Who Is Drew Lock? 5 Things To Know About Seahawks QB Starting For Sam Darnold

Lock it in!

The Seattle Seahawks are putting 29-year-old quarterback Drew Lock under center for their Week 2 road matchup against the NFC West-rival Arizona Cardinals (Sunday afternoon at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX), as starter Sam Darnold nurses a glute injury that he sustained in their Week 1 win over the New England Patriots.

Here are five things to know about Lock:

Drew Lock balled out for the Missouri Tigers.

Serving as the Tigers’ starting quarterback from 2016-18 — and being part of the program from 2015-18 — Lock averaged 3,620.3 passing yards, 31.7 passing touchdowns, 10.3 interceptions and a 148.7 passer rating per season over that span, while completing 58.4% of his passes. Most notably, Lock led the SEC with 3,964 passing yards, 44 passing touchdowns and a 165.7 passer rating in 2017. Granted, he also led the conference with 13 interceptions. Missouri appeared in a bowl game with Lock in both 2017 and 2018.

Lock is second in Missouri history with 12,193 passing yards and 99 passing touchdowns.

In between Peyton Manning’s final season (2015) and Russell Wilson’s first season with the franchise (2022) — we’ll revisit this shortly — 11 different players started at quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Lock was one of those 11 players.

Denver selected Lock with the No. 42 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, with him starting a combined 21 games from 2019-21. Lock was the team’s primary quarterback in 2020, throwing for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions across 13 starts, while posting a 75.4 passer rating and completing 57.3% of his passes. He also rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns.

So, why did Denver’s 2019 second-round pick only play three seasons for the team?

Lock was part of one of the biggest trades in NFL history.

In March 2022, the Broncos traded Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, two first-round picks, two-second round picks and a fifth-rounder to the Seahawks for star quarterback and then-nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick.

The New York Giants entered their Week 17 home tilt against the Indianapolis Colts with the worst record in the NFL and two losses away from having the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Not on Lock’s watch.

After spending the bulk of the 2024 season as the team’s backup to Daniel Jones, Lock made five starts after New York released Jones following a 2-8 start, with Lock’s fourth start being arguably the best of his career and one of the best in Giants’ history. In what was a 45-33 win for the Giants, Lock threw for 309 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions, while posting a career-high 155.3 passer rating – it was the third-highest passer rating in a game in Giants’ history – completing 73.9% of his passes (17 of 23) and rushing for a score.

The Giants went on to pick third in the 2025 NFL Draft. That said, one could argue it worked out for New York, which selected Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Abdul Carter with the No. 3 pick and traded up to select Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart with the No. 25 pick. Dart and the Giants opened the 2026 season with a win at home over the Dallas Cowboys, with the second-year quarterback throwing for 230 yards and three touchdowns, posting a 134.2 passer rating and completing 79.3% of his passes (23 of 29) in the victory.

Of course, Lock landing in Seattle in 2022 and later playing one season for the Giants makes his presence with the Seahawks in 2026 his second act with the franchise.

Act 1 got off to a bumpy start for Lock, who lost a quarterback battle to Geno Smith in 2022, with Smith going on to be the team’s starting quarterback from 2022-24. With that said, Lock made two starts for the Seahawks in 2023, highlighted by hitting wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a go-ahead and eventual game-winning 29-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of a Week 15 game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.

As for the present, Lock played all but the opening series in Seattle’s Week 1 win over New England, throwing for 187 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, while posting a 113.3 passer rating and completing 72.7% of his passes (16 of 22). Last year, Lock appeared in five regular-season games and one playoff game for the Seahawks, but he never made a start.

Sunday will mark Lock’s 29th NFL start.