‘This deal is getting worse all the time’ — Lando Calrissian

When news first broke that Russell Wilson had been traded to the Denver Broncos, Seahawks fans were sad to see their franchise QB sent away but were also optimistic about the return. I mean, two first-round picks and two second-round picks is a lot. Plus, Shelby Harris ain’t bad. Yeah, and you know, that Noah Fant fellow sure has shown a lot of promise. Also, Drew Lock never really got a fair shot in Denver! He’s got some potential! He’s had flashes, right? There’s a viral clip of him rapping! What’s not to like?!

Apparently, a lot.

Just think about this for a second. John Schneider and Pete Carroll likely made the Wilson trade expecting Lock to be the team’s starting quarterback. If that wasn’t the plan, why didn’t they draft a quarterback? There’s still the possibility of a trade, but I imagine they would’ve at least tried to make that trade prior to the 2022 NFL Draft because they would’ve had more resources to work with. There weren’t any murmurs of a potential trade though, and since the draft, there have been even fewer rumors surrounding the Seahawks and quarterbacks on the market like Sam Darnold, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Baker Mayfield. Carroll has even said that he’s “happy” with his QB room and that Lock would’ve been the first QB taken if he was in the 2022 NFL Draft. All the evidence points to Lock being their guy, yet one week into minicamp, veteran backup Geno Smith seems to have taken the lead.

Can you imagine being a Seahawks fan right now? You probably woke up today expecting no news to come out surrounding your team’s quarterback situation. If anything were to come out, it would probably be a move to improve its horrid situation. Yet, when your phone buzzed with a notification from the NFL, the worst-case scenario popped up on screen. Not only is Drew Lock not living up to the expectations thrust upon him when he was traded, but he’s straight up losing the starting QB race to GENO FUCKING SMITH! Smith is 31 years old and has started all of five games since 2015. He’s got a TD-INT ratio of less than 1, and a career interception rate nearly a full percentage point higher than Lock! Yet Lock has been so unimpressive in minicamp that he can’t secure the job. WOW!

There’s zero chance any Seahawk fan looked at that quote from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and nodded their head in approval. More likely than not, their head was met with a swift strike from their own palm. If you eat, sleep, and breathe Seahawks football, I don’t know how you get out of bed after seeing this. There were myriad opportunities to find Wilson’s replacement this offseason.

I don’t remember another offseason that saw so many quarterbacks swap teams and so many top quarterback prospects fall so far during draft weekend. There was so much potential to do anything. It wouldn’t have even cost them that much! But instead, the Seahawks’ front office opted to sit on their thumbs and say “Don’t worry! We’ve got our QB situation locked up.” Incredible pun aside, it’s still an awful situation, and I’ve never felt so bad for a fandom that isn’t the Cleveland Browns.