The Seattle Seahawks could be looking at their next franchise quarterback.
As anticipated by NFL Network’s Charles Davis in his latest 2024 NFL mock draft, he predicts the Seahawks to choose University of Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with the 16th overall pick in the draft. Davis mentions how Penix has a connection with Seattle’s current coaching staff, with his former offensive coordinator at Washington now holding the same position with the Seahawks.
“Surprise! GM John Schneider should have no trouble doing his homework on the big-armed QB who starred just down the road in Seattle for the past two seasons,” writes Davis. “Penix reunites with former UW OC Ryan Grubb, who now holds the same title with the Seahawks.”‘
Why Michael Penix Could Make Sense for Seahawks
Under the guidance of Grubb — Penix played under him for the past two seasons — Penix reached a whole new level of production he had never achieved during his four years with the University of Indiana. In 17 games with the Hoosiers, Penix scored only 29 total touchdowns. By comparison, he scored 31 touchdowns during his first season with the Washington Huskies before surpassing that with 36 passing touchdowns and 39 total touchdowns during his 2023 campaign with the Huskies.
In addition, he led the nation with 4,903 passing yards and came in second in Heisman Trophy voting.
The idea of the Seahawks selecting Penix makes sense for reasons beyond the hometown connection and Grubb. For one, Seattle currently has Geno Smith as its franchise quarterback. However, he’ll be 34 years old this year and is playing under a new regime in first-year head coach Mike Macdonald.
In fact, Macdonald didn’t initially commit to Smith as the team’s starting quarterback until recently. Macdonald’s commitment comes after the Seahawks made a trade with the Washington Commanders for their former starting quarterback, Sam Howell.
“I’ve talked to Geno about it,” Macdonald said, as noted by Corbin Smith of Sports Illustrated. “Very confident in Geno. Geno’s going to be our starter. Sam [Howell] knows he’s going to be our backup, but Sam is a great young player, and he’s got a really bright future that we believe in.”
New Regime Could Want New Franchise QB Over Geno Smith
While Smith has made it to the Pro Bowl in each of the last two years, he did so under the leadership of head coach Pete Carroll. Now that Carroll is no longer the head coach combined with the fact that Smith failed to lead the team to the playoffs last season, that means the veteran quarterback could be on the hot seat for this season.
Although the first quarterbacks off of the draft board will likely be Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels, Penix is quickly moving up mock draft boards. After a strong showing at the NFL Combine where he showed off his arm strength and accuracy, Penix recently displayed his athleticism at his pro day showing. After rushing for just eight yards during his senior season with the Huskies, Penix ran a 40-yard dash between 4.56 and 4.59 seconds.
Additionally, Penix recorded a vertical jump of 36.5 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 5 inches during his pro day. Both results would have been impressive for any NFL quarterback at the Combine.
If the Seahawks truly lack confidence in Smith as their leading quarterback, they have the option to part ways with Smith in 2025 with a dead cap hit of only $13.5 million — it should come as no surprise if Seattle shows interest in the local talent, Penix.
