Two-time Super Bowl champ says Seahawks and Anthony Richardson are a perfect fit
As the 2023 NFL Draft gets closer and closer, the rumors and smokescreens become more persistent and thicker. When it comes to the Seattle Seahawks and former Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson, things are hotter than ever. It doesn't matter that 2022's Comeback Player of the Year, Geno Smith, re-signed with the team earlier in […]
As the 2023 NFL Draft gets closer and closer, the rumors and smokescreens become more persistent and thicker.
When it comes to the Seattle Seahawks and former Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson, things are hotter than ever. It doesn't matter that 2022's Comeback Player of the Year, Geno Smith, re-signed with the team earlier in the offseason. In fact, Smith's contract is actually a big reason why many believe the Seahawks should go ahead and pull the trigger on Richardson at No. 5.
Smith's deal, in theory, gives Richardson the needed time to grow and develop into the player many scouts and executives project when evaluating him. Richardson is raw in many regards, but, he can turn into the next Josh Allen if he's given the proper space and environment to grow.
Count former two-time Super Bowl champ and longtime Pittsburgh Steeler, Ike Taylor, as one of the many who see the Seahawks as a perfect fit for Richardson.
"I was talking to some some other guys and I was like, 'The perfect fit would be the Seattle Seahawks,'" Taylor recently said on his podcast, Bleav in Steelers. "Geno [Smith] just did a three year deal, which is well-deserved. But letting AR sit, and we talked about injuries as well, injuries are part of the game so you just never know. Coach Pete Carroll knows exactly what to do with that kind of style of play. He won a Super Bowl and went to two with Russell Wilson, who played with that style."
It's not just the idea of Richardson playing under Carroll that makes this potential pairing of Richardson and the Seahawks so intriguing, however: It's Richardson's skill set dropped into offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's system.
Richardson has the arm to make any NFL throw and he can do it all on the move, too. Waldron's system is all about using play-action, motion, roll outs, boots, etc to make life easy on quarterbacks and to find the best matchup(s) in the passing game. Yes, Richardson's accuracy needs improvement, but that's where the idea of sitting behind Smith comes in. He can work on all of that while Smith starts.
Waldron can completely tailor his offense to Richardson's abilities, which would in return to take the offense to new heights. And the best part is Waldron wouldn't have to make any drastic changes to his scheme. Richardson fits in very well and his best traits are what's required to effectively run Waldron's offense.
"I really got a chance to see them at the Pro Day and when you see him in person, you're like, 'This dude really is built like LeBron James,'" said Taylor. "… When you see him move all the way to his left side and throw it across his body all the way over to the right at the flick of the wrist, you're like, 'He different.'"
The Seahawks met with Richardson at the NFL Combine, but there hasn't been any word on whether or not they'll schedule a top-30 visit anytime soon. CBS Sports' Josina Anderson did recently state the Seahawks aren't on Richardson's "tour list", but that could obviously change in the coming days and weeks.
You can check out the full Taylor clip, here.
