Oh, what an offseason it has been for the Seattle Seahawks. The stability and overwhelming success that the franchise enjoyed for a large part of the past decade is now in a bit of limbo. Franchise QB Russell Wilson is gone, off to Denver, and the Hawks have been left with a glaring hole under center. So with the head coach and general manager still saying that they’re in a “win now” mode, something must be done about the quarterback position. That something is clear and evident, although it is unconventional and would raise some eyebrows. Jimmy Garoppolo needs to be the next starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.
Trades within the division in the NFL are definitely rare but while that might be true as an overarching fact, consider this. The San Francisco 49ers are openly looking to trade Garoppolo and have reportedly had very little serious interest from other teams to this point. With Baker Mayfield landing in Carolina, that leaves only the Seahawks that are still in need of a veteran quarterback to fill out their roster.
Jimmy G’s tenure in San Francisco can be debated for hours, and depending on your logic or which numbers you are looking at, you could come to any number of conclusions. However, one thing is valid for the most part. Garoppolo won. He won with limited weapons on the outside and often succeeded in challenging conditions during the playoffs. Regardless of your opinion of what he’s capable of in a more open offense, you can argue that Jimmy G could have won not one but two Super Bowls as the starter in San Francisco.
So does the fit work? You could argue that the Seahawks boast more weapons for a quarterback to play with than almost any other in the NFC. DK Metcalf is back, healthy and hungry to prove that he’s worthy of the next mega deal for a star wideout. While Metcalf is the hungry youngster, Tyler Lockett is the known commodity that has proven his worth for the past several seasons in Seattle. Along with those two weapons, Seattle also has new skill position talent in Noah Fant, the 6-4, 249-pound tight end who came over in the Wilson trade from Denver. Along with Fant, the Seahawks also picked up former Bears WR Marquise Goodwin. Round that out with a running back stable of Chris Carson, 2022 2nd Round draft pick Kenneth Walker III and the finally healthy Rashaad Penny, who appears to be poised to have a career year.
Not a bad core, eh? Not to mention the Hawks’ offense has a style somewhat similar to what San Francisco runs under Kyle Shanahan. It’s a run-first, ball-control offense that will rely on time of possession and fundamentals to try and wear the defense out. If any veteran knows how to run a system like that, it’s Jimmy G.
So Hawks fans, the Russell Wilson era is over but is the window of opportunity? Before you immediately answer that, think about the core already in place offensively and now imagine that core being led by the handsome gun-slinging QB that you used to love to hate as the Niners signal caller. Unconventional? Sure is. But is it crazy? Not a chance. And sometimes unconventional is what’s needed to take the next jump.
