Retzlaff led the Green Wave to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance and will now look to earn a spot with the defending Super Bowl champions.
A former Tulane Green Wave quarterback has earned a shot in the NFL with the defending Super Bowl champions.
Jake Retzlaff has been invited to the Seattle Seahawks rookie minicamp, officially giving him the chance to prove himself and earn a spot in the league.
Retzlaff brings a fierce competitiveness and the ability to grow as a player to Seattle. The BYU Cougars transfer took the Green Wave to new heights in 2025 and led the program to an American Conference Championship title and it's first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
The dual-threat signal-caller was hard to contain on offense. Retzlaff finished his lone season in Uptown with a career-high 3,168 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His accuracy proved to be his biggest issue, as he connected on just 242 of his 391 pass attempts, giving him a completion percentage of 61.9-percent.
When he wasn't making plays through the air, Retzlaff was a major threat on the ground. He ran for 634 total yards and had 16 rushing touchdowns of his own, while the rest of the team had 10 scores combined. Most notably, Retzlaff rushed for a season-high four touchdowns in the Green Wave's victory over the Duke Blue Devils, who would go on to win the 2025 ACC Championship Game.
However, the road to the NFL won't be easy for Retzlaff. The Seahawks have no interest in moving past starting signal-caller Sam Darnold, and Retzlaff will have to show that he can outshine either of the franchise's backup quarterbacks -- Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe -- if he wants a shot at making the active roster. He'll more likely earn a spot on the Seahawks practice squad and look to work his way up to any active roster across the league from there.
The 2026 NFL Draft quarterback class was weaker than it has been in previous years, outside of first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The Indiana Hoosiers star and Heisman Trophy winner was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders. The only other quarterback taken in the first round was Alabama Crimson Tide standout Ty Simpson, who was selected 13th overall by the Los Angeles Rams, much to the surprise of fans. The majority of signal-callers were selected in later rounds, with franchises taking chances in the hopes of eventually developing them.
In a weird way, this seems to level the playing field a bit for Retzlaff; he's shown that he can compete with just about anyone, and the majority of late draftees don't have too much of an advantage over him. It's easy to imagine that if things don't work out with the Seahawks, he'll get an opportunity to compete elsewhere for an opportunity to play in the NFL.