Seattle, WA
Could the Seattle Seahawks wait until next year to draft QB?
For much of the offseason there’s been a buzz around the topic of quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, most notably whether the team will look to the 2024 NFL Draft to address the position.
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The Seahawks recently brought in South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, who’s viewed as a late-round pick, for a pre-draft visit. But would the team really use a pick on a QB after trading draft capital for Sam Howell in the offseason? With a weaker crop of quarterbacks expected in 2025, Seattle will likely need to at least keep its options open during this year’s draft.
Seattle Sports’ co-hosts Michael Bumpus and Stacy Rost discussed that topic and looked ahead at next year’s QB class Wednesday on Bump and Stacy.
“It’s interesting, especially with the moves they’ve made,” said Bumpus, a former NFL wide receiver. “You brought Sam Howell over, but you have to check every box. Could you imagine if they didn’t bring in a quarterback (for a visit this year)? … What if we get to this position in the draft: we got a quarterback available, but we haven’t done our homework on them and can’t make an educated guess or decision on it.”
Seattle traded third- and fifth-round picks to the Washington Commanders for Howell and fourth- and sixth-round picks in March. The move seems to signal that the Seahawks are set at quarterback for the upcoming season with Geno Smith as the starter and Howell, who threw for nearly 4,000 yards with the Commanders last season, as the backup.
“You spent a third-round pick to get Sam Howell,” Bumpus said. “… I think that’s (Schneider) drafting a quarterback in his eyes, because I look at Sam Howell and I think he’s more than capable of being a quarterback in his league, we’ve already seen that. He put together a decent season last year.”
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper recently mentioned the top names at QB for 2025: Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Georgia’s Carson Beck. Other names that came up were a trio of transfers: Miami’s Cam Ward (formerly WSU), Florida State’s DJ Uiagalelei (formerly Oregon State) and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard (formerly Duke).
“Next year’s draft class (doesn’t) look too good,” Bumpus said. “It (doesn’t) look too hot. We’re gonna figure out how confident (the Seahawks) are in their quarterback position fairly quickly.”
Rost believes that means the Seahawks will go after a quarterback at some point during the 2024 draft.
“John Schneider has wanted to take a quarterback since having Russell Wilson and lamented only ever taking Alex McGough,” Rost said. “You know that John Schneider wants to take a quarterback. … There is no world in which John Schneider doesn’t draft one this year.”
Bumpus said the more likely route for Seattle would be to stick with Smith and Howell this season and find a way to add a veteran next offseason.
“You do have Sam Howell who could be, I guess, some type of trade bait. I don’t know what you’re gonna get out of him,” Bumpus said. “You can use some draft picks to go and get you a veteran quarterback. Because the way this team I think is gonna be built is they’re gonna be ready to win right now. So, with your quarterback situation this year, if you do draft the quarterback, it’s not gonna be a highly touted quarterback. … And then you go into next year, you look at that draft class, you might just go out and get a veteran. … I don’t think they’re going to get a quarterback this draft. If they don’t get a quarterback and it doesn’t work out with Geno (or) with Sam Howell, they’re going to look at bringing in a veteran next year.”
Listen to the conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
More on the Seattle Seahawks and the NFL Draft
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• The UW Huskies draft prospect that will surprise people in NFL
• Seahawks announce jersey numbers for offseason additions
• Bumpus: To Seahawks, No. 16 pick is ‘really like a top-10 pick’
Seattle, WA
Melinda French Gates is done ‘cheering on Seattle from the sidelines’ — she’s buying into the bet to bring the Sonics back | Fortune
Melinda French Gates, a billionaire philanthropist and businesswoman, will join the Seattle Kraken as a minority investor, pending NHL approval.
French Gates, 61, is the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. She and her $30 billion net worth, according to Forbes, join an ownership group headlined by majority owner and managing partner Samantha Holloway, as well as investors David Wright, Andy Jassy and longtime Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
“As a longtime Seattle resident, it means a lot to me to have the chance to make this investment in our city and its future,” French Gates said in a statement. “I’m a big believer in the power of sports, and after many years of cheering on Seattle from the sidelines, I’m excited to have an even deeper connection to the Seattle sports community.”
French Gates has never previously had an ownership stake in a major professional sports franchise. She will do so at a time when the Kraken ownership group is positioning itself to own an NBA franchise should the NBA return to the Emerald City for the first time since the SuperSonics were relocated to Oklahoma City nearly 20 years ago.
In March, the Kraken ownership group announced the creation of One Roof Sports and Entertainment, which serves as the umbrella brand of the organization to “oversee a growing portfolio of properties and fuel new opportunities.” At the time, Holloway announced that One Roof would pursue an NBA team in Seattle, should the league move forward with expansion.
Holloway also announced in March that the group had entered an agreement to purchase additional equity in Climate Pledge Arena from Oak View Group, and would make the organization the majority owner of the building. OVG has retained a minority stake.
French Gates, who grew up in Dallas and received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics, as well as an MBA from Duke, currently heads Pivotal, a group of organizations she founded to accelerate the pace of social progress for women and young people in the United States and around the world.
French Gates previously founded and co-chaired the Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropy.
“I am excited to welcome Melinda to our ownership group,” Holloway said in a statement. “Melinda is an impressive business leader, philanthropist and importantly, a Seattle sports fan. We share many of the same values, including a deep commitment to Seattle and a belief in building organizations that create lasting impact.”
Seattle, WA
Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of Bill Gates, to join Seattle Kraken as minority investor
SEATTLE (AP) — Melinda French Gates, a billionaire philanthropist and businesswoman, will join the Seattle Kraken as a minority investor, pending NHL approval.
French Gates, 61, is the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. She and her $30 billion net worth, according to Forbes, join an ownership group headlined by majority owner and managing partner Samantha Holloway, as well as investors David Wright, Andy Jassy and longtime Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
“As a longtime Seattle resident, it means a lot to me to have the chance to make this investment in our city and its future,” French Gates said in a statement. “I’m a big believer in the power of sports, and after many years of cheering on Seattle from the sidelines, I’m excited to have an even deeper connection to the Seattle sports community.”
French Gates has never previously had an ownership stake in a major professional sports franchise. She will do so at a time when the Kraken ownership group is positioning itself to own an NBA franchise should the NBA return to the Emerald City for the first time since the SuperSonics were relocated to Oklahoma City nearly 20 years ago.
In March, the Kraken ownership group announced the creation of One Roof Sports and Entertainment, which serves as the umbrella brand of the organization to “oversee a growing portfolio of properties and fuel new opportunities.” At the time, Holloway announced that One Roof would pursue an NBA team in Seattle, should the league move forward with expansion.
Holloway also announced in March that the group had entered an agreement to purchase additional equity in Climate Pledge Arena from Oak View Group, and would make the organization the majority owner of the building. OVG has retained a minority stake.
French Gates, who grew up in Dallas and received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics, as well as an MBA from Duke, currently heads Pivotal, a group of organizations she founded to accelerate the pace of social progress for women and young people in the United States and around the world.
French Gates previously founded and co-chaired the Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropy.
“I am excited to welcome Melinda to our ownership group,” Holloway said in a statement. “Melinda is an impressive business leader, philanthropist and importantly, a Seattle sports fan. We share many of the same values, including a deep commitment to Seattle and a belief in building organizations that create lasting impact.”
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
SEATTLE — Seattle police arrested a 40-year-old man after a stabbing in the University District on Monday morning that left another man wounded.
Officers were sent to the 5000 block of Brooklyn Avenue North just before 8 a.m. for a reported stabbing. Police arrived and found a 21-year-old man with stab wounds.
Officers provided aid until the Seattle Fire Department arrived and took over. The victim’s injuries were stated to be non-life-threatening
Police searched the area and located a suspect near Northeast 47th Street and University Way Northeast. The 40-year-old man was arrested and booked into the King County Jail.
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