Seahawks sign $90.89 Million OL SuperStar Player who spent last season with Lions via international program Due To…
ALLEN PARK — Max Pircher, the Italian-born offensive lineman who spent all of last year with the Detroit Lions, has signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Pircher spent the entire year with the Lions through the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. He was an active member of the offseason and training camp, then spent the year on the practice squad. But Pircher wasn’t signed to a reserve/futures deal when the season ended, so he became a free agent. Now, he’s headed back to the NFC West with the Seahawks.
Pircher spent two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams as an international player and member of their practice squad before landing in Detroit. Although he has yet to appear in an NFL game, Pircher is credited as a Super Bowl champion for his time with the Rams.
The 6-foot-8 offensive lineman started his playing career in college at Hildesheim and then with the Austrian-based Swarco Raiders Tirol.
Back in Detroit, the Lions and their vaunted offensive line have undergone changes. They lost Jonah Jackson to a big-money deal with the Los Angeles Rams. However, the Lions re-signed Graham Glasgow to a team-friendly deal and added Pro Bowl veteran guard Kevin Zeitler to a one-year deal.
It’s hard to gauge what Pircher might have offered via depth. He logged only five snaps in the preseason while with the Lions, all at right tackle and in run-blocking opportunities.
They should feel OK with some of their depth, though. Colby Sorsdal, last year’s fifth-round pick, is back in the fold with a full year and some experience in different positions under his belt. Kayode Awosika has started games at guard over the last two seasons. And Dan Skipper, the team’s regular extra blocker in heavy-set formations, is back for another run.
That said, Zeitler has a lot of tread on his tires and is here on a one-year deal. Glasgow is entering Year 9. Stud center Frank Ragnow has dealt with more injuries and maintenance over the last couple of seasons, so adding interior depth might not be the worst idea.
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Seahawks Meet With ‘Intriguing’ Former 28-TD Quarterback…
The Seattle Seahawks could be interested in adding another quarterback to the mix.
The Seahawks hosted South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler for a Top 30 visit on Tuesday, April 9, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Rapoport mentions Rattler as one of the more “intriguing” quarterback prospects in the draft.
“South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler, one of the more intriguing QB prospects in the draft, is in Seattle today for a #Seahawks Top 30 visit, source said,” writes Rapoport. “He was with the #Texans yesterday. Rattler has visited with over a dozen teams, thus far, as teams continue to gather info.”
Why Seahawks Could Draft Quarterback This Year
The Seahawks’ interest in Rattler isn’t exactly surprising. Although they have their current starter in Geno Smith, he’ll be 34 years old and he was the previous regime’s choice as starting quarterback. With Mike Macdonald as head coach, Seattle appears to be trending in a direction where they’ll be seeking a new franchise quarterback.
Seattle also acquired former Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell via trade. However, he will enter the season as the backup to Smith.
That means the Seahawks have room for a third quarterback and a potential passer to develop behind Smith.
Rattler isn’t considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the draft; in fact, he’s projected to be drafted in the third round. However, it wasn’t too long ago that Rattler was the top quarterback prospect in the nation.
The 6-foot Rattler was the No. 1 quarterback prospect coming out of high school in 2019. He began his career with the Oklahoma Sooners and immediately made an impact, going 9-2 in his first season as starter in 2020 while throwing for 28 touchdown passes. He even led the Oklahoma Sooners to a Big 12 Championship and was named the game’s MVP.
After entering the 2021 season as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, Rattler’s career fell off. He was benched in favor of Caleb Williams — the projected No. 1 pick in this year’s draft — and never regained his starting job. That led to Rattler transferring to the South Carolina Gamecocks, where he started over the past two seasons.
Rattler had a decent career at South Carolina, going 8-5 during the 2022 season, helping the team finish No. 23 in the AP polls. However, the Gamecocks went 5-7 during the 2023 season despite Rattler having a solid season with 19 passing touchdowns against eight interceptions — an improvement over the 2022 season in which he threw 18 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
Despite being undersized at 6-foot and 211 pounds, his ability to throw the ball is up there with the very best. As Bleacher Report’s Derrik Klassen describes in his scouting report of Rattler, his arm talent is up there with Williams, the projected top pick in this year’s draft.
“Better yet, Rattler throws with a ton of velocity and a surprising dose of control,” writes Klassen. “He can add or take off zip as needed, and he can put proper arc under the ball to access all three levels of the field. Rattler can bomb it deep just as well as he can lay in a feathery corner route. His arm talent and elasticity is eerily similar to that of Caleb Williams.”
It obviously feels like forever since Rattler was a top name. However, there’s a reason Rattler was once the top quarterback prospect in the nation and why he was a Heisman Trophy favorite at one point. While he may be an under-the-radar prospect entering the draft, the ceiling for the undersized quarterback is immense. Selecting him with a third or fourth-round pick may pay huge dividends for whichever team lands him.