Having traded Russell Wilson away, the Seahawks are in rebuilding mode. They may not actually admit it, but this team isn't contending in the NFC West this season. The question is whether they'll at least try to win some games along the way. If they actually stand pat with what they have at quarterback, the answer is probably no.
At the moment, Seattle has a quarterback competition between Geno Smith and Drew Lock. Pete Carroll says they had a higher rating on Lock coming out of college than any of this year's rookies, but that's pretty meaningless right now. Here in calendar year 2022, we've seen enough out of Lock to know he's not a viable NFL quarterback. And neither is Smith.
Over the last 10 years, 67 quarterbacks have started at least 20 games in the NFL. Just 19 of those players have completed 60 percent or fewer of their passes. Here are the 19, a group that of course includes both Lock and Smith. Of the other 17 quarterbacks, the potential Week 1 starters are Jacoby Brissett (presuming a suspension of some sort for Deshaun Watson) and Sam Darnold. Cleveland and Carolina aren't excited about that, either.
| QBS COMPLETING UNDER 60 PERCENT, LAST 10 YEARS (20-PLUS STARTS) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GS | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
| Jacoby Brissett | 37 | 727 | 1208 | 60.2 | 7742 | 36 | 17 | 83.0 |
| Mike Glennon | 31 | 689 | 1147 | 60.1 | 7025 | 47 | 35 | 78.6 |
| Cam Newton | 128 | 2372 | 3957 | 59.9 | 28331 | 173 | 106 | 85.3 |
| Colin Kaepernick | 58 | 1008 | 1687 | 59.8 | 12236 | 72 | 30 | 88.9 |
| Brock Osweiler | 30 | 697 | 1165 | 59.8 | 7418 | 37 | 31 | 78.0 |
| Sam Darnold | 49 | 972 | 1625 | 59.8 | 10624 | 54 | 52 | 76.9 |
| Blake Bortles | 73 | 1562 | 2634 | 59.3 | 17649 | 103 | 75 | 80.6 |
| Drew Lock | 21 | 421 | 710 | 59.3 | 4740 | 25 | 20 | 79.3 |
| Brian Hoyer | 39 | 870 | 1469 | 59.2 | 10345 | 52 | 34 | 82.9 |
| Trevor Siemian | 29 | 606 | 1029 | 58.9 | 6843 | 41 | 27 | 81.2 |
| Geno Smith | 34 | 592 | 1006 | 58.8 | 6917 | 34 | 37 | 75.7 |
| Mark Sanchez | 26 | 532 | 906 | 58.7 | 6148 | 31 | 38 | 73.2 |
| Matt Cassel | 27 | 536 | 916 | 58.5 | 5809 | 28 | 37 | 70.6 |
| Chad Henne | 23 | 554 | 948 | 58.4 | 6176 | 29 | 26 | 76.7 |
| Blaine Gabbert | 34 | 648 | 1112 | 58.3 | 7059 | 38 | 36 | 75.0 |
| Jake Locker | 23 | 374 | 643 | 58.2 | 4425 | 23 | 22 | 76.9 |
| Brandon Weeden | 25 | 559 | 965 | 57.9 | 6462 | 31 | 30 | 76.0 |
| Michael Vick | 22 | 385 | 679 | 56.7 | 4552 | 22 | 16 | 78.2 |
| Josh Freeman | 21 | 384 | 733 | 52.4 | 4975 | 30 | 22 | 75.2 |
Pete Carroll can say what he wants, but I'm going to stick to the belief that Seattle is playing a waiting game, hoping that either Baker Mayfield or perhaps Jimmy Garoppolo ultimately gets released, and can be signed for cheap. I don't think the aging Carroll actually wants to helm a 5-12 (at best) season with Smith or Lock, and I know none of us are hoping to select any Seattle skill guys with those quarterbacks slinging passes around.
We'll see, but I'm giving Lock and Smith each about 30 percent chance to start in Week 1 for Seattle. Just as likely, if not more, that their starting quarterback isn't currently on the roster.
--Andy Richardson