The Seahawks are staying far, far away from the Lamar Jackson dumpster fire blazing in Baltimore. Pete Carroll and his team want nothing to do with that whole fiasco.
A day after Lamar Jackson announced his shocking trade request, several teams have spoken to the media and taken themselves out of the race for Jackson’s services. One such team is the Seattle Seahawks.
On Tuesday afternoon, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll addressed the Lamar Jackson rumors head on and declared that Seattle was “not interested” in pursuing the star quarterback.
With Geno Smith and Drew Lock in the quarterback room, the Seahawks have a solid unit under center that should be able to compete in 2023. That’s not to say those two players trump Jackson’s skill. Jackson, the 2019 league MVP, has set numerous franchise and league records in recent history and at only 26 years old, has more franchise potential than the aging Smith or perennial backup Lock.
As Jackson loiters on the market, Carroll slammed the door shut on any whispers of a Jackson trade and appears satisfied with his current roster moving forward.
Pete Carroll speaks on behalf of Seahawks franchise: We’re out on Lamar Jackson
After the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, and Detroit Lions also publicly declared that they weren’t going after Jackson, the Ravens quarterback’s list of suitors this offseason is dwindling by the week.
The Seahawks flourished in the Russell Wilson era (when Wilson was in his prime, anyway) and could theoretically return to that dynamic offense with a dual-threat like Jackson at the helm.
Carroll didn’t leave room for even a shred of doubt with his flat-out answer to the Jackson rumors, noting that the franchise didn’t have the most important piece for the trade, anyway: the money.
Jackson is reportedly seeking a contract similar to Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed deal, and outside of the guaranteed money, any team that wants to sign him will have to figure out how to fit Jackson into their salary cap.
Having fleeced the Broncos in last offseason’s Wilson trade, Seattle have the draft capital to go through with a trade, but per Carroll’s comments, the intention is not there.
It’s the Geno Smith era, now.
