Questions for Carroll & Schneider at owners meetings

Carroll at owners meetings 2019(UPDATED with Pete Carroll’s comments March 26)

The NFL owners meetings run through Wednesday, and we should hear from Pete Carroll and John Schneider on Tuesday.

They won’t give many revealing answers, obviously, but here are some questions we have about the Seahawks as we finish Week 2 of the league year:

Thoughts on Russell Wilson aiming to be the top-paid player in the league? Think they will get something done with Wilson before the season starts? Have they talked much yet?

Carroll: “We’ve been in communication, sure. It’s very topical. We’re on it.”

Has Frank Clark told them he intends to sit out camp if he has no $20 million extension? Status of talks? Has Seattle gotten more calls on Clark and is there a chance they might trade him?

Carroll: “This time of year, in his situation, there’s all kinds of speculation. We’ll see what happens. Not worried about Frank at all.

“The way we would say it is: We know Frank is going to be with us. We’ll figure it out. We’d love to have him under contract. That’s an ongoing process.”

How comfortable is Carroll with his pass rush with Clark? Seattle has no other veteran rusher, so are Carroll and Schneider just going to count on the draft and 2018 rookies Rasheem Green and Jacob Martin? Would they consider trading for a veteran pass rusher?

Carroll: “I’m pretty excited about what Jacob Martin did. If you guys check his stats, you’ll see Jacob Martin’s pressure percentage was really up there with elite players in a limited role. As a matter of fact, I saw Jacob the other day. He looks great. … He lost (20 pounds) during the season, trimmed down more than we would like him to. I think if he can maintain his weight around 245, right in that area, I think it’s going to make a difference. … So we’re thinking we give him more opportunities. He’s got a great motor, he plays like crazy on the field. So to have him and Frank going, that’s fantastic energy that they bring. We’ll see how he does, but he should be better than last year.”

We’ve got to get Rasheem Green to really come alive. He had some really good spots last year. He did great early in the season, got worn down a little bit and wasn’t quite as effective, but he has to be a factor for us too from inside.”

“We’re always looking for problem-makers for the offense, and they can come in different sizes and shapes. There are some guys in the draft that we’re interested in. There are some guys in free agency that we’ll look at here in the upcoming weeks.”

Is Jarran Reed on the radar for an extension before 2019 season?

Are they surprised they were able to keep K.J. Wright? Do they want to extend Bobby Wagner past 2019? Is Wagner worth $17 million?

Carroll: “We have met with Bobby just kind of in prelude to what it takes to do that. He’s an incredible player and been an incredible part of our program and the community and all that. Bobby’s going to be a Seahawk.”

“(Keeping Wright) might have been the best thing we did to negotiate with Bobby. Those guys are great friends, and they’re just warriors. They’ve been through it all together. Bobby was instrumental in the whole process.”

Do they really expect Mychal Kendricks to get no prison time? Or was the $4.5 million deal with no guarantees just a dart throw?

Carroll: “Mychal Kendricks did a nice job when he played for us last year. Very aggressive, showed how instinctive he was, really fast, loves the game, smart about the game. … The expectations are really high, and those guys (Wright and Kendricks) are going to be really good. That flexibility is going to give an added dimension to us; we’ll be able to move those guys around. The plan is absolutely to play them at the same time.”

What are the chances Doug Baldwin retires? Has Baldwin told the coach and GM anything about his future? Is Jordy Nelson still an option?

Carroll: “He’s been extraordinarily adept at figuring out how to return from … being banged up. If he could, he will. If he could do it, he will. I have no doubt in that. But it’s been a challenging offseason for him. He’s had a lot of stuff he’s been working on. This latest (surgery, for hernia in early April) is going to take some time again. Whatever he has to do we’re going to follow, support and believe in it.”

The offensive line is set for 2019, but what about 2020 and beyond? Are they going to pick up the option on Germain Ifedi?

Do they regret picking the wrong kicker last year? Bringing back Jason Myers could end up being the difference between a sixth- and seventh-round comp pick.

Carroll: “I had a real clear thought about it when he was free — we end the season and he’s one of the top guys in the league. We had him, really liked the kid and thought the world of him. I remember saying to John if he had been on our team and had that kind of year we would have done everything to sign him back. To me it wasn’t that much different. He had an incredible season, great from long distance, extraordinarily consistent, he really liked being with us, family wanted to come back if they could, and it all fit together really well.”

Are they hoping to protect all four comp picks?

Carroll: “We wanted to keep this team together as best we could. … So, we’re not as active going for the big-shot guys in free agency, which we never think it’s a good idea to do that in the long haul. We like where we are.”

Do they feel they can add a non-minimum-salary veteran or are they playing it conservative the rest of the offseason?

Carroll: “I think (run-stopping DT is) a clear-cut area for us. We’ve always had a real large guy that can fill in for us in there. Poona Ford did a great job last year and he grew into our affection. We like the way he finished up; he was so active and (had) such a good motor. J-Reed is a fine player, too. But I think it’s really important for us to continue to find another guy with Shamar (Stephen) going on.”

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