Seattle Seahawks

While most NFL teams have sorted their quarterback situations by now, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo remains an option for any team that hasn't resolved the position.

And according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Seattle Seahawks are still lurking as a potential suitor for his services (1:48 mark):

"You have Seattle that's still out there," Fowler reported Monday. "They were sort of implicated in the Baker Mayfield situation, didn't make that move. I'm told that internally they have discussed the possibility of Garoppolo playing for them. They have done their filmwork to see how he would fit."

Fowler added that a few executives he spoke to believe the Niners are "a bit stuck" in the Jimmy G situation.

That is due in part to the Niners needing Garoppolo to pass a physical after his offseason shoulder surgery before they can trade him, and they'll likely need him to agree to take a pay cut next season on his $24.2 million base salary to facilitate a move.

Plus, the "pool of suitors right now seems to be pretty small" for Garoppolo's services, according to that report.

Add in the fact that the Niners would reportedly like to free up cap space to sign Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel to long-term deals, per Fowler, and the leverage in this situation seems to be on buying side of the equation.

The Mayfield deal is a good example of what teams like the Seahawks will—or should—be looking for in a trade.

The Carolina Panthers not only gave up just a conditional fourth- or fifth-round pick in 2024 to land Mayfield, but they also will only be paying $4.9 million of his $18.8 million salary, per ESPN's Jake Trotter. The Browns, meanwhile, will pick up $10.5 million of the tab, and Mayfield agreed to convert the remainder of his salary to incentives,.

Garoppolo, 30, threw for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 15 games, completing 68.3 percent of his passes while leading the Niners to a 9-6 record in his starts and a playoff berth.

And while the Niners reached the NFC Championship Game, Garoppolo wasn't great in the postseason, throwing for 535 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions while completing just 58.1 percent of his passes.

The knock against Garoppolo has long been that he's a solid game manager but can't make the big-time throws needed to be among the elite at the position. In turn, a talented Niners roster appears to have a ceiling with Jimmy G under center, leading the team to draft Trey Lance at No. 3 overall ahead of the 2021 season and handing him the reins this summer. Garoppolo is the classic "you can win with him, but you don't win because of him" player at the position.

But he would be an upgrade in Seattle over players like Drew Lock and Geno Smith, even if a pair of divisional rivals agreeing to a trade is uncommon and may require the Niners eating a chunk of Garoppolo's salary.

Former NFL and All-SEC Vanderbilt cornerback Jimmy Williams died Friday. He was 43.

Williams had suffered from an illness, according to The Advocate's Robin Fambrough. However, the cause of death has not been made public.

Williams starred for Vanderbilt from 1997 to 2000. In his first season with the team, he served as a running back, rushing for 527 yards and two touchdowns in addition to catching 23 passes for 189 yards and two scores.

After his freshman season, he primarily played as a defensive back, posting 10 interceptions from 1998 to 2000. He also served as a kick and punt returner, returning 73 kicks for 1,677 yards and one touchdown in his four collegiate seasons. He also returned 53 punts for 403 yards and one score.

The Buffalo Bills selected Williams in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL draft, but he never played a game for the franchise. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the San Francisco 49ers from 2001 to 2004.

In 50 games with the Niners, Williams posted one interception, six pass breakups, one forced fumble, four fumble recoveries, one sack and 88 tackles. He also returned 55 punts for 576 yards and one touchdown in addition to returning 49 kicks for 1,030 yards.

Williams spent the final two seasons of his career with the Seattle Seahawks from 2005 to 2006, posting two interceptions, seven pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and 50 tackles in 30 games. He also returned 38 punts for 241 yards.

Williams retired after the 2006 campaign and returned to his hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 2011, he became a coach for the Episcopal School's football team, where he went to high school, and also served as a teacher.

Williams most recently was the team's defensive coordinator and assistant athletics director.

Despite rumors linking Baker Mayfield to the Seattle Seahawks, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport told The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday that he doesn't believe a deal will happen.

"I've heard nothing to corroborate Baker to the Seahawks at all," he said. "... It seems crazy to me, but they have never really been that interested in Baker. What they have wanted is a Drew Lock v. Geno Smith battle."

Rapoport argued that the initial rumors about Mayfield simply took a life of their own.

Mayfield has started 59 games over the last four years with the Cleveland Browns and remains under contract through the upcoming season, although he is unlikely to play another game with the team.

The quarterback requested a trade in March, and the Browns excused him from minicamp amid trade rumors.

Seattle appeared to be a logical fit because of its lack of established quarterbacks after the team traded Russell Wilson.

Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reported the Seahawks had a "high level of interest" in Mayfield, while Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reported mutual interest.

It now appears Seattle would be fine sticking with Lock and Smith as the top options on the depth chart.

Lock was acquired in the Wilson trade and has shown promise in his career, but the 25-year-old has struggled with consistency and spent most of last year on the bench behind Teddy Bridgewater. In the last two seasons, Lock has 18 touchdowns with 17 interceptions in 19 games.

Smith has been with Seattle since 2019, but he has made only three starts in three seasons. He still performed well when given the chance last year, totaling 702 passing yards and five touchdowns with only one interception in four games.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock was a good sport after being mocked in some viral tweets over the weekend, referencing the U.S. Open Twitter account in his holiday post:

The post comes after the account ripped Lock in response to a Seahawks fan criticizing the sport of tennis:

It was bad enough that Seahawks teammate D.K. Metcalf had to step in to defuse the situation online.

Lock is heading into his first year with Seattle after he was acquired in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. The 2019 second-round pick led the NFL with 15 interceptions during his lone full year as a starter in 2020, while he spent last season mostly backing up Teddy Bridgewater.

The Seahawks are hoping Lock can be a key part of the rebuild, but it's clear not everyone believes in his abilities.

One year after attempting to qualify for the Tokyo Games, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf said he is still intent on making it to the Olympics.

Appearing on Kevin Hart's Cold as Balls, Metcalf said he will "for sure" compete in track and field events again with the goal of "trying to make the Olympics" and win a gold medal (starts at 10:48 mark):

Speaking to B/R's Taylor Rooks in February, Metcalf said he will train in the 2023 offseason with the goal of making it to the Olympics in 2024. He noted the 100- and 60-meter dashes, though the latter is not an event in the Games.

Metcalf's track skills jumped out to NFL fans during the 2020 season. The 24-year-old hit a maximum speed of 22.6 mph and ran 114.8 yards to chase down Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker after an interception in a Week 7 game.

Metcalf parlayed that into competing in the men's 100 meters at the USA Track and Field Golden Games and Distance Open in May 2021 in an attempt to qualify for the U.S. Olympic trials.

In a field of 17 entrants, Metcalf's 10.36-second time ranked 15th. The Athletic noted he needed to finish in 10.05 seconds "with a legal tailwind of no more than two meters per second" to qualify for the trials.

While Metcalf continues to think about his Olympic dreams, he will also keep causing havoc on the football field. The Ole Miss alum has 3,170 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns in 49 career games.