After extended negotiations, Drew Lock — who most recently spent time with the New York Giants — has officially reached an agreement with the Seahawks. He now joins the quarterback room as Darnold’s new backup for the upcoming season, alongside Sam Howell and Jaren Hall.

The news was confirmed by NFL insider Tom Pelissero, who reported on his official X account (formerly Twitter) that the former Denver Broncos quarterback is headed to Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks.

“Reunion: Veteran QB Drew Lock agreed to terms with the #Seahawks, per source. One of the pieces of the Russell Wilson trade, Lock is now back for a second stint in Seattle, this time backing up Sam Darnold,” the insider stated via @TomPelissero.

With this move, Lock returns to the NFC West — a division he last played in back in 2022, when he was part of the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos and brought him to Seattle.

Can the Seahawks truly emerge as contenders?

The challenge is significant, and expectations have only continued to rise in recent weeks. The addition of key players has sparked major excitement around the Seahawks — but the question on everyone’s mind remains: can they truly be considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders?

The arrival of Sam Darnold, following an impressive campaign leading the Minnesota Vikings, marks a bold move by the Seahawks’ front office — one that reflects their trust in the former Jets and 49ers quarterback to at least position the team as serious contenders within their division.

It’s been eleven years since that unforgettable title run by Seattle, led at the time by the legendary Pete Carroll. New energy surrounds the franchise now, and head coach Mike Macdonald is confident in his ability to bring the team back into the spotlight — and, perhaps, even chase a second Vince Lombardi Trophy in Seahawks history.

A few weeks ago, the Giants were eliminated from playoff contention. It’s been a dismal year for the NFC East squad, which is now gearing up for a major rebuild in 2025.

For many fans, the hope for this 2024 NFL season had shifted to avoiding further wins. Securing the No. 1 overall pick was seen as crucial to drafting an elite quarterback for the future.

Drew Lock speaks out after Giants lose control of the 2025 No. 1 pick

Earlier this season, the Giants decided to part ways with Daniel Jones. Despite signing a lucrative contract extension just last year, Jones failed to meet expectations with a string of poor performances in New York.

Once Jones was released, fans understood the team wasn’t expecting to contend this year. The focus shifted to positioning for the 2025 Draft, but those plans may have been derailed by their own players.

In Week 17, with a 2-13 record, the Giants faced the Colts. While Indianapolis needed the win to keep their playoff hopes alive, a victory did nothing to benefit New York’s long-term plans.

Yet, with an impressive performance by Drew Lock, the Giants secured a shocking 45-33 victory. This win knocked them out of the top draft spot, but according to Lock, securing the No. 1 pick wasn’t on anyone’s mind during the game.

“I’d say that’s just a part of the game,” Lock said, via a transcript from the team. “When you’ve got the draft involved, it’s not college. You don’t get to pick where you go with the draft being involved. The playoff is out of contention, you understand what they’re saying. But at the same time, like I said, it’s nice to say we’re going to go work, we’re going to keep doing this, we’re going to keep pushing, the season’s not over, we’ve got two games left to be able to come out and win this one — that’s the goal every single week, come out and win and work as hard as we can to do it.”

What do the Giants need to reclaim the No. 1 overall pick?

While wins are typically celebrated, the Giants may have preferred a loss in Week 17 to keep their draft goals intact. The team currently lacks a franchise quarterback, and securing the No. 1 pick was seen as vital to addressing that need.

Now, New York’s path to the top pick has become far more complicated. To reclaim the No. 1 overall spot, the Giants need the Patriots, Titans, and Browns to defeat the Bills, Texans, and Ravens, respectively, while they lose to the Eagles in Week 18.

After the game, Lock was asked if his performance against the Cowboys was enough to secure the starting job for next week. He downplayed the question, saying, “I’m not thinking about that right now. Leave here, get on a plane, and watch tape, see what I could’ve done better.”

Lock hasn’t started regularly since 2023 when he made two starts for the Seattle Seahawks. Reflecting on the opportunity with the Giants, he added, “If that opportunity comes again, then be ready to play and play better than we did today.”

Lock’s performance against Dallas had its highs and lows. He threw for 178 yards, completing 32 passes, and rushed for a touchdown. However, he also threw an interception and was sacked six times, highlighting the ongoing struggles of the Giants’ offensive line.

A Disappointing Season for the Giants

The Giants’ 2024 season has been a major disappointment, with only two wins to their name. Their victories came against the Cleveland Browns (21-15) and the Seattle Seahawks (29-20). Since their last win on October 6, the team has endured a seven-game losing streak, with most losses coming at home. They have three home games remaining against the Saints, Ravens, and Colts.

Why Lock Could Be the Starter

With Tommy DeVito sidelined due to injury, Lock was the obvious choice to step in. Should Lock need a backup, the Giants’ next option is Tim Boyle, who recently spent time with the Miami Dolphins.

The Seahawks traded away Russell Wilson to kick off a long-overdue rebuild. And while most fans and analysts expect things to get worse before they get better, it seems like the team lacks direction right now.

The QB battle between Geno Smith and Drew Lock could go all the way to Week 1. But as you may know by now, that’s not because of how good and promising both have been under center. Notably, Carroll didn’t even rule out the possibIlity of playing both of them.

NFL News: Pete Carroll Says Seahawks Could Play Both QBs

“That could happen. Yeah, that could happen,” Carroll said. “We’ve got it worked out where we are figuring out playing time right now. Drew needs to play a lot of football because he missed a game [due to COVID]. So that’s the main thing to get done this weekend. (…) This game is really important because it’s kind of the make-up deal. I’m going to make sure to take care of business on that.”

“I’m wide open for whatever happens,” Carroll added. “Geno has been the guy in the lead position the whole time. I’ve protected that thought throughout and he’s done a really nice job. He’s been very consistent. We’ll just see what happens. There’s two more weeks of practice too after this. With a timeline, I had a set thought of what we would do with the timeline but that got disrupted. We’re going to use all the time we need. (…) These guys are so even right now.”

Not to disrespect Smith or Lock, but neither of them is a true starting-caliber QB, so why keep stalling this decision? Why not go face-front and tank, trade for another QB, or at least give the younger guy a shot to prove himself?

Trading the quarterback who won the team’s first ever Super Bowl may have quite painful, but at least they received another signal-callerin return. The Broncos started Teddy Bridgewater over Drew Lock last year, but he has experience as starter.

However, Lock is once again facing a challenging offseason with his new team, given that the Seahawks re-signed Geno Smith this year. Besides, Smith seems to have the upper hand in the battle for the job right now.

Geno Smith leads race for Seahawks QB job

Smith has been in Seattle for two years, which explains why the coaching stafflean towards him for now. He took part in four games in 2021 – three of them as starter – throwing for 702 yards, 5 touchdowns and one interception.

“Right now, Geno has done such a good job of carrying over (the offensive principles from 2021). He already had a head start over Drew right there,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said onKJR, perThe News Tribune‘s Gregg Bell. “We have a long time to go. We are just in T-shirts and shorts right now, going against air. We have a long way to go to see where this competition (goes).

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said something similar a few weeks ago, claiming that Geno is “obviously ahead” right now because he’s been with them for longer. But Carroll was also full of praise for Lock, claiming that he would have been the first pick of the 2022 QB class. Waldron made sure to praisehim as well.

“Drew has a good, calm presence in the huddle out there, (things) we saw in the last three games of his rookie year,” Waldron added. “The thing I like about Drew is, really, his ability to make every throw on the field. The way he moves and he changes his arm angle and doesn’t have to be just a (static) pocket passer out there.”

Lock is facing a huge opportunity to prove he can be a reliable starter in the NFL, but once again, he won’t have it easy. Carroll suggested the team will not add a quarterback this year, although the Baker Mayfield rumors resurfaced this week. Only time will tell who will take over for Wilson.

This offseason, there were plenty of changes at the position for many NFL franchises. The Seahawks, however, didn’t pursue any signal-caller on the market and passed up on every quarterbackin the draft.

Instead, it looks like they will head into the 2022 season with either Drew Lock – who they got in return for Wilson – or Geno Smith under center. But why did they not use any of their picks in a QB, when they even had the 9th overall? Let’s take a look.

Why didn’t the Seahawkspick Malik Willis or any other QBin 2022 NFL Draft?

The Seahawks’ decision to overlook Malik Willis in the first round took many by surprise. The Liberty product wouldn’t be selected right away, though, as he had to wait until the 86th selection to be picked by the Titans.

GM John Schneider would later say that it’s very hard for rookies to immediately take the reins of a team. And according to Brady Henderson of ESPN, a source told him the Seahawksfelt that Willis was “nowhere near NFL-ready.”

On top of that, Pete Carroll has recently suggestedthat he prefers Drew Lock over any quarterback of this year’s class. Talking to Sports Radio KJR, the Seahawks head coach even claimed that Lock would have been the first QB selected in the 2022 draft.

“I think he’d have been the first guy picked, of quarterbacks anyway. He’d have been the first guy in this draft. I don’t have any hesitation saying that,” Carroll said, as quoted byPro Football Talk.

“The first look at Drew, he’s really athletic, he’s really a confident athlete, you can see he’s got a lot of body control, he’s got quick feet, he’s got a quick arm, he’s got various ways he can release the football as his body’s in different positions. He’s got a real knack there. He’s got a strong arm, he can throw the ball a mile down the field. He compares to Geno, and Geno Smith has a great arm. He has a world-class arm, and all that. To match up with that, that’s saying a lot.”

This not only explains how unimpressed Carroll waswiththe 2022 quarterback class, but also how highly he thinks of his current quarterbacks. Carroll recently dismissed the possibility of trading for a quarterback this year, practically ruling out any potential move for someone like Baker Mayfield. It remains to be seen, however, whether Lock ends up winningthe job or Smith does.

The speculation is over, the Broncos have confirmed Teddy Bridgewater will be the starter over Drew Lock. The former New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers QB will face a huge opportunity to revitalize his career.

On the other hand, the University of Missouri product will have to wait for his chance and see if he can win the job again. Obviously, fans had a lot to say on social media and reacted with hilarious memes.

Fans react to Teddy Bridgewater beatingDrew Lock for Broncos’ starting QB job

With the first week of the regular season drawing nearer, every franchise willhave to come to a decision on their starting quarterback soon. The Broncos were one of the teams facing a huge dilemma with both Bridgewater and Lock ready to take the offensive reins.

But eventually, they’d have to pick one over the other no matter how tight this competition would be, and now they just hope to have made the right call. However, fans didn’t seem to be very pleased.

Bridgewater will have a massive opportunity to bounce back after a disappointing season in Carolina, who traded him to Denver after receiving Sam Darnold in a trade with the Jets. With Drew Lock on the sidelines, he must seize this chance.

Yup, that’s right, the Broncos will have to play without the most important position in the offense due to Covid-19 concerns, as all their three quarterbacks were ruled ineligible to suit up today.

Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles were all ruled out after being in close contact with Jeff Driskel, who recently tested positive for Covid-19. Moreover, the team was so desperate, that they even tried to let an assistant coach play quarterback, according to Pro Football Talk.

The NFL Declined The Denver Broncos’ Request To Let An Assistant Coach Play Quarterback

“The Broncos were desperate enough for a quarterback that they asked the NFL to allow assistant coaches to play today against the Saints. But the league said no. Mike Klis of 9 News in Denver reports that the Broncos asked if they could have one of their offensive quality control coaches, Justin Rascati or Rob Calabrese, play quarterback today. But the league would not allow it,” the story started.

“This has happened before. In 2009, the Eagles were short on quarterbacks in training camp and asked if they could have one of their coaching interns, Matt Nagy, play quarterback in a preseason game,” the report concluded.

The Saints went from being a 6-point favorite to a 13-point favorite in the wake of the news, and Denver will now have to rely on practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton, who used to play quarterback at Wake Forest before switching to slot receiver.