Jalen Milroe
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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 23: Jalen Milroe #6 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up before the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on August 23, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks found the answer to their looming quarterback question last season, shipping Geno Smith away and watching Sam Darnold follow up his career-best season with a Super Bowl victory.
Though the Seahawks are set at the top of their depth chart, the team faces a question behind Darnold for the upcoming season. Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe — once seen as a darkhorse to take over as starter before Darnold seized the job — was inactive for most of the team’s games, and could face even more competition for the No. 2 job this offseason.
Seahawks Hint at New Quarterback Coming in the Draft
Ahead of this month’s NFL draft, reporters John Boyle and Rob Rang of team’s official website broke down the potential options to add at quarterback for more competition. The team brought back steady veteran Drew Lock, who took over the backup job.
The website questioned whether the former Alabama quarterback might work his way up the depth chart in 2026.
“And now, after completely overhauling the position group last spring, the Seahawks appear to be much more settled at quarterback, with Darnold leading the way after another standout season,” the report noted. “Yes, additions/changes are always possible, though far less likely this offseason, but heading into the 2026 season, the biggest question right now appears to be whether or not Milroe, who was inactive for most of Seattle’s games in 2025, will see his role expand in any way in his second season.”
While the Seahawks have some other roster holes to address, the report suggested that Miami quarterback Carson Beck could be worth a look. Beck is expected to be a mid-round pick,
“Seahawks fans got a front row look at Sam Darnold’s jump from one-time draft disappointment to Super Bowl champion and Beck nearly pulled off a similar resurrection of his pro stock, helping Miami qualify for the national championship, after transferring from Georgia,” the report noted. “Beck has all of the physical traits scouts are looking for and with 55 combined games at blue-blood programs, he’s certainly battle-tested.”
Seahawks Could Part Ways With Jalen Milroe
Milroe’s disappointing season led to speculation that the team could ship him away before the start of the season. ESPN’s Ben Solak suggested he could be a good fit for the Kansas City Chiefs, who may need more depth behind Justin Fields if Patrick Mahomes is not ready to start the season.
“The Seahawks hedged their Darnold bet with a Round 3 selection on Milroe, who now starts down the path that [Malik] Willis was on with Tennessee,” Solak wrote. “Milroe is only QB3 in Seattle behind [Sam] Darnold and Drew Lock, but Milroe started above Ty Simpson — the nominal QB2 in this draft class — at Alabama in 2024.”
Solak added that Milroe is still highly regarded by some teams, which led the Seahawks to draft him in the third round last year.
“Teams likely will compare their pre-draft grades on Milroe to the grades on this year’s class, and if they can get Milroe at a discount, they could try to trade for him instead of drafting an inferior prospect,” Solak continued.