Ever since the Seahawks
essentially swapped Geno Smith, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp and Marques Valdes-Scantling, plus a couple of Day 2 picks, fans have debated whether the Hawks made a good aggregate deal.
Now that we have numbers on all of Seattle’s contracts, we can compare the money (pending Smith’s new deal with the Raiders).
Continue reading Hawks saved $30M in 2025 swapping out QB and receivers
It is no big surprise that the Seahawks once again missed out on adding a
notable veteran lineman.
It has been apparent since Teven Jenkins — an injury risk — left the VMAC without a deal that the Hawks likely were going to end up settling on a middling one-year vet again – a la Laken Tomlinson in 2024.
But John Schneider needs to get serious about the offensive line in this draft.
Continue reading OL: After free agency whiff, it is all on the draft now
John Schneider’s Seahawks had a stunning first week of free agency, unexpectedly trading both Geno Smith and DK Metcalf and then quickly replacing Smith with Sam Darnold.
They also re-signed two big pieces of their defense, Ernest Jones IV and Jarran Reed. And they brought in Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Cooper Kupp to help replace Metcalf and the released Tyler Lockett. DeMarcus Lawrence was added to beef up their front seven (especially in the run game).
They bid big ($17 million a year) but missed out on the top free-agent guard, Will Fries. But they still might end up with one of the top guards; Teven Jenkins (Chicago) is due in for a visit to the VMAC on Monday.
After a week of free agency, the defense – already on schedule to be a top-five unit in 2025 — is a bit better, and the offense is still rebuilding after the surprising mini-teardown.
Let’s take a look at the roster.
Continue reading After a week of free agency, a look at the rosterMike Macdonald intends to win playoff games in 2025 – and he has a pretty clever plan for making sure it happens.
It’s called familiarity. He is returning nearly his entire 10th-ranked defense from 2024 (and making it better), and he his putting together an offense that he expects to literally hit the ground running.
It started with bringing in a veteran offensive staff full of guys who had worked together before. Macdonald knew Klint Kubiak would bring run game coordinator Rick Dennison, offensive line coach John Benton and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko. All have worked with him in the past.
Then, when free agency began this week, Kubiak was key in the Seahawks recruiting both Sam Darnold and Marquez Valdes-Scantling – who both know Kubiak and the offense.
Continue reading Macdonald, Kubiak are building an offense that can hit the ground runningRelationships make the NFL go round – and that was never more obvious than in all of the Seahawks’ dealings over the past week.
The franchise’s relationship with DK Metcalf soured to the point that he simply wanted to go play elsewhere. John Schneider said he could not work it out with Metcalf, so he traded him to Pittsburgh.
Then Geno Smith forced a trade when he and his agent refused to respond to Seattle’s fair contract offer – $40 million in 2025, per Brady Henderson. Whether Smith intended it or not, he got a reunion with his favorite coach, Pete Carroll, back in the NFL with the Raiders.
That might have left the Seahawks in a bind if not for Mike Macdonald’s preemptive move to hire Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator. Kubiak’s previous relationship with Sam Darnold made it easy for the Hawks to quickly replace Smith with Darnold.
Continue reading Kubiak ties to Darnold & MVS countered losses of Geno & Metcalf
The big question about new Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is very simple: Will he
continue to play like he did in Minnesota last season?
Matt Hasselbeck and others are confident he will.
Darnold struggled early in his career because he had really bad coaching with the Jets and Panthers. To his credit, he got out of that cycle and intentionally took a step back so he could learn how to play quarterback in the NFL.
Now he just needs to find that “clutch gene” to become Seattle’s franchise quarterback, Hasselbeck said.
Continue reading Hasselbeck: If Darnold finds ‘clutch gene,’ he can be a franchise QBThe Seahawks apparently were willing to pay $17 million a year for guard Will Fries but got beat out on guaranteed money.
The Vikings reportedly guaranteed $34 million in a five-year, $88 million deal. The Hawks reportedly were offering a three-year contract similar to what they gave Dre Jones in 2023.
The Hawks also reportedly wanted Fries to take a physical so they could check his broken tibia (suffered in Week 5 last year). But he apparently did not want to wait until today when he had other good offers.
So the Hawks are on to cheaper options. The top guys available all have flaws, but most of them likely would be upgrades over what Seattle has at guard right now.
Continue reading Free agency Day 3: Hawks apparently gave it a good shot for FriesThe disappointment continues for Seahawks fans who hold out hope every year that John Schneider will pay for a quality offensive lineman or two.
While Schneider did well to quickly sign Sam Darnold on Monday, he has yet to find a starting left guard — and the best options are dwindling.
In a small twist of irony that Darnold is probably chuckling over after he endured so much pressure in the playoff loss to the Rams, the Vikings actually have signed two linemen that Seahawks fans were hoping Schneider would get: center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries.
Continue reading Free agency Day 2: Vikings strike backAs expected, the Seahawks quickly agreed to a deal with Sam Darnold.
It was reported as $100.5 million over three years, with $37.5 million in Year 1 and $55 million total guaranteed. So essentially that is a two-year deal worth $55 million — $27.5 million a year. And then they will revisit in 2027.
If he continues to ascend his play under Klint Kubiak, he will merit a new deal. Otherwise, the Hawks set it up as a two-year trial — with many thinking (hoping) they will draft a QB this year or next.
Continue reading Free agency Day 1: Hawks get a good deal on DarnoldIf Sam Darnold does indeed sign with the Seahawks, would he be the next Russell Wilson or just the next Geno Smith – a long-term answer or another so-called placeholder?
National media is abuzz with the projection that Darnold and the Seahawks are headed for a quick marriage – as soon as Monday, when teams can agree to deals with outside free agents.
Along with that informed speculation comes plenty of this: “Darnold would replace Smith as the bridge quarterback while Seattle looks to draft a potential franchise QB in 2025 or 2026.”
But why couldn’t the not-yet 28-year-old Darnold be the longish-term answer for Seattle?
Continue reading Would Darnold be only a ‘bridge’ quarterback?
CHAWK TALK: Everything being said about the Seahawks 