The Seahawks have their starting quarterback of the present and (potentially) future in Sam Darnold. The team has also reunited with Drew Lock to compete for the backup gig with returnee Sam Howell. Despite those moves, drafting a quarterback is still on the table.
“I think it’s a great situation,” general manager John Schneider said of the team’s new quarterback setup during his latest appearance on Seattle Sports radio. “It doesn’t preclude us from doing anything in the draft either, in figuring out what’s going on there. It’s really like an, ‘OK, let’s get this in the mix.’ Drew had other opportunities, so we figured we better wrap this up, kind of put a bow on it, get him in the building and then let’s see what happens in the draft, because it’s difficult to find that great fit at quarterback as you move through the process.”
Darnold inked a three-year pact to replace Geno Smith atop the depth chart, but the Seahawks could move on after the 2025 campaign based on the structure of his deal. Neither Lock nor Howell (a pending 2026 free agent) have established themselves as full-time starting options in their careers, so adding a rookie to the mix would be feasible. Seattle owns 10 picks in April’s draft, but the team of course also has roster holes to fill at other positions.
That includes the interior of the offensive line, a spot Schneider has previously mentioned as a position of need. Selecting a guard would come as little surprise, and PFR’s mock draft has the team taking Alabama’s Tyler Booker 18th overall. The Seahawks have other Day 1 options to consider up front, though, and one of them appears to be firmly on the radar.
Grey Zabel is believed to be a Seattle target, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline reports. The North Dakota State product’s stock has risen during the pre-draft process, and he is firmly on the Day 1 radar (although Pauline adds the Seahawks could look to trade down the order before adding Zabel). In any case, a blocker added early in the draft would have the chance to play right away on an offensive line looking to rebound from last year’s showing.
Confirming O-line is a logical target in Seattle’s case, ESPN’s Matt Miller writes a receiver is another position to watch early in the draft. Adding size in particular to a WR room which lost D.K. Metcalf last month could be in play, per Miller. As a result, Tetairoa McMillan could be a target on Day 1. Seattle still has Jaxon Smith-Njigba atop the depth chart along with veteran Cooper Kupp, who was signed in free agency after Tyler Lockett‘s release. There is room for an impact rookie to play a rotational role starting in 2025.
Overall, the Seahawks have five of the first 92 selections in this year’s draft. Schneider will have plenty of opportunities to add at several positions as a result, but upgrading up front and/or in the pass-catching department early would come as no surprise.
More must-reads:
The timeline for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's return from a toe injury is murky, and the star has a complication that could delay his surgery, pushing back the time he can play again this season. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Burrow is set to have surgery on his toe on Friday, but that could be pushed back based on how much swelling the quarterback is experiencing. Joe Burrow's swelling is another complication for the Cincinnati Bengals A three-month recovery would put Burrow's return date around Week 16, when the Bengals are set to play the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 21. If the swelling doesn't go away soon, he could miss more time this season. Every game is precious for a Cincinnati team that entered the season believing it could contend for the playoffs. However, the Bengals will be fortunate to be in the chase for a wild-card spot without Burrow for the majority of the season. The Bengals started the season 2-0 with wins over the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars, but backup quarterback Jake Browning will have his hands full in the coming weeks, starting with the Minnesota Vikings and elite defensive coordinator Brian Flores on Sunday. Browning went 21-of-32 for 241 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in the Bengals' 31-27 win over the Jaguars. The turnovers are an issue, and Cincinnati needs to consider pulling off a trade for a quarterback like Jameis Winston of the New York Giants or Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons if it hopes to make the postseason.
As the Pittsburgh Penguins approach a new season with an eye on the future, their relationship with Evgeni Malkin, one of their longest-tenured legends, is already under fire. When Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas spoke to the media ahead of training camp getting underway on Friday, one of the first questions he was asked was about Malkin's contract. The upcoming 2025-26 season will mark a career milestone for the 39-year-old Russian-born superstar. Malkin is preparing to play in his 20th NHL season, but he's also well aware he's in the final year of a four-year contract he signed in July 2022. But based on the comments from both sides, it certainly sounds as if there's uncertainty about how much longer Malkin will remain in Pittsburgh. Penguins GM Kyle Dubas comments on Evgeni Malkin "He’s in a great mood every day,” Dubas said in reference to Malkin. “No change on [the contract] front. I spoke with him and [agent J.P. Barry] in the summer when stuff started percolating there. At the time in every one of their careers, I’ll sit when time permits," he added. Most of what Dubas said comes off as a typical statement from a general manager wanting to stay noncommittal while also avoiding alienating a star player. However, what Malkin said leads fans to believe he has every intention on continuing his career beyond this coming season. Evgeni Malkin speaks out ahead of contract year Malkin seems to understand the Penguins' situation, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will bow out gracefully and have his final year in Pittsburgh be his last in the NHL. "I understand it's maybe last year, maybe two more years. I need to just play fan. Because I play my whole life, why not just two more years? It’s so much better when the team wins. The last three years, we missed playoffs; it’s the worst feeling, you know?" said Malkin. The problem with that may be that he's unlikely to fit into Dubas' plans. Fully aware that it may take time to make the Penguins a contender again, Dubas spent most of last year selling off talent in hopes of rebuilding the roster. Even so, most don't expect Pittsburgh to contend unless somehow the only Penguin with a legacy greater than Malkin's in Sidney Crosby performs to a level that rivals his MVP seasons. Where does Evgeni Malkin fit into the Penguins' plan? If the Penguins are still stuck in a rebuilding mode, where does an aging and declining player fit into that equation, if anywhere at all? Of course, a lot of what happens may depend on how much production Malkin can still provide the current iteration of the team. Last season, Malkin registered only 16 goals and 50 points in 68 games, his lowest outputs in a season with at least 60 games played in both categories since 2018-19. And for the most glaring statistic, Malkin was a -24, the second worst +/- of his career. While Malkin will be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame and likely honored with his No. 71 retired by Pittsburgh, it's very possible Dubas will be able to find a younger, and maybe cheaper, player who can match or exceed his production. Regardless of what the future holds, Malkin's legacy as is set. The three-time Stanley Cup champion has 514 goals and 1,346 points. He's also a seven-time NHL All-Star and a Conn Smythe and Hart Trophy winner as the MVP of a postseason and a regular season among his many accolades. When it comes to Malkin and the Penguins, stay tuned.
Second-year Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. added some muscle weight during the offseason in an attempt to improve after he experienced an up-and-down rookie campaign. However, eyebrows were raised when he recorded just two receptions on five targets for 27 yards in Arizona's 27-22 win over the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Harrison poured cold water over the idea that he cares more about his stats than about the fact that the Cardinals opened the season with back-to-back wins. Marvin Harrison Jr. brushes off "silly conversation" "That’s a silly conversation, really," Harrison responded when asked about the number of passes thrown his way across the season's first two weeks, per Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports. "We’re 2-0. That’s the most important thing. We’ve got a big game this week, so that’s really my only focus. Anybody that’s a competitor loves the game, loves what they do. Everybody wants the ball. They want to impact the game. But most importantly, it’s all about winning." Many expected Harrison would take a major leap this season after the fourth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft finished his debut pro campaign with 62 receptions for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. Thus far, that hasn't happened. In the Cardinals' 20-13 Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 7, he caught five of six targets for 71 yards and a score. ESPN stats show that second-year New York Giants star Malik Nabers tallied a league-high 25 targets over the first two weeks of the ongoing season. To compare, Harrison enters Week 3 with seven receptions on 11 targets for 98 yards and one touchdown. Marvin Harrison Jr. insists he's happy despite lack of targets "It’s always frustrating when you may not get the impact that you kind of want in the game, especially when you put in so much work," Harrison acknowledged. "I know my process throughout the week and all the work that I put in throughout all season and leading up to the game. When you don’t get the results that you want to impact the game, that kind of is frustrating. But at the end of the day, you’re very happy that we’re 2-0 sitting here and got a victory." Earlier in the week, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray warned that his team must be better about finishing games after Arizona flirted with snatching defeat from the jaws of victory on two occasions. Perhaps part of that process will involve Murray targeting Harrison early and often during this coming Sunday's game at the 2-0 San Francisco 49ers.
REPORT: McDaniel Threatened to Release or Trade Players in 2024 A report is out about how the 2024 Miami Dolphins season ended, and Mike McDaniel was not pleased with some members of the team. Per the ESPN.com report, in the final team meeting of the 2024 season, after the Week 18 loss to the Jets, Mike McDaniel said that anyone who wasn’t on board with what they were doing as an organization would be traded or released. And he would bring in players who would put team over self. Per the report: “IN THEIR FINAL team meeting of the 2024 season, shortly after a season-ending loss on Jan. 5 to the New York Jets, McDaniel issued a challenge to his players,” ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques wrote. “According to multiple players and team staff, the Dolphins coach stressed the importance of player-driven accountability and said that anyone who wasn’t on board could say so, and the team would either trade or release them.” There are a lot of Dolphins veterans who were on the Dolphins roster in 2024 who weren’t brought back in 2025, and some of which Miami made no offer to retain. Da’Shawn Hand Jevon Holland Jordan Poyer Anthony Walker Jr. Braxton Berrios Duke Riley Raheem Mostert Jaylen Ramsey (was traded, and we know about the issues he had with Coach McDaniel) Now, to be clear, not all of the names above were problem players. Some weren’t retained because of their quality of play on the field, salary cap reasons, or Miami having younger and cheaper alternatives on the roster. The question many would have with this report coming out now is, why did it take McDaniel until after the season ended to have this conversation with the team? And how did it get so bad over the course of the season, and thsi was never addressed? Right now, Mike McDaniel is coaching for his job in Year 4 in Miami, and it isn’t going well. While many want to see McDaniel be firmer with the team, show some emotion, and be tougher on the players, it appears that is just not his natural style, and waiting until after Week 18 to have such a meeting is very confusing.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!