Seattle Seahawks 2024 Draft: Is Selecting a Quarterback Still In the Cards?

The Seattle Seahawks have a number of other needs to address on both sides of the football, but even after trading for Sam Howell, don't rule out John Schneider drafting a quarterback.

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) passes the ball / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Only a few short months ago in mid-February, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback situation appeared to be in flux with rumors circulating about Geno Smith's future and Drew Lock slated to hit free agency.

Weeks away from the start of the new league year and dealing with numerous personnel decisions while breaking in a new coaching staff, Seattle had to decide whether or not to move forward with Smith as the starter, as he had two roster bonuses upcoming. Ultimately, the franchise let his first contract guarantees kick in and paid him a second roster bonus early in March, confirming he would be on the roster and likely remain under center in 2024.

Even with Smith back in the saddle, Lock received a quality offer from the Giants and exited after two seasons as a backup with the Seahawks. Left without a backup on the roster behind a starter set to turn 34 next season, the odds of general manager John Schneider investing a draft choice on a signal caller further increased. After picking only two quarterbacks in his first 14 drafts, adding a third to the list seemed inevitable at the time.

After throwing for nearly 4,000 yards as a first-time starter in Washington last season, Sam Howell will look to impress in a backup role in Seattle to improve his odds of eventually starting. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

But less than a week after Lock signed the dotted line to head to New York, Schneider decided to fill Seattle's vacant backup role going a different route, instead swapping picks with Washington to acquire third-year gunslinger Sam Howell. With two years left on his rookie deal and 18 career starts under his belt at just 23 years of age, the trade brought a young quarterback with high upside into the mix to push Smith and potentially start down the road.

By opting to deal for Howell, quarterback suddenly looked set, at least in the short term, and the position no longer appeared to be a big priority heading towards the draft. As Schneider told hosts Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton on Seattle Sports 710 last Thursday, however, that move won't have bearing on the team's draft process and selecting a signal caller could still happen.

“We love Sam,” Schneider said of Howell. “We love what we did being able to acquire Sam. And we talked about the age, he’s got the experience, but that doesn’t preclude us from what we do in the draft.”

Rather than being overly coy amid smokescreen season, Schneider's comments clearly indicate that if the right quarterback falls to the Seahawks and presents excellent value, regardless of round and pick, the front office and scouting department have done their homework and could easily pull the trigger despite trading for Howell.

Though Seattle has several more pressing immediate needs on both sides of the football with Smith and Howell on the roster, there isn't a more important position in professional sports. If Schneider identifies a franchise quarterback in this year's class that falls into the team's lap, including in the first round, he should be ready to turn the card in.

Holding the 16th pick of the NFL Draft, the Seahawks likely won't have any shot at drafting one of the top four quarterbacks in this year's class. USC's Caleb Williams will go first to the Bears, while LSU's Jayden Daniels, North Carolina's Drake Maye, and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy could be gone in the first 10 picks. Without a second round pick, trading up for one of them isn't in the cards either.

But Washington lefty Michael Penix Jr., who starred in new coordinator Ryan Grubb's system and emerged as a Heisman finalist throwing 36 touchdowns in 2023, could still be on the board when Schneider and company go on the clock. While pick No. 16 may be too rich to take a swing on him, if the team trades down to recoup a pick or two and he remains on the board in the 20s, the value of a potential franchise quarterback who knows Grubb's scheme inside and out may be too good to pass up.

In the aforementioned trade down scenario, assuming the Seahawks can add a second or third-round pick sliding down in the first round, Schneider may have eyes on Oregon's Bo Nix or South Carolina's Spencer Rattler, who both flew out to the VMAC for top-30 official visits earlier this month.

Throwing 45 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions while offering dual-threat capabilities as a runner, Nix made tremendous strides in his final season with the Ducks, and Grubb will know him well from facing off against him three times in the past two years. Armed with a live arm and plus-athleticism, he could be an excellent fit to groom behind Smith and compete against Howell right away for the backup job.

If still available when the Seahawks pick in the third round, South Carolina's Spencer Rattler may present enough value to warrant selecting him to compete with Geno Smith and Sam Howell. / Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

As for Rattler, he doesn't have the same gaudy numbers Nix does, but some of that boiled down to inferior talent around him at South Carolina against rugged SEC competition. Before transferring to join the Gamecocks, he threw 28 touchdown passes at Oklahoma as a redshirt freshman and he possesses the arm talent and toughness to blossom into a starter-caliber quarterback in time.

“We want to get to know these guys a little bit better and spend time with them, and Spencer’s a real impressive guy and so is Bo,” Schneider said of the two quarterbacks visiting Seattle. “And we just wanted to be able to spend a little bit more time with those guys, have the coaches be able to spend more time with them on the board. You want to be cautious of their time as well. They’re out here on west coast visits, so we try to set those up when they’re visiting the Rams, the Chargers, the Niners, and try to fit those in."

Even on day three, Schneider may be smitten by a few potential options, starting with strong-armed Joe Milton from Tennessee and uber-accurate Michael Pratt from Tulane. The Seahawks met with Pratt, who threw 49 touchdowns and ran for an additional 15 scores in his final two seasons with the Green Wave, at the NFL combine, while the 6-5 Milton tossed 20 touchdowns last season and put on an impressive display of athleticism at his pro day workout.

If Seattle wants to take a chance on a player in the sixth or seventh round, UCF's John Rhys Plumlee met with the team on a top-30 visit and after starring for both the football and baseball team, his athleticism warrants consideration for a late day three flier. After impressing in backup duty at Kansas, athletic signal caller Jason Bean could also be on the radar with dual-threat talent as a developmental practice squad quarterback.

When the dust settles, given the team's confidence in Smith and Howell coupled with questions at numerous positions such as linebacker, guard, and safety, it's possible the Seahawks won't select a quarterback at all next week. If the right value doesn't present itself, Schneider isn't going to draft one for the sake of drafting one.

But with plenty of talent to choose from at the position in a deep quarterback class, whether it's a familiar name such as Penix in the first round or a project such as Bean at pick No. 235, the presence of Smith and Howell won't deter Seattle from adding to the group under ideal circumstances.