While the Seattle Seahawks certainly have more pressing issues to worry about, namely their pursuit of defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, finding a backup quarterback to replace free agent Geno Smith is somewhere on the to-do list.
With plenty of names available, both in free agency and in the upcoming NFL draft, Seattle can afford to address other areas before figuring out who will captain the ship if Russell Wilson is forced to miss time in 2020 – which would be a first for the superstar in his NFL career.
While there are sexier names out there, one option the Seahawks could look at is former USC quarterback Cody Kessler, who was let go by the Patriots on Wednesday.
The #Patriots are releasing QB Cody Kessler, source said, leaving just Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham in their QB room. A surprise, New England cut and then brought back Kessler during the season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 1, 2020
Kessler never quite intersected with coach Pete Carroll at USC, committing to join the Trojans shortly after Carroll came to Seattle. However, Carroll has shown a tendency to gravitate toward former Trojans in the past.
Kessler’s time in the pros has not been much to write home about, but he also hasn’t been terrible – and most of his time was spent on an awful 2016 Cleveland squad, which wasn’t entirely his fault. He appeared in 17 games from 2016-2018, starting 12 and completing 64.2% of his passes for 2,215 yards and eight touchdowns, with five interceptions.
He was signed, cut, and re-signed by the Patriots last year, although he never appeared in a game.
Whether he will want to sign in Seattle, where he would likely spend a second consecutive season doing nothing but holding a clipboard, remains to be seen.
He’s not a bad option for Carroll and company to look at when the time comes to find Wilson’s backup.
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