The Seahawks didn't go into the offseason intending to completely overhaul their roster at the most important position in the game, but that's how things turned out, making quarterback a very intriguing position to watch as training camp and the preseason unfolds.
Seattle's initial plan, as general manager and president of football operations John Schneider explained, was to work with three-year starter Geno Smith on an extension, but when, as Schneider but it, "it became apparent we weren't going to be able to get a deal done," the Seahawks instead pivoted, trading Smith to the Raiders, and doing so quickly in order to position themselves to sign Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold when free agency began.
The trade of Smith and signing of Darnold allowed the Seahawks to replace one Pro-Bowl passer with another, while also getting younger and less expensive at the position and adding a third-round pick that would eventually also be used to bolster their quarterback depth when the Seahawks selected Alabama's Jalen Milroe. It also helped that Darnold had worked with new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak in San Francisco two years earlier, and that the offense he thrived in with the Vikings shares a lot of the same Shanahan West Coast Offense roots as the one Kubiak is bringing with him to Seattle.
"It worked out great," Schneider said not long after Darnold signed. "Having Klint with him (in San Francisco), having the background with him, and all of the connections we have around the league with guys that have coached him, Scott Fitterer and Dan (Morgan) being with him in Carolina as well, talking about the character. And how much we studied him over the years, watching his growth. And personally being able to be around guys that have kind of hit it later in their careers like Rich Gannon and Matt Hasselbeck and Geno as of late, you watch that progression, you watch the work ethic, the character of the person, the scheme fits, and it worked out perfectly.
"Guys that have that experience, go through tough times, and then overcome it, those are the guys you want to cling onto."
The Seahawks later signed Drew Lock, bringing him back to Seattle after a year with the Giants, giving them a backup with considerable starting experience, then used the third-rounder acquired in the Smith trade to add Milroe, a quarterback who brings a very intriguing combination of big arm, athleticism, smarts and work ethic to the position. And with those moves, as well as a draft-day trade to send Sam Howell, last year's backup, to Minnesota, the Seahawks completely overhauled the position group in just over a month.