Two days after saying he was in no hurry to decide on the Seahawks’ starting quarterback, Seattle coach Pete Carroll announced his decision on Friday, going with Geno Smith rather than Drew Lock.
The official word came after the Seahawks lost 27-26 to the Dallas Cowboys on Friday in Arlington, Texas, in their preseason finale.
However, the choice appeared to have been made in advance, as Smith received the starter’s treatment in the contest. He played only the first offensive series, leading the Seahawks to a field goal while completing half of his six passes for 43 yards.
Carroll noted that Lock saw his chances of winning the starting role diminish when he missed part of the preseason after testing positive for COVID-19.
“He’s going to start the opener, and he’s earned it, he’s won the job,” Carroll said of Smith. “With the timeframes, it got messed up for us for Drew, he just ran out of time in making his bid for it. And so yeah, I’m cool about that, so I just want to let you know, so everybody knows, so you don’t have to ask me about it anymore.
Lock completed 13 of 24 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown on Friday but was intercepted three times.
“Drew’s going to keep on battling because he can play, and he’s got all kinds of stuff in him, and I want him to be ready at a moment’s call,” Carroll said. “And he’s going to keep growing and pushing and developing as a fantastic player and I have no problem playing with him, too.
“So, we’re fortunate to have two guys who can go, and when he comes off the bench, if he gets his chance he’ll be ready to go and try to light it up.”
Smith said, “I’m thankful for the opportunity and grateful, but I have a lot of work ahead of me. That was my mindset from the start is getting ready to go out there and win games.”
Lock said, “As a competitor, you’re always disappointed and I was disappointed. You want to be out there, you want to play with those guys. … It’s my job to have (Smith’s) back and be the best teammate I can be.”
Smith, 31, is entering his third season with the Seahawks after four years with the New York Jets and one year apiece with the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Chargers. He posted a 1-2 record as a starter last year, putting his career record at 13-21 in starts.
In 45 NFL games overall, Smith has a 58.8 percent completion rate to go with 6,917 passing yards, 34 touchdowns with 37 interceptions.
Lock, 25, joined the Seahawks in the March deal that shipped quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. He owns an 8-13 mark as an NFL starter to go with a 59.3 percent completion rate, 4,740 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in 24 games overall.
–Field Level Media