The Seahawks improved to 5-4 on Sunday with a win over the Cardinals, and will now head on the road for the first time in a while after three in a row at Lumen Field. Up next is a matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, followed by the bye week, but before we turn our attention to that game, it’s time once again to open up the mailbag and answer some questions from you, the fans.

As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn’t able to get to yours this time around. And remember, the mailbag is always open for submissions at Seahawks.com/mailbag.

@aaron._.fried asks, “Why haven’t we made a trade yet?” And @dustynpeters asks, “Why are we not more aggressive with trades?”

A: The Seahawks did make a trade, and a pretty significant one at that, they just did it before the trade deadline, adding All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson in a trade with the Colts. John Schneider and company were surely talking with other teams leading up to Tuesday’s deadline, but having those talks doesn’t always mean the right deal will materialize. And as for the idea of them not being aggressive, I’d say adding a future Hall of Fame guard is a pretty aggressive move, as is trading for Rashid Shaheed last year, or Ernest Jones IV in 2024, or Leonard Williams in 2023. Schneider has always been willing to explore any and all options to make the team better, as those trades show, but he also knows he’s playing a long game trying to, as he often puts it, make the Seahawks a “consistent, championship-caliber team.” And a big part of staying among the league’s best teams is drafting well, so while Schneider is willing to make trades, he doesn’t want to blow too much draft capital to do so. Just look at how much of last year’s Super Bowl roster was built on the successful drafts from 2022-2025; that type of draft success doesn’t happen if a team is regularly giving up high-value picks at the deadline.

@alexisaha1 asks, “Why aren’t we force feeding JSN?”

A: I’m not sure the Seahawks are “force feeding” Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but they certainly are getting him the ball a ton. The more common complaint this year is that the Seahawks are too reliant on Smith-Njigba, but if your concern is with him getting the ball too much, consider that Smith-Njigba’s 99 targets this season are the second most in the league despite teams regularly rolling extra coverage his way, and despite the fact that the Seahawks rank 20th in pass attempts as a team.

There are risks in always forcing the ball to one player, no matter how great he is. For starters, if teams are constantly putting extra coverage on him, the risk of turnovers goes up, and secondly, there is the player’s health to consider. Throwing to Smith-Njigba 20 times a game might sound like an easy way to generate offense in theory, but is that really the best way to get him through a 17-game season?

@to_va_r3 asks, “How long will Drew Lock play in place of Sam Darnold?”

A: Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald already said Drew Lock will start this week with Sam Darnold out again, but with the bye coming up, we’ll have to wait and see how Darnold is recovering when the team gets back to work before their Week 12 game against the 49ers. The Seahawks did not put Darnold on injured reserve, indicating they do see his absence as one that will last four or more games, and Macdonald did say there is a chance Darnold is back after the bye, so that seems to be a possible return date, but again, it’s just too early to know for sure.

@210_alejandro asks, “Does Drew Lock feel the appreciation from the fans?”

A: He really does. And he also is just really appreciative of his opportunity to play for the Seahawks. One of the many things I like about Lock is how open and thoughtful he is in his press conferences, and that appreciation really comes through. A someone who has played for multiple teams and been both a starter and a backup in his eight-year carer, Lock knows there are only so many chances to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, and he also know he plays for one of the best organizations and in front of one of the best fan bases in sports, and that appreciation is evident when he talks about his career and this season.

“Eight years now, I was a starter going into a season; I lost it the next year,” Lock said last week. “No matter what the situation is, I look at it as a big thing. It’s an awesome thing. Maybe being a big deal isn’t the right word, but more of an excitement, gratitude, and thankfulness towards this that I’m sitting here today and I get to go be the quarterback this weekend for the Seattle Seahawks eight years in with two kids and a wife. It’s something that 10 years ago, that I’d be a starting quarterback with two kids and wife, it’s pretty amazing and I’m blessed to say the least.”

@l.fielder2023 asks, “Why did Drew Lock go into the tent during the game?”

A: If you missed it after the game, Lock, who already had an elbow injury going into the game, also injured his oblique in the third quarter. He did go into the injury tent for evaluation, but was able to finish the game. Macdonald said Monday that test results were positive, or at least positive enough that Lock should be able to play through the injury, though he will be limited in practice.

@taylor_kboy15_ asks, “Do you think JSN is the best WR?”

A: There are a lot of great receivers in the NFL, but it’s hard to argue that anyone has been better than Smith-Njigba over the last two seasons. After leading the league in receiving last year on his way to Offensive Player of the Year honors, Smith-Njigba has been even better this year and again is the league’s leader in both receiving yards and touchdowns.

And it’s not just the stats that support his case as the best in the game; he’s also as complete of a receiver as you could hope to find, able to move all over the field to keep defenses guessing, and able to turn short passes into big plays or make tough catches in the middle of the field or able to get open deep or able to make plays in the red zone. There really are no weakness in his game right now.

@kelz2blue asks, “Why is D-Law retiring?”

A: DeMarcus Lawrence said after Sunday’s game that this was going to be his last season, repeating something he also said during training camp. And while I could see why some might wonder why someone still playing at a high level like Lawrence would want to retire, it’s also entirely understandable why someone who is 34 and in his 13th season might be ready to hang ’em up. Playing in the NFL, and especially in the trenches, take a huge toll on players, so you can’t fault them for deciding it’s time to be done, whenever that happens. It also helps that Lawrence won a Super Bowl last season—he admitted he considered retirement this offseason—making his impressive career feel that much more complete. Then there is also the family element of the decision. Lawrence and his wife have six kids, including a baby born just after the Super Bowl, so retiring would allow him to spend a lot more time with his family.