Hasselbeck: Why it feels like the Seahawks are ‘in a really good spot’

It seems to be a good time to be a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

They’re coming off a playoff appearance that virtually no one saw coming before the 2022 season, own two picks in the top 20 of next month’s NFL Draft and 10 selections overall, and have made a few splashy moves in free agency to improve their defense in particular.

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The good vibes extend to other facets of the franchise, too, as former Seahawks Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck shared Monday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. Hasselbeck, who is now an ESPN NFL analyst, has been at the league’s annual meetings this week in Phoenix and had a glowing report on the Hawks.

“You know, I’ve seen (Seahawks coach) Pete Carroll down here at the meetings, I’ve seen a bunch of the Seattle people here,” he said. “It just feels like they’re in a really good spot. They have a real clear, strong vision of what they’re trying to do, how they’re trying to do it.”

Hasselbeck explained that the way the Seahawks are operating could help them avoid issues like they had a year ago when they released star linebacker Bobby Wagner, who was disappointed that he didn’t find the news out first from the organization. One sign of Seattle’s improved operations is that things have been patched up with Wagner, who returned to the team on a reported one-year contract Saturday after spending last season with the Los Angeles Rams.

“When you have that clear vision of what you’re going to do, then you can communicate it clearly,” Hasselbeck said, “and I think probably the lesson of the last time around (with Wagner) is things weren’t communicated clearly, and that’s a lesson sometimes you just got to learn the hard way and then you grow from it.”

Are the Seahawks settled at QB?

Where Hasselbeck said Seattle’s “clear” vision is most evident is at quarterback, where the Hawks have re-signed both Pro Bowl starter Geno Smith and his backup, Drew Lock, this offseason. The opportunity to pick a QB early in the draft remains available to the Seahawks, though, and they very well may do that as Carroll and general manager John Schneider have been seen at multiple pro days for QB prospects.

What does Hasselbeck make of the whole situation?

“I would say no, but I would also say you never know,” he answered when asked if he thinks the Seahawks will draft a QB. “Why else would they be doing such due diligence on these guys? I don’t really understand the reasoning other than that.”

Even if he’s unsure himself, Hasselbeck is confident that Carroll and Schneider have a strong plan in place for the position.

“I do know this – that Pete Carroll and John Schneider absolutely believe in their system and what they’re doing. They believe in Geno, (and) I believe they believe in Drew. So if I had to guess, I say no, they’re not going after a quarterback (in the draft) because they feel so confident in Geno, but not just Geno. I think if you look at Drew Lock, what is he, like 26 years old? I mean, he is essentially the same age as a lot of these quarterbacks that are coming out in the draft now, which is crazy to think of. But I think they feel like whether it’s Geno or Drew, they’ve got something there. I think they really, truly believe that, and so my guess would be that they’re going to find other players in the draft that could fill other holes that they have.”

Listen to Hasselbeck’s full conversation on Brock and Salk in the podcast below.

More from Hasselbeck: How the Seahawks may use Bobby Wagner differently now

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