Tag: drew lock

Geno Smith comments on competing with backup QB Sam Howell

Even though there’s technically no QB battle, Geno Smith knows he’s competing with Sam Howell and vice versa.

Technically there won’t be a quarterback competition for the Seahawks this summer, as there supposedly was in 2022 when Geno Smith and Drew Lock had a very quick and one-sided battle to decide who should start for Seattle. Regardless of how much projected backup Sam Howell improves this offseason, Smith is still by far the team’s best option to start in Week 1.

However, the nature of what Smith does for a living means he can’t ever stop competing. Every week, every day he has to prove himself not only against opponents but teammates and potential draft picks and free agents. Smith understands that as well as anyone, telling the media yesterday that he’s got everything to prove. Geno also knows he’s competing with Sam and vice versa.

While Smith is still the guy for now we can’t totally write off Howell replacing him as QB1 some day down the line. After all, Howell is 10 years younger than Smith and still has plenty of time to develop into something special if that’s in the stars for him.

Coming out of the 2022 draft class, our best and worse-case comp for Howell was Baker Mayfield, who’s had a rollercoaster of a career. Last season the Buccaneers got the best out of him to the tune of over 4,000 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 94.6 passer rating. Assuming that the two-high safety trend isn’t going anywhere, those are numbers you can definitely live with and make the playoffs with in the modern NFL. There’s also a distinct chance that Howell’s ceiling is higher than Mayfield’s turned out to be.

No matter how this year plays out with Geno Smith, fans should probably expect Howell to compete with another young quarterback – likely a 2024 or 2025 draft pick to start the season after next.

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Giants’ Drew Lock could earn $3 million in incentives in 2024

The New York Giants gave QB Drew Lock a $5 million contract but it could be worth as much as $8 million with additional incentives.

At the onset of free agency, the New York Giants signed quarterback Drew Lock to a one-year, $5 million deal but as it turns out, that number was somewhat understated.

Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports that Lock has the potential to earn $3 million in additional incentives, making it a one-year contract worth up to $8 million.

Lock’s contract includes $1 million in playing time incentives, $1 million in performance incentives, and $1 million in playing time/team performance incentives.

Per Duggan, they are broken down as follows:

  • $250K for 40-49% of snaps
  • $250K for 50-59% of snaps
  • $250K for 60-69% of snaps
  • $250K for 70+% of snaps
  • $250K for 92.5 passer rating
  • $250K for 65% completion
  • $250K for 15 TD passes and 88 passer rating
  • $250K for 2,000 yards passing and 88 passer rating

The playing time/performance incentives are broken down similarly to what the Giants gave running back Saquon Barkley last year on his modified franchise tag.

  • $500K for 55-69% of snaps and a playoff berth
  • $500K for 70+% and playoff berth

Although Daniel Jones will start for the Giants when healthy, the team is clearly wary of his injury history and built Lock’s contract around those concerns.

Should Jones miss time in 2024, Lock will have the opportunity to earn a nice chunk of change.

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Sam Howell vows to play ‘smarter football’ if he gets another chance

Here’s what he said about what he needs to improve on last week on ESPN radio Seattle:

The Seahawks got a talented young quarterback in Sam Howell, who has plus arm power and guts to go for it at any given moment. Howell shares those traits with the player he will be replacing on Seattle’s roster, taking over for Drew Lock as Geno Smith’s primary backup.

General manager John Schneider says he loves the way that Howell plays. However, there are also some flaws in his game. Like many big-armed young QBs Howell has had issues with ball security. Last season he threw 21 interceptions to go with his 21 touchdowns. He also took far too many sacks, leading the league with 65 in 2023.

If Howell gets another chance to start, he says that he’s going to play smarter. Here’s what he said about what he needs to improve on last week on ESPN radio Seattle:

“The interceptions, I’ve just got to do a better job… There were some times where we were down in some games and I was just trying to be a little aggressive and at times maybe just tried to do a little too much, trying to give us a chance. But I’ve got to be smarter, got to play smarter football, got to play winning football. And at times I was doing it, so just doing it at a more consistent rate. And I feel confident about my ability to do that. It’s just a matter of if I get an opportunity, I’ve got to go out there and show it.”

Another quarterback who had issues with trying to do too much early in his career is Geno Smith, who proved that with patience teams can develop late-blooming stars who might have been written off thanks to those problems early in their careers.

The best comp for Howell is Baker Mayfield. Ever erratic, his career has been up and down since going No. 1 overall but the Buccaneers got the best version of him last year. If the Seahawks think they can engineer a similar growth in Howell it might be worth seeing what he can do.

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Jason McCourty ‘would be shocked’ if Giants draft a QB in Round 1

Jason McCourty “would be shocked” if the New York Giants selected a quarterback at No. 6 overall given their other glaring roster needs.

There have been plenty of rumors connecting the New York Giants to quarterbacks at the top of the 2024 NFL draft.

As that April date inches closer, the Giants-quarterback narrative has gained steam with every report of general manager Joe Schoen attending a Pro Day.

NFL Network’s Good Morning Football analyst and former defensive back, Jason McCourty, sees the Giants’ potential draft plans very differently from his point of view.

“I would be shocked if the Giants go quarterback at (No. 6) because . . . they have holes they need to fill. You talk about the offensive line and having a quarterback there that doesn’t have to run around for his life and feel like he has to make plays,” he said. “So, I look at it for the Giants, go that direction. You’ve committed to Daniel Jones, you’ve brought in Drew Lock, you’ve brought in Russell Wilson to have conversations with him. So we’ve seen them kind of flirt with it, they’ve gone through and evaluated these quarterbacks but you have another season in Daniel Jones.

“You believe in him in that first year under (Brian) Daboll and Joe Schoen and you saw some growth for him so move forward with this. I think build a team in place and a year from now, two years from now, if you’re in a position to go get a quarterback through free agency or the draft, you’ve now built a team around him to take over, similarly to what we’ll probably see from Caleb Williams at that number one pick for the Bears,

“For the New York Giants, continue to build those pieces around whoever the future quarterback’s going to be. . . . You have two guys in that room who can lead the team. So I think, for that reason, you go and you get another position that you think is a surefire to be a part of the franchise.”

The Giants’ roster is largely devoid of talent and they have several pressing personnel needs.

It does seem increasingly likely that the Giants would have to move up to get one of the top four quarterbacks and in terms of competition, they may not have the assets necessary to do that.

The most likely of non-quarterback scenarios does seem to be the Giants taking one of the top wide receivers but it easily could be an offensive lineman at six as well.

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Report: Giants still view Daniel Jones as franchise QB, but one thing has shaken their faith

The New York Giants reportedly remain committed to Daniel Jones and view him as their franchise quarterback, but they do have one concern.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has repeatedly expressed his faith in quarterback Daniel Jones and insists he’ll be the starter in Week 1 provided he’s healthy.

Despite those words, a subsection of the Giants fan base insists it can’t be true and Schoen is merely being kind to Jones in public.

If you’re one of those fans, you may want to avert your eyes.

Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports that high-ranking members (plural) of the Giants organization still very much believe in Jones as their franchise quarterback despite his regression in 2023.

As bad as Jones was in the first five games of last season, there are a lot of people very high up in the Giants organization who still believe in his ability — which is what FOX Sports reported back in November. They were not shaken by five bad games, most of which were played without Saquon Barkley, without left tackle Andrew Thomas, and behind a truly disastrous offensive line.

The anti-Jones group can now return their attention to this article.

Although the Giants remain firm in their commitment to Jones, there is a but. And it’s a rather big but at that.

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Vacchiano adds that while Jones’ poor play last season hasn’t shaken anyone’s faith, his injury history has. More specifically, the Giants are concerned about Jones’ neck injuries and what they could mean for his future.

What has shaken their faith, one team source said, is his injury history. That seems to be more the history of neck injuries than his recovery from a torn ACL, which the Giants say has gone well. But the neck injuries — disc issues that neither the Giants nor Jones have ever fully explained — are worrisome. As Jones’ former trainer told FOX Sports in November, “The likelihood of reinjury, once it gets injured the first time, it’s definitely more susceptible moving forward.”

So yes, the Giants seem to believe in Jones’ ability to be their next Eli Manning as much as they did on March 7, 2023, when they gave him that blockbuster contract. But because he is an injury risk, they feel like they at least have to explore all their options — which is exactly what they are doing. Jones’ health does seem to be a big enough issue for the organization that it’s impossible to say they still believe he’s their long-term answer at quarterback.

The Giants met with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson ahead of free agency and later signed Drew Lock. However, neither was considered an option to replace Jones.

Vacchiano confirms that both Wilson and Lock were told that Jones would remain the team’s starter in 2023 and they would serve as his backup.

The 35-year-old Wilson was looking for a starting job, though, and the Giants were “absolutely not” willing to offer him one, a team source said. If Wilson was interested in being a backup, the Giants might have been interested since he cost the Steelers only $1.21 million (the Broncos are also paying him $39 million not to play for them). Although even then, they understood it could have been messy to have a high-profile backup who clearly wanted to play sitting behind Jones all year.

Lock signed on the dotted line while Wilson chased a chance to start with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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John Schneider says the Seahawks wanted to re-sign Drew Lock

Apparently the Giants sold Drew Lock on competing for the starting job with Daniel Jones.

The Seahawks made a significant change at quarterback last week, pulling off a surprise trade for Sam Howell of the Commanders. The teams swapped picks as part of the deal. According to one trade value chart, Seattle gave up a seventh-round draft pick. Another says that they gave up a third-rounder, but we’re going to go with the former for mental health’s sake.

Seattle had an opening beneath Geno Smith on their depth chart at quarterback after watching backup Drew Lock sign a one-year deal with the Giants, worth $5 million. Last week when Schneider spoke with ESPN radio, he said the team wanted to bring Lock back, but apparently the Giants sold him on competing for the starting job with Daniel Jones, per Brady Henderson.

You can’t always trust what NFL GMs tell you, but in this case we believe Schneider, at least about wanting to keep Lock around. If it’s true that the Giants did sell Lock on competing with Jones then there’s a real chance he might beat him out for the job.

However, if the original plan was to keep Lock as Geno’s top understudy then Seattle got an upgrade in Howell. While he has much the same skillset, Howell is four years younger than Lock and is now under contract for the next two seasons for a little over $2 million, according to Over the Cap. That’s significantly less than what Lock’s getting just this year alone.

It’s also clear that John Schneider definitely has a type at quarterback. That will be something to watch going forward.

In a vacuum we like the Howell trade but if it prevents the team from using one of their picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft on a quarterback prospect then it’s a bust.

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Giants told Russell Wilson that Daniel Jones would remain starter

During their meeting with Russell Wilson, the Giants reportedly told him Daniel Jones would remain QB1 and playing time was not guaranteed.

Shortly after the New York Giants signed quarterback Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider caused a stir.

Appearing on The Wyman and Bob Show, Schneider claimed that the Giants sold Lock on the possibility of winning the starting job over Daniel Jones.

“They basically sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter,” Schneider said. “And he felt like it was the right opportunity. He looked at Baker Mayfield’s opportunity last year and felt that this could be something similar.”

The only problem? That never happened.

During his introductory press conference, Lock told reporters that Giants brass made it abundantly clear that Jones would remain the starter and he would serve as the backup.

“Daniel Jones is the starter of this team. That’s been conveyed to me,” Lock said. “Now, I need to come in and push Daniel to be the best that he can be. That’s the role that I played for Geno (Smith), that’s the role I played for Teddy (Bridgewater).”

It’s a message that wasn’t delivered to Lock alone.

Before inking Lock to a new deal, the Giants held an “exploratory meeting” with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, who ultimately ended up signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports that like Lock, the Giants informed Wilson that Jones would remain the starter and there was no guarantee he’d receive significant playing time.

Lock, indeed, was not offered a chance to compete for the starting job, according to a league source. The Giants did sell him on the idea of working with head coach Brian Daboll, who has a quarterback-friendly system that led to Jones’ best season in 2022.

There’s a pattern here, too. The Giants had an exploratory meeting last week with Russell Wilson, and the team didn’t make any promises about playing time, according to league sources. That’s been the Giants’ approach as they’ve built toward the 2024 season with Jones as the expected starter.

Despite outside speculation, Giants general manager Joe Schoen has been remarkably transparent about the team’s stance on Jones. When he’s healthy, he’s the starter and their faith in him has not waned.

Jones, who is recovering from a torn ACL, is expected to be ready for the start of training camp.

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Drew Lock: Giants made it clear Daniel Jones is starting QB

Drew Lock says, contrary to comments from Seahawks GM John Schneider, that the New York Giants made it clear Daniel Jones is the starting QB.

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider caused a stir earlier this week, suggesting that the New York Giants sold quarterback Drew Lock on the possibility of being a starter.

“They basically sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter,” Schneider said on The Wyman and Bob Show. “And he felt like it was the right opportunity. He looked at Baker Mayfield’s opportunity last year and felt that this could be something similar.”

The implication was that Lock would compete with Jones for the starting job and that’s why the Seahawks were unable to retain him.

Schneider indicated that Lock viewed it as a Baker Mayfield-like situation from a year ago.

Lock clarified those remarks during his introductory press conference on Friday, saying he never spoke to Schneider about Mayfield and that the Giants made it clear Jones is their starter.

“Daniel Jones is the starter of this team. That’s been conveyed to me,” Lock said. “Now, I need to come in and push Daniel to be the best that he can be. That’s the role that I played for Geno [Smith], that’s the role I played for Teddy [Bridgewater].

Luck also revealed that he’s no stranger to Jones. The two were roommates at the 2019 Senior Bowl and while they got along, DJ was a little put off by some of Lock’s habits.

“I had a lot of fun with him that week,” Lock said. “He was a great roommate. He might’ve thought I was a little messy at times.”

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Did Giants sell Drew Lock by offering him chance to earn starting job?

Seahawks GM John Schneider says the New York Giants offered QB Drew Lock the opportunity to compete for the starting job in East Rutherford.

When the New York Giants added quarterback Drew Lock early in free agency, many assumed he would serve as Daniel Jones’s backup.

That may not be the case.

During an appearance on The Wyman and Bob Show on 710 Seattle Sports, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider admitted they would have liked to keep Lock but the Giants sold him on a chance to start.

“They basically sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter,” Schneider said. “And he felt like it was the right opportunity. He looked at Baker Mayfield’s opportunity last year and felt that this could be something similar.”

Given Jones’ injury history and the fact that he’s returning from a torn ACL, it makes sense that Lock sees the opportunity to start early in this season. But this appears to be more than that.

If what Schneider says is true, it would mean the Giants have added the first true competition Jones has faced during his time in East Rutherford.

Perhaps more interestingly, it seems to shed light on their plans in the 2024 NFL draft. If general manager Joe Schoen is looking at the quarterback position as a battle between Jones and Lock, he is probably less inclined to select a signal-caller in the first round.

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Seahawks losing Damien Lewis, Drew Lock, DeeJay Dallas to free agency

Let’s get caught up on some of the latest Seahawks free agent news from around the league.

Today has been much slower compared to yesterday, but let’s get caught up on some of the latest Seahawks free agent news from around the league.

Last night left guard Damien Lewis agreed to a massive four-year deal with the Panthers, worth a reported $53 million total.

A short time ago we also learned that running back DeeJay Dallas is also leaving. According to Jordan Schultz, he has agreed to terms with the Cardinals, but there are no details on how much as of yet.

Finally, just moments ago we received word that Drew Lock will also be leaving Seattle as a free agent. According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, Lock is getting a one-year, $5 million deal from the Giants.

None of these headlines should really come as a surprise, aside from the outlandish size of Damien Lewis’ deal with Carolina.

So far the Seahawks have been characteristically quiet in free agency. They have not signed any outside free agents as of yet and have only reported to be- re-signing tight end Noah Fant and defensive lineman Leaonrd Williams.

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