The Seahawks aren’t shopping Drew Lock, and they’re not likely to, no matter how well he’s played in Sam Darnold’s absence.
Lock has done exactly what a team wants from a backup forced into the lineup: he’s won games. Through the first two contests, he has helped lead the Hawks to two victories and, by the source’s accounting, has looked nearly as sharp as elite quarterbacks Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy.
That kind of run always gets people talking. Some fans are already wondering whether Lock’s strong start has created trade value, but in-season quarterback deals are a rare breed, and John Schneider and Mike Macdonald are not expected to go down that road unless someone makes a wildly lopsided offer. Even then, the Seahawks would likely make sure Lock had a say in where he ended up.
History backs up how unusual this would be. Last year, Cleveland sent Joe Flacco to Cincinnati while Joe Burrow was out, and that was only the second time Flacco had been traded after Philadelphia dealt him back to the Jets in 2021 when Zach Wilson was hurt.
In 2023, Arizona moved Joshua Dobbs to Minnesota after Kirk Cousins went down. None of those trades brought back anything bigger than a fifth-round pick, which is why a Day 2 return for Lock would be a real surprise.
The more realistic question is what this means for next year. Lock is set for free agency after the season, and his play has certainly pushed up his price.
A modest raise from his current $2.5 million annual average feels obvious, with the source suggesting Seattle could wind up closer to top-backup money, around $7 million. A starting job somewhere else is also now very much on the table.
Lock said last week that he wants another shot to lead a team.
“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.”
The market could be tricky, though. The draft is expected to be loaded at quarterback, with five projected in the top 10 and more potentially going in the first round after that.
That could squeeze out some veteran options. Still, it only takes one team that wants a short-term starter and sees more in Lock, the way Seattle did with Darnold last year.
The most obvious fits mentioned are Pittsburgh and Minnesota. Both teams have defenses that can support a quarterback and, if they land in the middle of the pack with Aaron Rodgers in what is described as his final year with the Steelers before retirement and Murray/Carson Wentz in Minnesota, they may not be in position to chase one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. That could leave them weighing Lock against other options.
Lock’s competition in free agency would include Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson, Geno Smith, Mac Jones and Marcus Mariota. Cousins is expected to give way to 2026 No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza in Las Vegas, the Browns are expected to draft Watson’s replacement, and the Jets could look to move on from Smith unless he plays well enough to stay. Jones, meanwhile, is expected to be one of the more sought-after free agents, especially for teams like Pittsburgh and Minnesota, which could make Lock more of a fallback choice than a first target.
There’s also a bigger-picture argument floating around: that Lock’s success should make Seattle rethink extending Darnold at top-tier money. Some have suggested the Seahawks could simply pay Lock to start and perhaps trade Darnold, who is expected to command more than $55 million per year, instead of paying him that kind of deal. The source puts Lock in the neighborhood of $25 million in that scenario.
But that idea isn’t going anywhere. Macdonald has already said Darnold will get back on the field once he’s healthy, which signals the staff sees a meaningful gap between the two quarterbacks. The source is equally firm on that point.
Darnold was the starter for a reason, and when he returns, the difference between the two is expected to show. Still, Lock has done enough to prove he belongs in the conversation for another starting opportunity somewhere down the line. He won’t be traded this season, but he may have earned a real chance to run a team next year.
In Other News...
Seahawks Suddenly Face A Sam Darnold Decision They Wanted Soon
The Seahawks have spent the first two weeks of the season building momentum without ever really getting their quarterback situation settled. They opened with a close win over the Patriots, then backed it up with a more convincing result against the Cardinals, and in the process Drew Lock has done enough in Sam Darnolds place to keep Seattle moving while the starter works back from the glute injury that kept him out of the opener.
Now Darnold is expected to return to practice this week, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, which means the conversation the Seahawks hoped to delay is suddenly here. Lock has handled the job well enough to keep the team unbeaten, but Seattle remains committed to Darnold as its starter, so the next step is less about whether the team likes what it has seen and more about how quickly it wants to hand the offense back to the quarterback it planned to build around. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Have A Bigger QB Decision Than Fans Expected
Sam Darnolds availability has quickly become the Seahawks most interesting storyline heading into Week 3, even with Mike Macdonald making it clear the job belongs to the starter if hes healthy enough to go. Darnold has been dealing with a glute injury suffered in Week 1, and Seattle has had to weigh the value of getting him back on the field against the reality that Drew Lock has looked steady in relief.
Macdonald said Darnold is expected to practice in some capacity before the team makes its final call, which keeps the situation in motion for now. For a Seahawks offense trying to settle in early in the season, the question is no longer just whether Darnold can suit up, but whether Seattle has a reason to keep riding the hand the backup has given it if the starter is close but not quite ready. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Face A Drew Lock Decision They May Not Afford
Sam Darnolds injury absence has already reminded the Seahawks how much value there is in a dependable No. 2 quarterback, and Drew Lock has filled that role well enough to keep Seattle afloat. In limited starts, he helped the team go 2-0, giving the staff a level of comfort that is hard to find once a season starts to turn on depth and availability.
Now comes the part Seattle would rather avoid: interest from the outside. With the Giants suddenly in need after Jaxson Darts season-ending injury, Lock is a name that could come up, but the Seahawks may be wiser to treat him as more than a movable asset. A reliable backup is one of those pieces teams only miss once they no longer have it, and Seattles situation makes that lesson feel especially current. [Read more 🡒]