NFL Odds: Who Will Be Seahawks’ Week 1 Starting Quarterback?

A handful of NFL teams were primed to enter the new league year with a need for a new starting quarterback or room for improvement under center.

One team removed itself from that group Tuesday, while another entered the mix.

The Denver Broncos stabilized their QB situation and then some by reportedly trading for nine-time Pro Bowl selection Russell Wilson. On the flip side, the Seahawks find themselves with a bleak signal-caller outlook, as newcomer Drew Lock almost certainly is not the future in Seattle.

That said, Lock very well could be under center for the ‘Hawks come Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season. But for the sake of the exercise, let’s take a look at the complete Seahawks first-snap odds board at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Any rookie QB: -150
Drew Lock: +125
Geno Smith: +500
Gardner Minshew: +500
Jimmy Garoppolo: +600
Jameis Winston: +600
Marcus Mariota: +700
Deshaun Watson: +700
Jacob Eason: +800

You probably can disregard both Garoppolo and Watson here. The San Francisco 49ers most likely won’t want to trade Garoppolo inside the NFC West and it’s tough to imagine Watson greenlighting a trade to the Pacific Northwest. Winston, meanwhile, reportedly is at the top of the New Orleans Saints’ quarterback wish list.

If you ask us, the best value play here is Smith. Yes, the nine-year NFL veteran will hit the open market next week, but it’s easy to envision the 2013 second-rounder staying in Seattle. The sides know each other — Smith spent the last three seasons with the Seahawks — and the 31-year-old could serve as a mentor for an incoming rookie, should Pete Carrol and company draft a QB in late April.

Minshew and Mariota aren’t unrealistic options, but the Seahawks might prefer a veteran with institutional knowledge of the organization as they gear up for a rebuild.