In the days leading up to the start of free agency, the Seattle Seahawks appear to be completely dismantling their offense, for some reason that presently escapes my intellect.
Moving on from longtime veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett? Okay, that one makes sense. He's obviously a fan favorite, but Lockett is an aging and somewhat expensive player with a role that will only continue to get smaller.
But the other moves?
Trading away arguably the most underrated quarterback in the NFL in Geno Smith makes absolutely no sense for a team that's simply not in position to have a reliable backup plan.
Do the Seahawks plan to hand a blank check to Sam Darnold, hoping he'll be able to replicate his success from last season in Minnesota? That's a dangerous bet to make, considering they won't be the only team vying for his services, as well as the fact that he won't be bringing offensive guru Kevin O'Connell along with him.
It might also be more challenging to attract the top free-agent quarterback on the market after letting moving on from locket and trading away DK Metcalf, whom the Seahawks just sent to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
DK Metcalf had one year and $18 million left on his old deal. Now he gets a 4-year, $132 million extension -- $33 million per year -- that puts him under contract through 2029 and makes him one of the NFL's highest-paid receivers. https://t.co/ATissmYN9K
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 9, 2025
Sure, Seattle is getting an additional second-round (Metcalf) and third-round (Smith) pick with these moves, giving them added draft capital with which to bring in young talent or make a trade at the top of the board for one of this year's top quarterback prospects. But this year's quarterback class is fairly weak, and the Seahawks are currently sitting at the No. 18 overall pick in the first round, so they'd have to make a massive jump up the board to get in position for someone like Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.
Do they think that Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) or Jalen Milroe (Alabama) is their new franchise quarterback? If they miss out on Darnold, will they be happy with Aaron Rodgers or Justin Fields running the show instead?
These moves might make sense if the Seahawks were a floundering team coming off a bad season with little hope of contending in the near future.
But this is a team that went 10-7 last season, and was the only club in the league to win 10 games and miss the playoffs in 2024, with tie-breakers doing them in at the buzzer.
I don't know who needs to hear this, but Geno Smith is *not* the problem in Seattle.
Full discussion of the Seahawks' issues on this week's pod: https://t.co/25po4Tj9rF
YouTube: https://t.co/Trnl2RX3Ugpic.twitter.com/6aJ72JzyAN
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) January 3, 2024
Smith made a ton of chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what last season, putting up impressive numbers and keeping Seattle in the playoff hunt all year long despite playing behind one of the league's worst pass-protecting offensive lines. That same offensive line caused their ground game to struggle, despite the presence of a young and talented backfield tandem of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.
Who else are the Seahawks going to ship out to aid in their "reset" as the new league year kicks off? It sure feels like nobody is safe, and it doesn't make any sense.
Heading into this offseason, the Hawks had plenty of strong pieces in place to contend for the NFC West title again next year and into the near future. All they needed was to invest heavily into the offensive line, and add a couple of key pieces to bolster the defense.
Instead, they're fixing things that aren't broken, and putting themselves even further away from contention for absolutely no reason.
Related: 2025 NFL Mock Draft: Pre-Free Agency 4-Round Projections with Trades
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This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 7:09 PM.
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