Seahawks loyal to Geno Smith, pass on Anthony Richardson visit

The Seattle Seahawks look to remain committed to Geno Smith and may not draft Anthony Richardson No. 5 overall out of Florida after all.

Although Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson would probably flourish playing for Pete Carroll on the Seattle Seahawks, it seems as though they will stay loyal to Geno Smith.

Seattle has the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by way of the grossly one-sided trade with the Denver Broncos for Russell Wilson. As it turns out, Smith was more than serviceable running the Seahawks offense under hotshot coordinator Shane Waldron. He finally played up to his lofty potential coming out of West Virginia. All the while, Seattle seems out on Richardson this spring.

CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reported on Tuesday morning the NFL franchises Richardson has official visits with.

• Atlanta Falcons
• Baltimore Ravens
• Carolina Panthers
• Indianapolis Colts
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Tennessee Titans

As you can see, Seattle does not make this a magnificent seven. They could still draft him, though.

What is especially telling in all this is outside of Baltimore, the five other teams with top-30 visits from Richardson are picking inside of the top 11. Keep in mind that the Ravens could easily trade into the top 10 if a team like the Colts wanted to orchestrate a massive trade for Lamar Jackson.

Let’s discuss what this really means for Smith, Seattle, Richardson and the rest of the NFL Draft.

NFL rumors: Seattle Seahawks stick with Geno Smith over Anthony Richardson

Truth be told, I don’t hate this. Smith always had talent, but needed the right situation to flourish. Now in the back-half of his career, it is all coming together for him in Seattle. Good for him. What I have a hard time understanding is Seattle not bringing in Richardson for a visit to at least serve as a smokescreen. The Seahawks have the No. 5 pick, and can certainly use that as massive leverage.

While I have reservations about Richardson truly tapping into all that raw potential, as most of the teams picking inside of the top 10 are there for a reason because they suck, Seattle does feel like a place where he can get the coaching and development he will need to become a star. Keep in mind that Carroll and general manager John Schneider love to draft freakish athletic specimens like him.

Then again, the Seahawks could really use a transformative piece in the front-seven of their defense. They are a prime candidate to draft either edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. out of Alabama or defensive tackle Jalen Carter out of Georgia. Seattle also has a history of trading back, collecting more assets and still finding ways to win in the draft. In all honesty, they are way smarter than us.

In my estimation, Richardson will be a top-four pick and the third quarterback taken behind Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud in some order. While I am skeptical of the Raiders taking him at No. 7 or the Falcons at No. 8, Tennessee is so going to draft him if he were to somehow fall to the Titans at No. 11. They may just settle for Kentucky’s Will Levis should he fall.

Overall, we should expect for Seattle to keep its draft plans close to the vest. The Seahawks may end up drafting Richardson any way. Heck, they might even trade up to No. 3 in a shocking deal with the division rival Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 to leave the Colts in absolute shambles after getting leapfrogged. Either way, Richardson has become the draft’s most fascinating quarterback.

Just because Richardson is not visiting with Seattle now does not mean he is not heading there.