Colin Cowherd suggests Seahawks trade for this young QB

Colin Cowherd suggests Seahawks trade for this young QB

The Seattle Seahawks are about to enter another offseason with questions about what they should do at quarterback. Geno Smith, who has guided the Seahawks to three-straight winning seasons, is under contract for one more year but will count for $38 million against the cap in 2025. This will be the highest cap hit on the roster next season. The Seahawks can alleviate the impact of Smith’s salary by giving him a modest extension.

Or, they could simply decide to move on from him. Should Seattle trade or release Smith, they can save $25 million in cap space with only a $13 million dead cap hit. If the Seahawks do decide to go this route, who will take the reigns at quarterback?

Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd suggests Seattle should make a deal with the Minnesota Vikings to acquire former first round quarterback JJ McCarthy. Selected No. 10 overall by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL draft, McCarthy’s career in Minnesota appears to be already in question. McCarthy tore his meniscus during the preseason and went on injured reserve. In his place, veteran journeyman Sam Darnold has gone on to have a career year and has the Vikings on the verge of clinching the No. 1 seed.

All signs seem to indicate Minnesota is going to keep Darnold for 2025, which leaves McCarthy somewhat in limbo when it comes to the Vikings’ plans. Cowherd does make an interesting argument in favor of Seattle acquiring McCarthy.

The financial aspect is by far the most compelling point Cowherd brought up. As it stands, the Seahawks are trending to be slightly over the cap in 2025. They will need to find a way to get back under, as well as free up resources to pay both their own players and find a way to upgrade elsewhere (such as the offensive line, which general manager John Schneider should rethink his “guards are overpaid” philosophy).

If Seattle does decide to make a move for McCarthy, it will give them the single greatest advantage in the world of salary caps: a quarterback on his rookie contract. It was the Seahawks who showed the successful model of taking advantage of a quarterback getting paid comparatively little, while investing elsewhere to create a super roster in order to compete for a championship. Seattle has a talented roster, especially on defense which has been corrected thanks to head coach Mike Macdonald.

There is pause for concern with McCarthy, who has already suffered a serious knee injury before even taking one regular season snap. Durability has to be a concern, and might even lower the asking price from Minnesota. Still, he was a first round quarterback for a reason, and with this upcoming class being nowhere near as deep at the game’s most important position, Schneider should make a phone call or two with the Vikings to see if a deal could in fact be made.

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