Seahawks Sign Former ‘Explosive’ Browns QB Ahead of Minicamp

The Seattle Seahawks are adding to their quarterbacks’ room before the start of minicamp. The Seahawks are signing quarterback Phillip “P.J.” Walker, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Thursday, June 6.

Walker’s last start in the NFL came against the Seahawks on October 29. He completed 15-of-31 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown. However, a late-game interception — the ball bounced off former Seahawks safety Jamal Adams’ helmet– led to Seattle’s 24-20 win.

Walker posted on X, “Extremely Thankful for this opportunity Thank You ! @Seahawks.”

According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, the Seahawks have been interested in Walker since 2020, following the quarterback’s breakout season in the XFL. With the Houston Roughnecks, Walker led the league in both passing yards (1,338) and touchdowns (15).

The Sporting News’ Jacob Camenker wrote, “He teamed up with coach June Jones to create an explosive passing attack and helped lead Houston to a 5-0 record before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Before playing with the Roughnecks, Walker spent two seasons bouncing on and off the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. The former undrafted free agent out of Temple signed with the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2020 NFL season, which reunited him with his former college coach, Matt Rhule.

Walker’s overall passing yards (10,668) and passing touchdowns (74), remain a Temple school record.

In Carolina, Walker made a total of seven starts, going 4-3. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound quarterback completed 57% of his passes for 1,461 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in that span. He went 1-1 as a starter in Cleveland, helping the Browns take down the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers on October 15.

In two starts with the Browns, he completed 48.6% of his passes for 674 yards, 1 touchdown, and 5 interceptions.

Henderson noted, “The Seahawks plan to fly P.J. Walker in for a physical on Sunday, a source tells me, and assuming all goes well, they’ll sign him.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers Tried to Sign P.J. Walker in 2020

Before signing a two-year contract with the Panthers, the Pittsburgh Steelers tried to poach Walker from the XFL after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger got injured. However, once a player signs an XFL contract, they are locked in.

Oliver Luck, the XFL’s former commissioner and CEO, told the Tampa Bay Times in February 2020, “The Steelers called and said, ‘We’d like to have Phillip for a week because we’re playing the Ravens and Phillip’s a little bit like Lamar Jackson. We’ll sign him to a one-week contract so we can get accustomed to that kind of quarterback.'”

“We said, ‘Thanks for the compliment, but we’re not going to let him go,'” Luck noted.

Following his release in Carolina, Walker signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Chicago Bears in March 2023. While the deal included $2 million guaranteed, the Bears ultimately went in a different direction with their backup quarterback. Walker then signed a one-year deal with the Browns in August 2023.

Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Gushed Over Geno Smith & Sam Howell’s Performance in OTAs

Walker is seen as a depth piece, as the team typically holds three quarterbacks during training camp. He does not pose a threat to the Seahawks starting quarterback, Geno Smith, or his backup, Sam Howell, both of whom are earning high praise under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

“They’re awesome,” Grubb told reporters on June 3.. “They’re freaking awesome. They are. I think that they’re both really, really hard workers. They’re very diligent, intelligent and I know that it means a lot to them and I think that their leadership in the room and how they react and work together says a lot about the kind of guys that they are.

“That they understand the team concept and they’re both fighting to get better every day. And I couldn’t be more happy with No. 1, where they’re at. And then the type of guys that management has brought into this place have done a really good job.”

The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta noted that Smith has taken every snap with the No. 1 offense during OTAs while Howell takes all his reps with the second unit.