The Seattle Seahawks are in rebuilding mode.

After about a year of posturing between both sides, the Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson have finally divorced. Seattle traded away their franchise quarterback to the Denver Broncos for two first-round picks, two-second round picks, a fifth-round draft, quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive lineman Shelby Harris. T

They enter this season without a clear cut starter at quarterback for the first time in 10 years. Head Coach Pete Carroll has built a culture that thrives on creating competition at all positions but as it stands today, the only QBs on their roster are Jacob Eason and Lock. General Manager John Schneider recently said they have a lot of faith in Lock, which is likely coach/general manager speak at best.

In his three years playing quarterback, Lock has all but proven that he is not a franchise player. He was 8-13 as starter and it cannot be overstated that he’s thrown 20 interceptions while amassing just 25 touchdowns in that span. Lock had a total quarterback rating of under 40 during his time in Denver and he played with a much better roster than he’ll have in Seattle. Nothing about Lock screams “franchise quarterback” and as we know, there are only 2 types of teams. Those who have a franchise signal caller and those who don’t.

Carroll recently stated that he expected an open competition between multiple players heading into training camp. One of the players he hopes to re-sign is veteran backup Geno Smith, who has been Wilson’s backup for three years and knows their offense best. This would be his best opportunity at another starting role in quite some time. However, going from a perennial Pro Bowler to Smith isn’t going to excite a fan base who is clamoring for a Super Bowl and playing in arguably one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL.

As it currently stands, Schneider and Carroll have to choose who will be their “bridge “ under center but will likely select a quarterback with the ninth overall pick. The general consensus believes that this year’s quarterbacking class lacks a “top tier” quarterback that other classes have had. They may have been better off organizationally trading Wilson a year ago, when that class had five signal callers selected in the first 15 picks. They could have been better prepared, especially considering the rising salaries of quarterbacks in the NFL. That, paired with fracture in the relationship between Wilson and the team means they could have made a move a lot sooner.

Could they be waiting for Baker Mayfield to be released to add him to the mix? Could they add Colin Kaepernick to the competition, who was seen working out this offseason with Seahawks wide receivers Aaron Fuller and Tyler Lockett? Are they content with selecting among a lackluster draft class of quarterbacks with the ninth pick?

The latter seems like the logical selection, however it should be noted that Seattle is projected to have the worst offensive line in the NFL this season. Drafting and developing a rookie quarterback would allow them to extend D.K. Metcalf and continue to build their roster with a starter who is on a rookie deal. Seattle also cut their defensive leader Bobby Wagner, truly signifying a rebuild situation, as well as an end of an era, but saved a significant amount of capital in the process. The NFC West is unforgiving and a competitive conference, which houses the reigning Super Bowl Champions. With that being said, what are reasonable expectations for Seattle this season other than a rebuild?