’t be a lot, maybe a fifth round pick. But some have grown impatient with waiting for Adams to have an impact and I’m sure there are those who believe the team would be better off handing the job to Ryan Neal for a full offseason, camp, preseason, and season. Adams may not even be ready for training camp as he recovers from a quad injury. Others still feel that Adams will be an instant upgrade to the defense when healthy.

Note: The Seahawks would save money by cutting or trading Adams after June 1, but I’m not sure how likely it is that a team would take him on at $11 million. A cut could be possible.

Draft picks 2, 3, 4: Best Player or Need?

Many fans have grown frustrated or are simply worried about certain positions such as center, guard, edge rusher, and defensive tackle. They would like Seattle to pick players in the draft based on these immediate needs rather than necessarily picking the absolute best prospect regardless of position.

An example might be picking a running back like Bijan Robinson as the BPA or to select a center at pick 20, even if he’s projected to go in the middle of day two. Think of what your gut might say if you had to choose between a position that doesn’t seem like a great need, such as RB or TE or S, vs. a need, but you know that the first prospect is simply better at football right now?

Setting aside pick 5, consider picks 20, 37, and 52: Should Seahawks fill their needs or go for the best player regardless of his position?

Let’s see how these five questions go and then circle back later in the week. And thanks again for your support, let’s keep getting the JOE to GROW!