The Seattle Seahawks have been living in a Pete Carroll-less universe for over a season now. He was still part of the organization last season, but on contract alone. He didn't do much except take random phone calls from Geno Smith.
Now, Smith and Carroll are part of the Las Vegas Raiders. So is former Seahawks safety Jamal Adams. Smith is QB1, while Adams is transitioning to inside linebacker, and seemingly doing a pretty good job with it.
Unfortunately, Adams appears injury-prone, so how long he is available for Vegas is anyone's guess. As for Smith, he probably will stay healthy, and the Raiders need him to. His backup situation is a complete mess.
Pete Carroll and the Raiders could call the Seattle Seahawks about Drew Lock
This is especially true as quarterback Aidan O'Connell, presumably the Raiders' QB2, fractured his wrist in the team's final preseason game, and he will miss 6-8 weeks. In other words, nearly half the season. If something happens to Smith, rookie Cam Miller would come in. That's no way to win games.
All of the above means the Raiders are probably in the market for a backup quarterback, and one would expect Las Vegas to call the Seahawks to see if Drew Lock is available. Lock, of course, played under Carroll for a couple of seasons as the quarterback was part of the trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
Carroll likes working with people he has worked with before, so Lock would appear to be a natural fit for Vegas. The problems with any potential move are plenty.
One is that the Seattle Seahawks would be left with Jalen Milroe to back up Sam Darnold, and Milroe proved in preseason Week 3 that he is nowhere close to being a starting quarterback in the NFL. He was inconsistent with his accuracy and had wretched ball security. He fumbled three times.
A second is that Darnold was very good in 2024, but hasn't been in any other season of his career. Seattle needs a somewhat safe QB2 because the roster overall is pretty good. Poor quarterback play would sink the season.
The positive aspects would be that Seattle would get a draft pick for 2026. The Seahawks have a pick in each round through the first five, but none after that. Maybe a Drew Lock trade would bring something like a fourth-rounder and a seventh-round choice.
The Seattle Seahawks also wouldn't lose much money by trading Lock. The dead cap he would carry would only be $500,000. The deal would free up $1.7 million.
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