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Seattle has an opening at quarterback and I-5 Corridor subscriber Alec Everson seems to know who should fill it.
From the Bleachers is a monthly feature on The I-5 Corridor for subscribers to submit stories and opinions. Today’s piece is from Alec Everson, a 2014 UO graduate who lives in Portland.
By Alec Everson
So we’re all thinking it right?
In case you missed it yesterday, Russell Wilson, Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning quarterback and the face of the Seahawks franchise for more than a decade is finally moving on after he spent what felt like half of those offseasons stirring up “Will he, won’t he?” drama.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for fans to be sure, and while Denver QB Drew Lock is on his way as part of a package that includes two first round picks, two seconds and TE Noah Fant, many seemed to immediately agree that there had to be a more serviceable way to ease the pain of losing the most accomplished quarterback in team history. Those of us with rooting allegiance south of the Columbia however immediately took to Twitter to let the rest of the world know we have just the guy for the job.
It’s time for us to bring our boy Marcus Mariota home. Well, sorta.
It’s been a long time since Oregon’s lone Heisman winner brought joy to the hearts of fans in Eugene and struck fear into those pretty much everywhere else. However, one can’t help but feel like he’s still got a lot left to prove. At the very least, he’s deserved another starting job ever since he came in for Derek Carr and performed admirably against Justin Herbert and the Chargers in defeat during the 2020 season.
In addition to being must-watch television for anyone who ever called Eugene home, that game showed us all that he’s still got the drive and talent when healthy. This league fielded some seriously underwhelming quarterbacks last season, which if we’re being honest, at times even included the guy ahead of him on the depth chart.
Sure, things in Seattle are likely to be pretty unpleasant for a minute here, and I’m sure all of us would prefer to see Mariota in a system that’s friendly to his skillset — unlike that offensive gameplan from the stone age from Tennessee.
So maybe Seattle isn’t the perfect destination. But who among us wouldn’t also jump at the opportunity to see him play in the Pacific Northwest again, especially when it would make Husky fans emotionally conflicted? And wouldn’t it be better to see him lead a team in transition that still has some weapons (assuming they survive the purge) instead of being brought in for gadget plays and short yardage situations? I mean really, he’s a Maserati not a golf cart and I will not allow the memory of him hurdling Matt Milano in his last game against the Beavers to be tarnished any longer.
The unfortunate reality though is that ‘just a QB away’ jobs are few and far between, and if Marcus really wants to be a starter once again, compromises will have to be made. Last offseason there was plenty of hypothesizing — or maybe just wishful thinking — around a possible trade to New England, but as far as we know Bill Belichick never picked up the phone and Marcus continued to wait things out in Las Vegas with a cap-friendly salary and a no-trade clause.
Since then, Carr appears to have done just enough to keep his job (Anthony Brown Jr. anyone?) and the prize of being stuck in a division against Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and now Russell Wilson will be waiting should he be given the reins.
Doesn’t a return to a familiar corner of the country sound more inviting? Listen to Matt Kearny, Marcus. It’s not quite Eugene, but we’ll be thrilled all the same.
Alec Everson is a business analyst for Acorns in Portland and a 2014 Oregon graduate. Here he is failing to color-coordinate with his family.
Do you have a take that needs to get out there? Pitch us at Tyson@i-5corridor.com. We’ll be doing one subscriber submission every month.
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