I saw Bruce White's comment worrying about losing Seaside KenJoe to another media outlet. I'm more worried about losing Seaside KenJoe to an NFL team because he's far smarter than half of the GM's out there. If I was an NFL team owner I'd hire KenJoe and the entire team at SSJ, including Clark, to run my organization. KenJoe knows of what he speaks, and it's knowledge in volumes. Literally.
Another great article from Seaside Joe. Clearly, the Raiders should trade the pick and strengthen the team and o-line first. Pick up Mendoza or another QB (a la the Seahawks with Darnold) in 3 or 4 years after he’s gotten beat up by the Cardinals or Jets. But, I bet the raiders ownership doesn’t see it that way, and Kubiak will get hamstrung trying to build a solid running game with so much draft capital tied up in Mendoza.
I rewatched the 2nd seahawk – ram game and was astonished again how close it was. If Parkinson makes those 2 fingertip catches in the 4th quarter, the Ram’s probably win. Of course, if Kupp doesn’t cough up the ball in the first half, the seahawks might have cruised to a victory. What a close game. It’s fun to imagine what their games in 2026 will be like. I imagine the seahawks should be better in almost every way, with the added confidence. I’ve always like Kenny McIntosh, and think that he and Holani can mimic the 1-2 punch we had for most of the last year, until Charbonet returns. And our D-line looks to be better with Mills, Pilli, and Murphy all looking stronger. Maybe Mike will even let Witherspoon blitz occasionally like in the SB. (Of course the Patriots were not nearly as good as the Rams, so maybe not). My biggest concern is if the new OC, Fleury, is able to mix run and pass as well as Kubiak did.
And lastly, I hope that Seaside Joe doesn't get “Kubiak'd” on us and get snapped up by one of those talking head shows. I selfishly want him to continue to write for us!
I've always wondered 1) how much Indy could have received for traded the #1 overall pick (Luck) and 2) would they have won a Super Bowl with Peyton + those picks. Washington traded three first-round picks and a second-round pick to the St. Louis Rams for the 2nd overall pick (Griffin). I think Indy could have received significantly more than that for #1 Luck....
One of the key reasons the Hawks moved on from Geno is that he was not a good “culture fit”…too emotional, too erratic, as witnessed by his 1 finger salute to both the Hawks and Raiders fans, among many other examples… easy to find a better mentor than Geno.
I have no problem with drafting a QB in the first round as long has he has a first-round grade. I doubt that the Commanders and Patriots regret drafting Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye. What I don’t get is drafting Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariotta, Blake Bortles, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, Mitch Trubisky etc etc etc in the first round. To draft Bortle with the #3 overall, Jacksonville passed on Khalil Mack (who went next) and Aaron Donald. At the time, who thought Bortle was any good? I don’t believe that Jacksonville had a first round grade on him.
But you know what I like best about the Hawks’ approach to drafting QBs? It makes Ben Baldwin’s head explode.
I love this topic and this article. Completely agree with it. Why is it that th general public doesn’t understand the fail rate of QBs? How is it still possible Mendoza is looked at like a savior?
I really don’t get it.
I watched every snap of Raiders and Seahawks football last year and the last thing I thought of was “wow look at the QBs”. It’s like looking at two homes and the QBs are the kitchen. Great to have a nice kitchen but a kitchen doesn’t matter if you don’t have a foundation, walls, and a roof.
No brainier to trade the Mendoza if the market is anything like the past. I do value Mendoza but if the Jets offered the 2nd pick, 16th pick, and anything else, I am trading it,
And people say, well what are you gonna do at Qb?
JS for that question for 3 straight years after trading Russel Wilson. What happened?
I do not like what the Riades are doing at all. Huge spending in free agency (not the way to build a team), paying Geno a boatload not to play for them, and trying to take short cuts to success instead of long term investments.
Conversely, I love what the Jets are doing. Taking advantage of the Raiders and snagging a QB for extremely cheap. Harvesting draft picks. I’m not sure about their coach is the main issue as I doubt he is anywhere near Mike Mac but we will see. Maybe he can surround himself with talented coaching?
Give me the Jets over the Raiders for the next 3-4 years.
Lastly on QBs, how many QBs did Rob Staton tout and say the Hawks have to get? Or Ben Baldwin? How many of those QBs are available now (Anthony Richardson, Levis, Malik Willis) … all available.
The Raiders GM/Ownership don't make a lot of sense to me (no surprise). You're already paying Geno. Even if you plan to draft Mendoza, why not give the kid some competition and mentorship to start out. First round QBs don't need to start right away! How much better might Mendoza be with Geno around to take some pressure off the situation, especially when he's already bought and paid for. One could argue that the Raiders burned that bridge with Geno and had to move on, but they're the front office that created the situation in the first place. Not well done!
It makes no sense at all. Only from a political sense of throwing Geno under the bus because the idea that Geno wasn’t the problem (reality) is harder and longer road to face than a savior (Mendoza).
Also, dead money is completely different than the Raiders actually paying cash to Geno.
Media has become a strange best. It feasts on names the disinterested public might recognize, and controversy.
Also, Seattle is at the end of the world and really, really far from the East Coast, where, as we all know, all the good and important things happen (see: The Jets; oh, was that mean?).
Like we humble fans, the national media has no way to gauge the growth of players they didn't see on the field last season -- or, like Mills and Horton and Arroyo, saw only briefly.
Right now they're covering the NFL as a soap opera, giving grades out for deportment and style. The substance of the team-building exercise doesn't come clear until, at least, the draft has been concluded.
Agree with everything you said, except that it is just now and will change by draft time. This is the way the league is covered year-round. Nobody recognized JS's team-build last year until they won the NFC Championship game
And the media, in their expected and uninformed way, will criticize JS's draft picks saying this guy or that guy was a reach, why did they add that guy to whatever position group, and dole out draft grades in the "C" range. You know that crap is coming and yet JS will be vindicated once again.
I trust JS to build a competitive roster. The only thing I would have done differently is release Kupp and use the money saved on K9. K9 was way more valuable last year, younger, and no more injury prone than Kupp. The money was close to break even and it seems we overpaid an old Ram WR rather than rewarding a Seahawk RB who had just won the SB MVP.
Having said that, and it’s over now anyway, I don’t see any reason to think the Seahawks won’t contend to win the division and possibly repeat as SB champs!
I keep coming back to the reports of K9 being pissed off about the platoon with Charbonnet. Perhaps a factor in his non-signing was his attitude? I would even speculate that K9's "breakout" in the last two games was in response to the platoon... a sort of better effort to show the boss(es) how stupid they had been to not give him all the touches. It was a contract year, after all, and he may have felt cheated by losing so many opportunities. If nothing else, it might have been the tipping point behind the decision to let him walk.
Similarly, we don't know what JS's agreement with Kupp was, either. I think, on it's face, it is a bad mathematical decision. But, if he promised Kupp anything it becomes keeping his word and doing business the right way.
Great article! Seems some GM's clutch at free agent straws hoping they find someone who hasn't peaked yet or has fairy dust on them from a Championship to help give them a bit of job security. Some are better at spotting the pearls amongst the pea gravel than others, but it's ALWAYS a risk. I feel JS is not just the sharpest knife in the GM drawer, he's the sharpest knife in a drawer full of spoons. I've ALWAYS seen QB's as just one cog in the gears. Yes, they ARE the drivers, but I'll bet on a competent driver in a Maserati to win over a GREAT driver in a VW Beetle every time.
I chuckle every time I see one of the clickbait articles hyperventilating over the excitement of the Raiders getting Mendoza. I only saw the final play of his last college game and instantly attached my opinion of him to the off-the-cuff comment of the announcer: [paraphrasing] "that was the first time Mendoza ran the ball himself. His mother won't let him." Yep, that's the kind of QB an NFL team can count on to make quick decisions without his mom's voice in his head.
I truly want the Raiders to draft him just so I can see if he is all they hope he will be.
Surprised myself that I wasn't disappointed when the Hawks let K9 go.
KenJoe, fully agree with your thesis on 1st round QB’s - empirical evidence is totally with you!
JS has the Seahawks beautifully positioned for the foreseeable future. JSN here for the next 6 years. Does anyone think for all of Puka’s athletic talent, his 10 cent brain is going to keep him in LA for that much longer? JS will likely find a solid and dirt cheap RB, including all the vets we have on the roster already. We have our own top 3 picks in this year’s draft which has depth, but lacks elite talent. We lost depth, not elite talent in Free Agency. Next year we have all of our native picks + likely 4 comp picks in what is purported to be an excellent draft. We should contend again this year (Rams a risk, but not 49ers). And we should be in position to re-load next year while locking up our elite talent like BM next year and E-man and Zabel after that.
I saw Bruce White's comment worrying about losing Seaside KenJoe to another media outlet. I'm more worried about losing Seaside KenJoe to an NFL team because he's far smarter than half of the GM's out there. If I was an NFL team owner I'd hire KenJoe and the entire team at SSJ, including Clark, to run my organization. KenJoe knows of what he speaks, and it's knowledge in volumes. Literally.
Another great article from Seaside Joe. Clearly, the Raiders should trade the pick and strengthen the team and o-line first. Pick up Mendoza or another QB (a la the Seahawks with Darnold) in 3 or 4 years after he’s gotten beat up by the Cardinals or Jets. But, I bet the raiders ownership doesn’t see it that way, and Kubiak will get hamstrung trying to build a solid running game with so much draft capital tied up in Mendoza.
I rewatched the 2nd seahawk – ram game and was astonished again how close it was. If Parkinson makes those 2 fingertip catches in the 4th quarter, the Ram’s probably win. Of course, if Kupp doesn’t cough up the ball in the first half, the seahawks might have cruised to a victory. What a close game. It’s fun to imagine what their games in 2026 will be like. I imagine the seahawks should be better in almost every way, with the added confidence. I’ve always like Kenny McIntosh, and think that he and Holani can mimic the 1-2 punch we had for most of the last year, until Charbonet returns. And our D-line looks to be better with Mills, Pilli, and Murphy all looking stronger. Maybe Mike will even let Witherspoon blitz occasionally like in the SB. (Of course the Patriots were not nearly as good as the Rams, so maybe not). My biggest concern is if the new OC, Fleury, is able to mix run and pass as well as Kubiak did.
And lastly, I hope that Seaside Joe doesn't get “Kubiak'd” on us and get snapped up by one of those talking head shows. I selfishly want him to continue to write for us!
I've always wondered 1) how much Indy could have received for traded the #1 overall pick (Luck) and 2) would they have won a Super Bowl with Peyton + those picks. Washington traded three first-round picks and a second-round pick to the St. Louis Rams for the 2nd overall pick (Griffin). I think Indy could have received significantly more than that for #1 Luck....
One of the key reasons the Hawks moved on from Geno is that he was not a good “culture fit”…too emotional, too erratic, as witnessed by his 1 finger salute to both the Hawks and Raiders fans, among many other examples… easy to find a better mentor than Geno.
I have no problem with drafting a QB in the first round as long has he has a first-round grade. I doubt that the Commanders and Patriots regret drafting Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye. What I don’t get is drafting Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariotta, Blake Bortles, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, Mitch Trubisky etc etc etc in the first round. To draft Bortle with the #3 overall, Jacksonville passed on Khalil Mack (who went next) and Aaron Donald. At the time, who thought Bortle was any good? I don’t believe that Jacksonville had a first round grade on him.
But you know what I like best about the Hawks’ approach to drafting QBs? It makes Ben Baldwin’s head explode.
JETS not nets🤣
Who is hoping the Nets sign Russ to compete with Geno? Great article, SSJ! Agree 💯
"(I WILL argue that it’s absurd to rank the NINERS over them though!)"
Like It Like That !
Tito Nieves!! He's awesome and love his music!!
Dang it! I got to this article late today.
I love this topic and this article. Completely agree with it. Why is it that th general public doesn’t understand the fail rate of QBs? How is it still possible Mendoza is looked at like a savior?
I really don’t get it.
I watched every snap of Raiders and Seahawks football last year and the last thing I thought of was “wow look at the QBs”. It’s like looking at two homes and the QBs are the kitchen. Great to have a nice kitchen but a kitchen doesn’t matter if you don’t have a foundation, walls, and a roof.
No brainier to trade the Mendoza if the market is anything like the past. I do value Mendoza but if the Jets offered the 2nd pick, 16th pick, and anything else, I am trading it,
And people say, well what are you gonna do at Qb?
JS for that question for 3 straight years after trading Russel Wilson. What happened?
I do not like what the Riades are doing at all. Huge spending in free agency (not the way to build a team), paying Geno a boatload not to play for them, and trying to take short cuts to success instead of long term investments.
Conversely, I love what the Jets are doing. Taking advantage of the Raiders and snagging a QB for extremely cheap. Harvesting draft picks. I’m not sure about their coach is the main issue as I doubt he is anywhere near Mike Mac but we will see. Maybe he can surround himself with talented coaching?
Give me the Jets over the Raiders for the next 3-4 years.
Lastly on QBs, how many QBs did Rob Staton tout and say the Hawks have to get? Or Ben Baldwin? How many of those QBs are available now (Anthony Richardson, Levis, Malik Willis) … all available.
The Raiders GM/Ownership don't make a lot of sense to me (no surprise). You're already paying Geno. Even if you plan to draft Mendoza, why not give the kid some competition and mentorship to start out. First round QBs don't need to start right away! How much better might Mendoza be with Geno around to take some pressure off the situation, especially when he's already bought and paid for. One could argue that the Raiders burned that bridge with Geno and had to move on, but they're the front office that created the situation in the first place. Not well done!
💯
Completely agree
It makes no sense at all. Only from a political sense of throwing Geno under the bus because the idea that Geno wasn’t the problem (reality) is harder and longer road to face than a savior (Mendoza).
Also, dead money is completely different than the Raiders actually paying cash to Geno.
Media has become a strange best. It feasts on names the disinterested public might recognize, and controversy.
Also, Seattle is at the end of the world and really, really far from the East Coast, where, as we all know, all the good and important things happen (see: The Jets; oh, was that mean?).
Like we humble fans, the national media has no way to gauge the growth of players they didn't see on the field last season -- or, like Mills and Horton and Arroyo, saw only briefly.
Right now they're covering the NFL as a soap opera, giving grades out for deportment and style. The substance of the team-building exercise doesn't come clear until, at least, the draft has been concluded.
Just a bunch of chin-wagging now.
Agree with everything you said, except that it is just now and will change by draft time. This is the way the league is covered year-round. Nobody recognized JS's team-build last year until they won the NFC Championship game
And the media, in their expected and uninformed way, will criticize JS's draft picks saying this guy or that guy was a reach, why did they add that guy to whatever position group, and dole out draft grades in the "C" range. You know that crap is coming and yet JS will be vindicated once again.
shhhhh! don't tell everyone!
and also
shhhhh! (!!!!!THE BABY IS SLEEPING!!!!)
I trust JS to build a competitive roster. The only thing I would have done differently is release Kupp and use the money saved on K9. K9 was way more valuable last year, younger, and no more injury prone than Kupp. The money was close to break even and it seems we overpaid an old Ram WR rather than rewarding a Seahawk RB who had just won the SB MVP.
Having said that, and it’s over now anyway, I don’t see any reason to think the Seahawks won’t contend to win the division and possibly repeat as SB champs!
I keep coming back to the reports of K9 being pissed off about the platoon with Charbonnet. Perhaps a factor in his non-signing was his attitude? I would even speculate that K9's "breakout" in the last two games was in response to the platoon... a sort of better effort to show the boss(es) how stupid they had been to not give him all the touches. It was a contract year, after all, and he may have felt cheated by losing so many opportunities. If nothing else, it might have been the tipping point behind the decision to let him walk.
Similarly, we don't know what JS's agreement with Kupp was, either. I think, on it's face, it is a bad mathematical decision. But, if he promised Kupp anything it becomes keeping his word and doing business the right way.
Great article! Seems some GM's clutch at free agent straws hoping they find someone who hasn't peaked yet or has fairy dust on them from a Championship to help give them a bit of job security. Some are better at spotting the pearls amongst the pea gravel than others, but it's ALWAYS a risk. I feel JS is not just the sharpest knife in the GM drawer, he's the sharpest knife in a drawer full of spoons. I've ALWAYS seen QB's as just one cog in the gears. Yes, they ARE the drivers, but I'll bet on a competent driver in a Maserati to win over a GREAT driver in a VW Beetle every time.
I chuckle every time I see one of the clickbait articles hyperventilating over the excitement of the Raiders getting Mendoza. I only saw the final play of his last college game and instantly attached my opinion of him to the off-the-cuff comment of the announcer: [paraphrasing] "that was the first time Mendoza ran the ball himself. His mother won't let him." Yep, that's the kind of QB an NFL team can count on to make quick decisions without his mom's voice in his head.
I truly want the Raiders to draft him just so I can see if he is all they hope he will be.
Surprised myself that I wasn't disappointed when the Hawks let K9 go.
KenJoe, fully agree with your thesis on 1st round QB’s - empirical evidence is totally with you!
JS has the Seahawks beautifully positioned for the foreseeable future. JSN here for the next 6 years. Does anyone think for all of Puka’s athletic talent, his 10 cent brain is going to keep him in LA for that much longer? JS will likely find a solid and dirt cheap RB, including all the vets we have on the roster already. We have our own top 3 picks in this year’s draft which has depth, but lacks elite talent. We lost depth, not elite talent in Free Agency. Next year we have all of our native picks + likely 4 comp picks in what is purported to be an excellent draft. We should contend again this year (Rams a risk, but not 49ers). And we should be in position to re-load next year while locking up our elite talent like BM next year and E-man and Zabel after that.
Never been a better time to be a Hawks Fan!!
Now on trial for that “10 cent brain”.
He's overpriced.
lol
But they're experts for a reason... right? RIGHT?
As a hard core contrarian this article is right in my wheelhouse. Thanks KenJoe.