The Seahawks are not going to trade Drew Lock, but odds certainly have increased that they might lose him in free agency next year.
With Sam Darnold injured, Lock has been excellent over the first two games. He has led the Hawks to two wins and has played almost as well as top starting quarterbacks Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy.
Lock has definitely earned more money for 2027. Some fans also are wondering whether Lock has built a bunch of trade value, but quarterbacks are rarely traded in season and John Schneider and Mike Macdonald are not going to do that (short of some team far overpaying).
Lock surely will remain a Seahawk this season, but he is up for free agency after that and might have a chance to land a starting job elsewhere.
In-season trades for quality quarterbacks are very rare. Last year, Cleveland traded Joe Flacco to Cincinnati as the Bengals looked to upgrade at quarterback while Joe Burrow was out. That was the second time Flacco had been traded; Philadelphia sent him back to the Jets in 2021 when Zach Wilson was hurt for New York. In 2023, Joshua Dobbs was sent from Arizona to Minnesota after Kirk Cousins was injured.
None of these deals involved anything higher than a fifth-round pick. So it would be a surprise if any desperate team offered even a Day 2 pick for Lock. The Hawks are not going to let him go for a pick swap.
Most teams already have a decent No. 2 QB in place. The Hawks will face one in Washington this week, as Marcus Mariota steps in for injured Jayden Daniels.
Even on the off chance that the Hawks got an offer worth considering, Schneider and Macdonald surely would let Lock decide whether he stays with the reigning Super Bowl champs or goes to a lesser team. They wouldn’t do him dirty.
As for 2027, four teams – Arizona, Cleveland, New York Jets and Pittsburgh — definitely will need starting quarterbacks. Atlanta, Miami and Minnesota also might be on the lookout – if Michael Penix Jr., Tua Tagovailoa, Malik Willis and/or Kyler Murray fall flat.
The draft is expected to be a QB bonanza, with five going in the top 10 and a few more possibly going later in the first round. That could limit Lock’s options in free agency. But it takes only one team to want him to be even a short-term starter (where he could prove to be more, as Darnold did in Seattle last year).
The teams that most seem like they could be interested in Lock are Pittsburgh and Minnesota. Both have good defenses and really just need productive quarterbacks. If they finish mid-pack behind their current QBs, Aaron Rodgers (in his final year with the Steelers before retirement) and Murray/Carson Wentz, the Steelers and Vikings would not be in position to take one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. They then would need to decide whether Lock were better than other possibilities.
Lock’s veteran competition for jobs next year will include Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson, Geno Smith, Mac Jones and Marcus Mariota. Cousins will yield the Raiders’ job to 2026 No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, but the Browns will be drafting to replace Watson and the Jets might be open to upgrading over Smith (unless he plays well enough to be re-signed).
Jones figures to be a highly coveted free agent for teams seeking a starter, like Pittsburgh and Minnesota. Lock could be the No. 2 vet option behind Jones.
Last week, Lock said he would love to start again.
“I feel like that edge is always there,” he said. “It shouldn’t leave you. And the day it leaves me is the day I’d start looking at myself in the mirror like, ‘What are we doing?’ You always want to play; you always want to be the guy. You love the pressure of that.”
Of course, Lock could end up back in Seattle if he gets little interest or does not like the offers he gets. The 30-year-old averages $2.5 million a year and certainly has earned a pay bump from Seattle to maybe $7 million (top backup pay).
There are some who argue that Lock’s success means the Hawks do not need to extend Darnold for top-tier money. Those folks say: Why not pay Lock to be the starter instead and possibly trade Darnold, who will command over $55 million a year on a new deal? They could pay Lock more like $25 million.
That’s not going to happen. Macdonald already has said Darnold will play as soon as he is able – meaning the staff thinks there is a clear difference in talent between the two quarterbacks. We fully agree with that.
There is a reason Darnold was starting over Lock, and Darnold will again show how much better he is once he is back out there.
But Lock certainly has proven he deserves another chance to start in the league. He is not going to be traded this season, but we shall see whether he gets a shot somewhere else next year.
