Don’t look now, but Drew Lock’s stock is skyrocketing.
Good things come to those who wait, including much-maligned NFL quarterbacks. After failing to launch in the Mile High City, the Denver Broncos included Drew Lock in the blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks to obtain Russell Wilson in March 2022.
Lock left Denver with a fair bit of ignominy after battling both Teddy Bridgewater and a head-coaching regime that a.) didn’t believe in Lock and b.) didn’t give him the tools he needed to succeed. Drew Lock Syndrome (DLS) was prevalent in Denver, and it only worsened after he failed to beat out Geno Smith for the starting job in Seattle.
Nevermind that Lock caught COVID-19 at the penultimate worst possible time in that open QB competition, missing precious bites at the preseason apple to earn the gig. The Seahawks ultimately went with Smith, and it was the right decision as he led the team to a Wildcard berth and earned the first Pro Bowl honors of his career.
That came with a fat new contract for Smith, too, but his 2023 campaign hasn’t been as magical, and he’s battled some injury issues, missing a couple of starts. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are patting themselves on the back for re-signing Lock to a one-year backup deal this past offseason, especially on the heels of his impressive comeback to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15.
Now, publications like The Seattle Times are saying that Lock “became a Seattle legend” by vanquishing the Eagles on Monday night. It was a game Seattle absolutely had to have. Columnist Matt Calkins wrote:
It doesn’t matter if Drew Lock ever throws a pass as the Seahawks quarterback again. Monday night, he forever etched his name into this organization’s lore.
It was a physical, hard-fought game where Lock had to make some amazing decisions and throws to put his team over the top, many of which were the caliber of big-boy plays he hinted at being capable of in Denver and flashed only rarely.
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Lock’s numbers in the box score on Monday night won’t blow anyone away, finishing 22-of-33 for 208 yards and a touchdown, with a QB rating of 94.0, but he looked like a significantly more polished and poised player than he was in Denver. And he saved his best play for the clutch.
Lock showed true grit and the will to win. The influence of head coach Pete Carroll on Lock was evidenced by a Kenneth Walker III touchdown romp that saw the young QB jump out in front and lay a block to seal the score. See below.
Over the three years Lock spent in Denver, my Mile High Huddle Podcast co-host Zack Kelberman and I would often wonder what Lock would look like if he were coached by a competent offensive mind and had the full faith and support of an NFL team. We’d throw out names like Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan, and Sean McVay as coaches with the wherewithal to convert Lock’s prodigious physical gifts, and that bombastic arm, from potential to production.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron might not be on the same level as those three coaches, but with Carroll’s help and influence, he’s obviously done more to reach Lock than the combined efforts of Vic Fangio and Pat Shurmur.
What am I getting at here?
Listen, the Lock ship sailed long ago relative to the Broncos. The Wilson trade was the death knell on Lock’s tenure in Denver, but I always felt like the former Missouri quarterback got a raw deal after being drafted by John Elway in the second round back in 2019.
It’s great to see Lock having some success in Seattle and getting some flowers in both the local and national press. The kid deserves a little sunshine, and he’s making hay while that flaming ball of gas is radiating up in the sky.
Carroll plans on going back to Smith this week vs. the Tennessee Titans, so Lock will go back to holding the clipboard for now. The Seahawks did give Smith $40 million in guarantees on a three-year, $75 million extension earlier this year.
But even if Lock doesn’t see the field again this season, his showing in Year 5 as a pro will ensure that he has many more suitors than he did the last time he hit the free-agent market.
Meanwhile, just as we surmised he’d be a good influence on Lock, Payton has been a massive net positive for Wilson’s stock in Denver. Wilson’s 24 passing touchdowns this season are the most since Peyton Manning’s 39 back in 2014.
Wilson has only been picked off eight times and has completed 66.3% of his passes with a QB rating of 97.5. Compared to his 16-to-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio of last season, it’s apparent that Wilson did have gas left in the tank, and that Payton was the man to extract it for the Broncos.
With three games left to go, Payton and Wilson will hope to win out and perhaps qualify for a Wildcard berth.
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