There are a whole lot of promising quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL draft class, and the Seattle Seahawks should pick one of them no matter how they feel about Geno Smith or Drew Lock. Now that they’ll soon have a new head coach, odds are they’re even moreso in the market for a young quarterback who could be a long-term starter.
One option to consider is Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who’s fresh off a national championship win over Washington. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has the Seahawks taking McCarthy at No. 16 overall in his first 2024 NFL mock draft, even though Kiper doesn’t have a first-round grade for him.
That would obviously mean that the Seahawks would be moving on from Geno Smith. Here’s what Kiper had to say about No. 7 and his contract:
“For Seattle, the contract Geno Smith signed last March made it clear the team could get out after one season. Smith had a decent season (20 TD passes, 9 INTs), but will he really be here long-term? I could see the Seahawks severing ties and starting fresh for whomever the new coach ends up being.”
It’s true that the Seahawks can save a lot of cap space by cutting Smith after June 1. According to Over the Cap, they’d save $22,500,000 for 2024 and take on just $8,700,000 in dead money. Smith is now 33 years old and there is a case to make for cutting him and further embracing the team’s youth movement. Then again Smith really isn’t that expensive and for the production he offers there may be no better bargain in the league at QB outside high-end backups like Gardner Minshew and Jake Browning.
As for McCarthy, his college numbers are solid enough. He completed 67.6% of his passes, averaged 8.7 yards per attempt and totaled 49 touchdowns to go with 11 interceptions. Then again, McCarthy wasn’t asked to do much. Michigan won their title on the strength of their defense and their running game, as we witnessed in the championship matchup with the Huskies.
While we do want them to draft a quarterback at some point, it’s a deep class and taking McCarthy this early would be a real role of the dice. Seattle should take the best lineman they can get in Round 1 and then target a QB in the third.
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