The Seattle Seahawks have seemed to be a landing spot for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield since he requested a trade. His request came before the Browns acquired Deshaun Watson and the team seems ready to move on but have not done so.
The Seahawks were reportedly looking into Mayfield as a possible solution at quarterback. After trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, Seattle was likely to start Drew Lock if they didn’t add another player to the position.
With Pete Carroll’s run-heavy offense, Mayfield may have found a soft landing spot to rehab his reputation after a difficult 2021 season. Wednesday, Mayfield’s podcast appearance was his first attempt at rehabbing his off-the-field image.
Perhaps coincidentally, one day later the Seahawks brought back Geno Smith:
The Seattle Seahawks and QB Geno Smith are finalizing a one-year extension worth up to $7M, per source. Smith will see a bump in pay after throwing for 701 yards, five touchdowns to one interception while Russell Wilson was out. @Schultz_Report 1st on Smith returning.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) April 14, 2022
This would be Smith’s third year with Seattle. In 2021 he played in four games, starting three, completing 68% of his passes for 702 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. He was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft by the New York Jets and spent a year with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers before arriving in Seattle.
With Lock and Smith on board, it seems less likely that the Seahawks would trade with Cleveland for Mayfield but their coach didn’t rule out bringing in another guy to compete at that spot:
The Seahawks aren’t done at the position, though.
“We are totally in the mentality that the fourth guy may be important to us for the long haul,” Carroll said. “So we are definitely still in the quarterback business.”
If Seattle is satisfied, it may leave the Carolina Panthers as the one team with an opening for a starter in 2021. So far, no team has made a deal for Mayfield and that may not happen any time soon.
