Jayden Daniels Injury Could Lead to Seahawks Trade

The Seattle Seahawks are playing the Washington Commanders this week, with Jayden Daniels suffering an elbow injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season.

Daniels' injury could lead the Commanders to scour the trade market, which could include the Seahawks, who have second-year pro Jalen Milroe as the third-string quarterback.

"The Commanders may be able to acquire Jalen Milroe from the Seattle Seahawks if Sam Darnold returns from a glute injury in a week or so. Seattle selected Milroe in the third round of the 2025 draft, but he's third on its depth chart behind Darnold and Drew Lock, who's played well as a fill-in over the last two weeks," Bleacher Report contributor Maurice Moton wrote.

"In Washington, Milroe could play meaningful regular-season snaps if Daniels can't stay healthy, which would accelerate his development."

Is Jalen Milroe on the Trade Block?

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe throws a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As long as Darnold is on the sidelines, Milroe should be safe in Seattle. The team needs him as a backup quarterback behind Drew Lock, but Darnold is expected to return sometime within the next week or so. Once he comes back, there might be reason to trade Milroe.

Milroe came to the Seahawks last year as a third-round pick and had the chance to step in for Darnold if he didn't deliver as a starting quarterback. Darnold led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl and won it all, so Milroe's chances of hitting the starting lineup with Seattle are very slim.

He was in competition with Lock to be the team's backup quarterback this season, but struggled early in the preseason. He was on the roster bubble going into the final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he played well enough to earn himself a spot on the 53-man roster.

Milroe is under contract until the end of the 2028 season, which could be valuable for a team looking for an understudy quarterback to step in. A trade between the Seahawks and Commanders for Milroe won't happen this week while the two teams plan to play against each other, but it could make more sense down the line.

For now, it appears that the Commanders are going to go with Marcus Mariota, who has been one of the league's top backup quarterbacks over the last couple of years. Mariota made eight starts for the Commanders last season to fill in for Daniels when he was out, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Washington rely on him in a similar capacity once again.

The Seahawks should keep Milroe loose and listen to conversations, but trading a quarterback in the middle of the season is extremely rare. For a team like the Seahawks that is aiming to win another Super Bowl, moving off of assets like Milroe is more designed for an offseason move as opposed to a regular-season one.

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