After finishing with a 10-7 record and in second place in the NFC West in rookie head coach Mike Macdonald's first season, the Seattle Seahawks completely swapped out their quarterback room this offseason.
Seattle traded starter Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders and backup Sam Howell to the Minnesota Vikings before releasing Jaren Hall in April.
They signed former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal to be their new starter and Drew Lock to a two-year, $5 million contract to be their backup. Then, in the 2025 NFL draft, the Seahawks selected Jalen Milroe in the third round to begin as the team's third-string option.
While Milroe isn't even the team's backup yet, he landed surprisingly high on Sports Illustrated's ranking of backup quarterbacks for 2025. Despite never throwing a pass in the NFL game, Milroe came in at No. 22.
"Milroe struggles as a passer, but his freakish athleticism could make him a dangerous playmaker," Gilberto Manzano wrote. "This explains why the Seahawks rolled the dice on the Alabama product despite signing Sam Darnold in the offseason. There’s been talk coming out of Seattle about the possibility of the team utilizing Milroe as a red-zone threat this season. "
The 10 quarterbacks behind Milroe, in order, were Cleveland's Kenny Pickett, New England's Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee's Will Levis, Pittsburgh's Mason Rudolph, New Orleans' Spencer Rattler, Jacksonville's Nick Mullens, Buffalo's Mitch Trubisky, Houston's Davis Mills, Chicago's Tyson Bagent and Tampa Bay's Kyle Trask.
Milroe, 22, was a four-star prospect out of Obra D. Thompkins High School in Katy, Texas, before committing to the University of Alabama ahead of the 2021 season.
After spending the first two seasons behind former first-round pick Bryce Young, Milroe took over as the team's starting quarterback in 2023, earning All-SEC honors. Then, in 2024, he completed 64.3% of his passes for 2,844 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while adding another 726 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.
We've seen Lock in the NFL for years, and he hasn't been great, so it wouldn't be shocking to see Milroe adjust to the pro game quickly this offseason and take over as the backup before the end of his rookie season.
