Seahawks trading for Baker Mayfield not worth it in the long run
The Seattle Seahawks are in the market for a quarterback. Outwardly, the Seahawks seem committed to Drew Lock and Geno Smith… for this season only. It is hard to believe the Seahawks under John Schneider and Pete Carroll – who have consistently had an eye for quarterbacks – are actively planning for beyond 2022 with either quarterback.
Smith is a known commodity at this point, and so is Lock. Although there is a chance a new setting could help rekindle some rookie-season magic for Lock at best he is a reclamation project.
By opting to not draft any of the quarterbacks available in this year’s draft, Seattle is clearly playing the long game and looking to the future. It certainly appears team is willing to roll the dice with either Lock or Smith this year, perhaps take their lumps in 2022 if need be, and position themselves to acquire a quarterback from a much deeper 2023 draft class.
With this in mind, why would the Seahawks make the effort to acquire Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Make no mistake, despite the poor play in 2021 due to injuries, Mayfield is still a starting caliber quarterback. If he were to make his way to the Emerald City he would certainly be considered the presumptive starter for the Seahawks.
Yet I wonder how Mayfield would fit into Seattle’s future plans? There is one more season left on Mayfield’s current contract for nearly $19 million, fully guaranteed. The Browns have seemingly softened their position and are willing to pay a portion of the contract to help facilitate the trade, but there is no chance the Seahawks would give up future draft capital for a one-year rental at quarterback. Nor does it seem likely Mayfield would agree to such an arrangement, as he “bet on himself” last year in search of a new contract which ended disastrously for him.
So if the Seahawks do acquire him, a multi-year extension would seemingly go along with it. Then what? Would the Seahawks see Mayfield as their franchise quarterback moving forward to build around? Or would they simply be tying up valuable cap space in a quarterback they don’t see as the future while drafting a rookie the following year?
Mayfield may be a starter in the NFL, but he’s shown he’s hardly the transformative talent one would expect from a No. 1 overall draft selection. Should Mayfield be on the team and Seattle manages to draft a tantalizing rookie prospect, the Seahawks may very well find themselves right back where they started: uncertainty at the game’s most important position.
I am on the record stating I believe the Seahawks could still make the playoffs in 2022, and I stand by it. Adding Mayfield would bolster this prediction. But for the long term, I think Seattle would be better suited staying out of these sweepstakes.
