Could the Seattle Seahawks wait until next year to draft a QB?

Apr 11, 2024, 10:15 AM | Updated: 10:56 am

Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks NFL Draft...

Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks during a 2023 game. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

(Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

For much of the offseason there’s been a buzz around the topic of quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, most notably whether the team will look to the 2024 NFL Draft to address the position.

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The Seahawks recently brought in South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, who’s viewed as a late-round pick, for a pre-draft visit. But would the team really use a pick on a QB after trading draft capital for Sam Howell, who was Washington’s starter last season? With a weaker crop of quarterbacks expected in 2025, Seattle will likely need to at least keep its options open during this year’s draft.

Seattle Sports’ Michael Bumpus and Stacy Rost discussed that topic and looked ahead at next year’s QB class Wednesday on Bump and Stacy.

“It’s interesting, especially with the moves they’ve made,” said Bumpus, a former NFL wide receiver. “You brought Sam Howell over, but you have to check every box. Could you imagine if they didn’t bring in a quarterback (for a visit this year)? … What if we get to this position in the draft: we got a quarterback available, but we haven’t done our homework on them and can’t make an educated guess or decision on it?”

Seattle general manager/president of football operations John Schneider traded third- and fifth-round picks to the Commanders for Howell and fourth- and sixth-round picks in March. The move seems to signal that the Seahawks are set at quarterback for the upcoming season with Geno Smith as the starter and Howell, who threw for nearly 4,000 yards with the Commanders last season, as the backup.

“You spent a third-round pick to get Sam Howell,” Bumpus said. “… I think that’s (Schneider) drafting a quarterback in his eyes, because I look at Sam Howell and I think he’s more than capable of being a quarterback in his league, we’ve already seen that. He put together a decent season last year.”

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper recently mentioned the top names at QB for 2025: Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Georgia’s Carson Beck. Other names that came up were a trio of transfers: Miami’s Cam Ward (formerly WSU), Florida State’s DJ Uiagalelei (formerly Oregon State) and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard (formerly Duke).

“Next year’s draft class doesn’t look too good,” Bumpus said. “It doesn’t look too hot. We’re gonna figure out how confident (the Seahawks) are in their quarterback position fairly quickly.”

Rost believes that means the Seahawks will go after a quarterback at some point during the 2024 draft.

“John Schneider has wanted to take a quarterback since having Russell Wilson and lamented only ever taking Alex McGough,” Rost said, referring to a 2018 seventh-round pick by Seattle. “You know that John Schneider wants to take a quarterback. … There is no world in which John Schneider doesn’t draft one this year.”

Bumpus said the more likely route for Seattle would be to stick with Smith and Howell this season and find a way to add a veteran next offseason.

“You do have Sam Howell who could be, I guess, some type of trade bait. I don’t know what you’re gonna get out of him,” Bumpus said. “You can use some draft picks to go and get you a veteran quarterback. Because the way this team I think is gonna be built is they’re gonna be ready to win right now. So, with your quarterback situation this year, if you do draft the quarterback, it’s not gonna be a highly touted quarterback. … And then you go into next year, you look at that draft class, you might just go out and get a veteran. … I don’t think they’re going to get a quarterback this draft. If they don’t get a quarterback and it doesn’t work out with Geno or with Sam Howell, they’re going to look at bringing in a veteran next year.”

Listen to the conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.