There are many reasons why I have supported the Seahawks moving on from Geno Smith, and DK Metcalf, and I have liked both players a lot during their time in Seattle. For me, I was not shocked by either move. In fact, I applauded both trades.

Through the course of last season, doubt began to grow steadily in my mind as to whether DK was a Mike Macdonald guy, and maybe whether Geno was, as well. The fact that both fellas requested trades out of here confirmed it. If you are a Macdonald guy, you will want to be here (see Ernest Jones). If you are not, then you will probably be fine to move on.

It’s all good, though. When new regimes come in, there is typically a feel out phase for the coaches, and the players.

When the legendary Mike Holmgren took over the team in 1999, superstar receiver Joey Galloway decided to hold out for half a season, and after the season concluded, he was dealt to Dallas for two first round picks. The Walrus wasn’t playing.

So, nothing needs to be controversial about this reality of DK, and Geno wanting out and moving on. It just is. For younger Seahawk fans who had a decade and a half of Pete Carroll football, I can understand this being a shock to their system. I just see it differently.

If you are well into your middle age years, such as I, and you have followed NFL football most of your life, you see cycles with the team you closely follow. Every major coaching cycle that I have witnessed with the Seattle Seahawks since 1983, when Chuck Knox replaced Jack Patera, there have been major shakeups of the roster, especially at quarterback.

Knox replaced franchise quarterback Jim Zorn with a little known backup by the name of Dave Krieg midway through his first season here, and Krieg never looked back. Years later, Tom Flores replaced Krieg with what eventually would become Rick Mirer. Dennis Erickson was quick to move off of Mirer and cycled through John Friesz, Warren Moon, and eventually landed on Jon Kitna. Mike Holmgren eventually replaced Kitna with Matt Hasselbeck and Trent Dilfer. Pete Carroll then replaced Hasselbeck with what eventually became Russell Wilson. Such is the cycle of new coach and quarterback life.

So it should be no shock to any long term Seahawk fan in year two of Mike Macdonald, Geno Smith has been replaced by Sam Darnold. Not if you are a geezer, such as I am.

People can say that it was John Schneider who was the one for moved off of Geno Smith, but I would have to imagine that if Mike Macdonald was that much of huge believer in him, he would have implored John not to trade him. I’m going to guess the Macdonald didn’t fight too hard against this move. Not if he saw an alternative on the horizon that he thought he could get similar results out of, and is significantly younger.

Why Seattle moved on from Geno when Macdonald seemed to embrace him is a bit cloudy, I will admit. Seattle’s proposal to him for an extension wasn’t that different than what he ended up agreeing to with Vegas, after all.

If I were to guess why this trade happened, I would say that it was maybe a bit more player driven than the team looking to get rid of him, but it is interesting that the team didn’t fight too hard to make him happy with whatever concession he needed to stick around. I suspect that if we really examined the root of his relationship with the Seahawks, it might appear to be a much more of a mutual parting of ways than how this story has been drawn up in the media.

As for DK, I think things are more clear. He’s a highly talented, and ultra competitive player who has probably felt miss-used in Seattle over the years, and because Mike Macdonald was shifting to an offense that would be running more, he likely wasn’t interested in hanging around for that. Fine. Best of luck in Pittsburgh.

We can talk offensive line improvements all day long, and I will not grow tired of it, but at the end of the day, I want players here who want to be Seattle Seahawks, period, and in that, want to be Mike Macdonald guys. I don’t need Pete Carroll players who hold grudges over the front office, and most of all, I don’t want to overpay to keep talent that just doesn’t truly want to be here.

Last season was a hard watch for me as a Seahawk fan with both DK and Geno, individually, at times. I thought both players showed a lack of poise that cost Seattle games, and demonstrated tantrums during games that made me feel like they were losing their grips as leaders.

The image of DK Metcalf ripping the headset off of an assistant coach and yelling at Ryan Grubb with it was as ugly of a thing to watch as anything I have seen from a Seahawk, and I saw some ugly shit in the Kingdome in the 1990’s. It is an imagine that will forever be burned into my mind. I root for the Pittsburgh Steelers signing cranky old Aaron Rodgers just so DK can create a new shit show moment on his current team that will surpass the ugliness of this one here.

In terms of Geno, man, I hate to say it, but things didn’t feel that much better, in certain moments. There was a lot of bad sideline body language that filtered out through him in tough losses, and there was meltdowns, as well.

I was in the stands last December, close to the Seahawk bench, when in the closing moments of the loss to the Vikings, Geno Smith decided to get into a yelling contest with an angry fan. Having witnessed Sam Darnold ball out against a good Mike Macdonald defense, and pull off a gutsy win with that throw at the end of the game, and then witness Geno’s meltdown afterwards stayed in my mind, and fueled my thoughts.

Time will tell if Sam will be as good as Geno in Seattle, or better. One thing that I feel very certain about Sam is that after a rough loss at home, you won’t see him verbally going after a frustrated Seahawk fan in the stands.

As I see things now, I believe Sam Darnold has a pretty good chance to prove himself a bonafide Mike Macdonald guy. I sense he has a personality that will likely mesh well with the coach. He just needs to lead this team to wins on a consistent basis, and the rest can fall into place for him.

I also sense that Sam probably really wants to see this thing work out for him here long term. After his years of taking lumps in bad organizations, kicking around a couple other ones, he probably just wants to win any which way he can, and if that means being a high end game manager for a defensive minded head coach way up in dreary, isolated Seattle, Washington, then he’s probably going to be down for it.

He might even be happy enough to self depreciatingly joke about throwing the ball 25 times a game, especially if this team is eventually in annual championship contention. I sense Sam is this sorta fellow.

Despite the fact that he was raised an LA kid, he doesn’t strike me as a bright lights fella like Russ was, and DK sorta is. I think he has a personality much closer to Matt Hasselbeck and Dave Krieg, and for Seattle, I think that can be a really good thing.

In terms of other current Seahawks, I think cornerback Devon Witherspoon is a clear Mike Macdonald guy, and has a chance this year to further step up into a leadership role, not only on defense, but for the entire team. Of all the guys who have come out of recent draft classes, he might be the one most thrusted forward in terms of being a core Macdonald fella. You can tell the gifted defender and coach are tightly bonded.

There are many other dudes on defense that I sense circling strongly around the young head coach, as well. Defensive tackles Leonard Big Cat Williams, and Jarran Reed feel like strong Macdonald guys. Linebacker Ernest Jones also feels like a core Macondald dude, and I think safeties Coby Bryant and Julian Love are probably right there with him.

My guess is that defensive end DeMarcus Lawerence will probably establish himself as one, as well. Macdonald seems genuinely very excited to add him to his defense, and D Law was very eager to come up here to play for him, and defensive coordinator Aden Durde (who coached him in Dallas).

The offense, however, is mirkier in terms of who the Macdonald fellas are. I might be pretty high on the potential of Sam Darnold, but he still needs to prove it. I might think that Jaxson Smith Njigba could become a new leader, and a core Macdonald fella, but that is projection, as well. Ditto for Ken Walker, Zach Charbonnet, and AJ Barner.

Cooper Kupp should become an immediate leader, but it is mirky how long termed his stay will be here, given his age, and injury history. This is why I believe Seattle will most certainly look to draft a receiver within a few weeks, and maybe much higher than people are anticipating.

In terms of the offensive line, I don’t know who the leader is, and this feels a very glaring issue. I think Charles Cross is a good left tackle, but I don’t sense he’s an alpha dog like Duane Brown was. Abe Lucas is a bit of a junk yard dog at right tackle, but injuries have held him back to becoming the alpha up front that he would likely naturally be. The situations at guard and center are even mirkier, as we all know.

This is why it is imperative that Seattle makes moves during the draft (or by trade) that bring in talented alpha dogs to the offensive line, at least two of them. I think it is equally important that they look at players who play other positions on offense who can come in here with strong alpha personalities, as well, and galvanize themselves as core Mike Macdonald guys.

I have said this name a lot in recent pieces, but North Dakota State guard/center prospect Grey Zabel feels like the perfect draft pick for Seattle, given their obvious needs. He plays with an aggressive, athletic, fiery zone blocking style, and has a personality the reeks of leadership. Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson does, as well, and so does Georgia guard Tate Ratledge. Being able to land any one of these guys in the first or second round of the draft would be a huge get for Seattle, in my view.

I want to single out an offensive guard prospect who could be a sneaky target for Seattle that probably not enough people are talking about due to where he played ball. Sacramento guard Jackson Slater is a small school grinder who spent all of his time in college playing in a system that is very similar to what Klint Kubiak will be coaching here. He was a stand out player at the Senior Bowl, and he was a great athletic tester at the NFL Combine. On top of that, he grew up in the Seattle area. He might be much higher on Seattle’s draft board than people realize, and if they opt to go different directions than offensive line in their first couple picks of the draft, he might be a player that they feel very comfortable targeting a bit later.

In terms of other local angles and offensive line, it is worth noting that Oregon tackle Josh Conerly Junior is another Seattle kid who is thought to be a good player for a zone blocking scheme, and is generally thought to be a high to mid second round pick talent. With some maneuvering in the draft, it wouldn’t shock me, especially if Seattle takes a player at 18 who isn’t an offensive lineman, that perhaps they try to move up in the second round for Conerly to play left guard, and then look to draft Slater a bit later on. What a boost of talented young local kid infusion that would be to the interior of their offensive line if they were to land both players, and Conerly would have the potential to move to tackle should they need an eventual replacement for often injured Abe Lucas.

I want to throw one more local kid angle at you in this coming draft that I think it is important to strongly consider. Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka has been connected to Seattle in recent weeks, and I think there are compelling reasons why.

First and foremost, he is a gifted athlete with strong route running abilities, separation abilities, and he has sure hands that perfectly suite the Kubiak system. In fact, he might have more upside to him than even JSN, even though he is constantly compared to him given where both players played college ball, and what roles they played there.

The second thing is that Egbuka is regarded as a natural leader, and was a guy other fellas followed at the high profile program of Ohio State. This is a big personality comp to throw at him, but it appears like he may have Doug Baldwin vibes, and believe me when I say it that this offense, as it currently exists, could probably use a bit of Angry Doug in the locker room.

The third thing about Egbuka that I think is really worth weighing heavily on is that he grew up in the greater Seattle area a huge Seattle Seahawks fan. It would be extremely meaningful for him to be drafted by the team he heavily rooted for as a kid, and for him to have a chance to come home and establish himself as a new leader of it moving forward.

After dealing with years of unhappy Russ, years of unhappy DK (and perhaps an unhappy Geno), wouldn’t it be refreshing for John Schneider if he just took Egbuka at 18 and figured out guard on day two? I find it very tempting.

There is another pass catching scenario that I think they would have to strongly consider, maybe not at pick 18, but perhaps after a trade back in round one, or a trade up in round two. I think LSU tight end Mason Taylor is going to be a really good NFL football player for a long time in this league, and would fit the Klint Kubiak offense, brilliantly. I believe this so much that I actually got pretty excited when news broke yesterday that he has a scheduled pre-draft visit with the Seahawks at the VMAC.

Mason has deep NFL genes with his dad Jason Taylor being a long time NFL defensive end, and he has a high football IQ as a player. He’s a gifted receiver, and he’s a willing blocker. He feels like a grinder, and a tough guy, and if Macdonald wants this team to become the most physical team in the NFC West, having a talent tight end like this dude is a good step forward towards being that.

There is no local angle to Mason playing here, and his dad was a high profile athlete from Miami, and his aunt is a high profile sports media personality living in LA, but given the fact that his father played defense, I suspect he would appreciate seeing his son play for a coach like Macdonald in Seattle. I would be comfortably be willing to wager that Mason Taylor and his skillset, and pedigree would fit in really well with the Seattle Seahawks, and what they want to be. I believe this so much as that I wouldn’t be upset if he becomes their pick at 18.

I also can’t help but think that, if they somehow maneuvered around enough to come out of this draft with both Emeka Egbuka and Mason Taylor, that these two moves, alone, would provide a titanic franchise altering scenario for the Seattle Seahawks towards the positive; so much so that it would feel championship worthy.

I don’t know if championships can be made on a philosophy of picking best available player at a need position high, but I do think that taking best player available regardless of position is a philosophy the championship teams often embrace. Therefore, it is not completely set in stone for me that Seattle must take an offensive lineman at pick 18 just for the sake of it, especially in a draft where it appears to be deep enough with guard prospects for them to grab a couple good ones a bit later on.

As for quarterback in this draft, while I am not a fan of Seattle spending a high pick on one (I don’t think there is one in this draft worth it), I am warm to the idea of Brock Huard’s that taking a mid round flyer on Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, if the opportunity is there for it. He is by far and away the biggest project QB in this draft, but his athletic upside is absolutely through the roof, and the immediate skillset that he would provide as a running QB is fun to envision for this offense. He is also a very high character personality who could be a great locker room presence.

Mike Macdonald has recently expressed his approval of the tush push play continuing in the league. What if one of the things that is fueling his fandom of the play is because he has a vision of Seattle taking Milroe in the third round specifically to be a developmental quarterback who would see plenty of attack in year one as Seattle’s tush push specialist player on third and shorts and fourth and shorts?

What if behind closed doors, he and Klint Kubiak are envisioning a scenario where they have Sam Darnold and Milroe on the field together much like Mike Holmgren used Matt Hasselbeck and Senecca Wallace in certain packages?

Holmgren and Macdonald talk a lot at the VMAC together when Holmgren makes appearances there. It would not shock me if Holmgren has shared with Macdonald thoughts on how they could be creative like this on offense, if Macdonald was ever picking his mind on the subject.

The more I peal back these hypothetical Milroe to Seattle layers, the more I can see it being a thing. The fact that Brock Huard, who is quite tapped into the organization, brings Milroe up on his radio show as a player he would have interest in at QB in the middle rounds, and the fact that Macdonald seems to love the idea of the league keeping with the tush push, the more I can convince myself that Jalen Milroe is screaming Seattle Seahawk in a few weeks.

I suppose I should also acknowledge a likelihood that the first player Seattle takes in this draft isn’t an offensive player at all. In truth, I think it’s fairly likely, even though I have already stressed that most of the Macdonald guys on this team already play on the defensive side.

Why do I think this? Because I tend to sense that cornerback is a bigger need for the Seahawks than fans want to realize right now, and this draft is uniquely rich at defensive tackle, and there are a few fascinating safety prospects who could be options for Seattle at pick 18, as well.

I would say that if there is a scenario where Michigan cornerback Will Johnson falls to pick 18, then I think Seattle should grab him, even with other players I have mentioned still being available. There is a strong chance that this won’t happen because he is such a naturally gifted, well rounded player, but he was injured enough last year that with shoulder and toe injuries that it kept him from performing at the NFL combine back in February, and perhaps those injuries force a fall in round one.

If Seattle were to take advantage of that, he would join the team as pure outside defender who is great in coverage, good against the run, and would very likely be a built in Mike Macdonald player with Macdonald’s ties to Michigan. Given the inconsistencies of Riq Woolen and Johnson’s deep understanding of this particular scheme, it would be a no brain decision drafting him.

Outside of the draft, I think it is also worth talking about potential trade scenarios for the Seahawks, especially when it does come to the offensive line. I’ve got a fun one for you.

Let’s suppose in a hypothetical world, Seattle’s first pick is Emeka Egbuka, and he is the player available that the organization feels strongest about making a Seattle Seahawk. Now lets say at pick 50, there is a really good cornerback they like that they believe can be a long term partner with Devon Witherspoon, and they take him there. Then let’s further say that at pick 52, there is a nose tackle that they feel can be the stalwart anchor for the next decade of Mike Macdonald football in Seattle, and they scooped him up. Fans would be in an absolute uproar over Seattle punting on offensive line if this scenario played out this way, no question about it.

Now, let’s say that at pick 82, instead of taking Jackson Slater or another guard prospect to mix in with Anthony Bradford, Christian Haynes, and Sataoa Laumea, John Schneider works out a trade with New Orleans for veteran guard Cesar Ruiz, a former Michigan Wolverine center who is essentially a John Harbaugh guy, and by that degree of separation, a Mike Macdonald fella. He would also be a Klint Kubiak player having played for the OC for a year in NOLA, and he would know the Seattle offensive line coaches very well.

Would this move settle your anxieties some with the offensive line, especially if Seattle walked away with Jackson Slater at pick 92? I know it would settle mine down quite a bit.

Then we would be looking at a scenario where Seattle has infused its offensive line with a proven NFL player who is young enough to be a fixture here for a good long while. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility, in this scenario, that Kubiak would choose to make him his starting center given his history at the position in college, and his familiarity with this scheme.

How likely is this a thing that could play out for Seattle? I’m not sure. I suppose you could ask why NOLA would be willing to part with him, but it is worth noting that they are strapped with a bad salary cap situation, and Seattle does have a much better one to fit him in. In fact, Seattle is presently sitting on a healthy amount of current cap space that screams for a trade scenario such as this one.

It is also worth noting that two of the biggest positions needs for the Saints seem to be corner, and edge rusher. Could Seattle sweeten the deal by adding Riq Woolen who they might not view as a good long term fit here with Macdonald? Could it be a package of Boye Mafe and a pick for Ruiz when they know they have Derick Hall emerging into a bigger primary edge rushing role?

This is a fingers crossed scenario that I would love to see Seattle pull off. Use the draft capital that your acquired in the recent trades to help flip for a proven, quality veteran guard or center who Kubiak knows, and trusts, and feels good about building around.

Is this a pipe dream fantasy? Quite possibly, but allow me to have it.

At the end of the day, this is the offseason to get right about Mike Macdonald guys. Draft these guys, trade for these guys, sign these guys. Let 2025 be the true start of the Macdonald era sans Pete Carroll holdovers who won’t fully buy into what Macdonald’s vision is.

I am embracing this uncertainty of Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp, and the speculative nature of their impact here. I am fine with the question marks, and the unfinished vibes of the offensive line. I’m excited to see what the draft brings, how trades might happen, and what they could add after the draft.

I have chosen to let go of Geno Smith and I wish him well in Vegas. I have very easily let go of DK Metcalf, as well.

I invite you to do the same.

Go Hawks.