Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Seattle Seahawks, holding the No. 32 overall pick, are reportedly open to moving down if compensated adequately.
- Their NFC West rival, the Cardinals, is considering a trade-up scenario to secure a potential franchise quarterback before another team claims him.
- This potential swap could significantly alter both teams' draft strategies and future roster construction.
I want to state, for the record, that I do not think the Arizona Cardinals should be trading up for a quarterback. The team is set to be very bad this season and stands to have a chance to add a top quarterback in 2027, so trading up to take Ty Simpson in 2026 is, IMO, a bad idea.
With that said, if the Cardinals are committed to landing a quarterback in this class, they might have found a good trade partner, as the Seattle Seahawks, who pick at No. 32, sound willing to move down for the right price.
Why the Cardinals might be interested in trading up
Putting aside my personal opinion on whether the Cardinals should go after Simpson or not, let me lay out the case for why a front office that wants a quarterback would move up.
The big thing is that Arizona picks second in the second round, one spot behind the New York Jets. The Jets have Geno Smith at quarterback, which is clearly a stopgap option as they wait for a chance to draft their quarterback of the future, and I don't think you can totally discount the possibility that the Jets decide to use the No. 33 overall pick on Simpson. Maybe head coach Aaron Glenn is antsy here, worried about his future with the team, and maybe GM Darren Mougey is equally worried about regime change in the Meadowlands. In that scenario, getting a young quarterback in the building and hoping he's a hit could save both their jobs. (And if Simpson is a miss, then one or both would probably have been fired anyway after 2026, so not a huge deal.)
If the Cardinals are thinking this and think Simpson is their guy, they might be willing to move up a spot, and this desire may be made worse by the fact that their assumed 2026 starting quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, has been absent from the offseason program while he seeks out a new contract with the team. If the Cardinals decide they don't want to extend a journeyman who isn't going to be the long-term answer, they could decide to just grab someone in this draft to get it over with. And hey — if they really want to make some bad decisions to accelerate the rebuild, they could always draft Jeremiyah Love as well! (Don't do that, Cardinals.)
What a Seattle-Arizona trade looks like
The good news for Arizona is that if it really wants to go get its quarterback, it shouldn't cost too much to move up two spots. Hand the Seahawks a couple of Day 3 selections and you're good, and if you're Seattle and you don't get any other offers, why not grab a couple of late-round dart throws in order to move down what's essentially just one spot on their draftboard, since they'd have no interest in Simpson anyway?
The flipside of this is that Seattle might not want to make this move, because other teams could come in and offer something more enticing. If Seattle doesn't love their options at No. 32, will they love them much better at No. 34? If you can make a move for a late second-round pick, then the other team will have to add in other assets that are better than what Arizona would need to add in, and Seattle might rather have two late seconds, with one of them in 2027, than simply getting the same player they'd have taken at No. 32 plus two late guys who would struggle to make the final roster.
But hey — if you're Arizona and you really want to jump the Jets to guarantee you get Simpson, you probably need to entertain any trade-up opportunity that presents itself. And if you're Seattle and you find that the market for teams wanting to trade up isn't really there, you might as well take this offer if it's all that's on the table, right?
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