Huard: Seahawks have a ‘secret weapon’ regarding QB Lamar Jackson

For the second offseason in a row, quarterback is a big question mark for the Seattle Seahawks.

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Last year, it was who would start in place of Russell Wilson after he was traded to the Denver Broncos. This year, it’s whether Geno Smith will be back in Seattle after a surprising Pro Bowl campaign.

Smith was a breakout star for the Seahawks in his 10th NFL season to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and he’s now a pending free agent who could command $30 million or more annually on a new contract.

But what if the Seahawks go in a different direction at quarterback? They have the No. 5 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, sure, and they’re high on Smith’s 2022 backup Drew Lock, but what if Seattle opts for a more established starter for 2023 and beyond?

Another quarterback whose future is uncertain is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP who is also a pending free agent as he and the Ravens have still yet to come to terms on a new contract. Could that lead to the Ravens slapping the franchise tag on Jackson and trading him to another team? If so – and the Seahawks are interested – there’s a Seattle-Baltimore link that could be in play, as former NFL quarterback Brock Huard explained during Tuesday morning’s Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports.

“I’ll tell you, you’ve got a little secret weapon here,” Huard said during the Blue 88 segment, which airs live every morning at 7:45 a.m. “Think about it. Think what’s happened and transpired over the last few weeks. Not that they did this intentionally because Baltimore had to approach you, but who did Baltimore approach? Your QB coach.”

The Seahawks’ quarterbacks coach is Dave Canales, a 41-year-old assistant who has had a few titles during his time in Seattle. Canales is one of head coach Pete Carroll’s most trusted lieutenants as he’s coached under Carroll since 2009 at USC.

Canales was Seattle’s receivers coach from 2010-17, the QBs coach in 2018 and 2019, and passing game coordinator in 2020 and 2021 before returning to QBs coach this past season.

Canales interviewed with the Ravens not once but twice this offseason for their offensive coordinator opening, which was filled Tuesday morning by Todd Monken, who goes to Baltimore after winning back-to-back national championships at Georgia. (Canales also reportedly was in Tampa on Tuesday to interview for the Buccaneers’ OC job, according to CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones.)

“So we kind of spun that like, ‘Hey, man, Dave Canales is a people person. He’s a relationship builder. Look what he did with Geno,”‘ Huard said, referencing a conversation he and Mike Salk had recently about the possibility of the Seahawks losing Canales to the Ravens. “You certainly know that’s what Baltimore is thinking, and he went out for a second interview.”

And with those two interviews with the Ravens, Canales likely gained “pretty darn incredible intel” on Jackson that the Seahawks normally wouldn’t have gotten, Huard said.

“You’ve played against Lamar Jackson, you’ve watched Lamar Jackson, but you know, who really knows Lamar Jackson? The Baltimore Ravens,” Huard said. ” … When Dave Canales comes back and is employed by the Seahawks, do you know what he’s got? He’s got more intel on Lamar Jackson than the Seahawks would have ever had without him interviewing, so throw that into the little blender as well.”

Listen to Tuesday’s Blue 88 at this link or in the player below.

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