Schneider speaks at Combine

February 27, 2019 cc Leave a comment

chawk lines -- Combine Here are the key statements from John Schneider at the Combine today:

The GM expects Frank Clark to be a Seahawk but does not yet know whether he will end up using the franchise tag on him by Tuesday. (Or, if he does, he is not saying.)

Schneider has talked to Russell Wilson‘s agent, Mark Rodgers, about an extension, but that is not a priority at this stage of the offseason. Schneider also said he gets the impression Wilson wants to remain with the Seahawks. “I have no reason to believe otherwise — other than Internet rumors.”

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Free agency, NFL Combine

Clark countdown is on

February 26, 2019 cc Leave a comment

As the Combine begins, we’re just a few days from finding out where the Seahawks and Frank Clark stand.

Schneider surely will be meeting Clark’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, this week to continue talks that apparently started last summer/fall.

At the Combine on Wednesday morning, Schneider said, “Communication has been great. There’s a strong level of trust between the two of us.” Asked whether he would franchise him, the GM said, “Don’t know yet.”

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Contracts, Free agency

Hawks have roster flexibility: Here’s a detailed budget

February 24, 2019 cc 3 Comments

Right after the Seahawks’ season ended prematurely, we put forth an offseason to-do list that included extending Frank Clark, improving the defensive line, addressing the future of right tackle, re-signing guards, deciding the fate of their linebackers, adding a vet safety and, of course, extending Russell Wilson.

Earlier this month, we also outlined the projected market for Seattle’s free agents — predicting the team would franchise Clark and keep at least one of the guards while probably/possibly losing Earl Thomas, K.J. Wright, Justin Coleman, Mike Davis and Shamar Stephen.

We also listed pass-rush options beyond Clark — as a No. 2 pass rusher should be Seattle’s top outside priority.

If the Seahawks wanted to, they could retain Clark and at least one guard; extend Wilson, Bobby Wagner and Jarran Reed; and still have around $20 million for other moves.

Here’s a detailed look at how Seattle could accomplish all of that:

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NFL Combine, NFL draft, Trades

Schneider’s big Combine mission: Set up trades

February 21, 2019 cc Leave a comment

Schneider at combine This week’s wild Russell Wilson rumor aside, it has been a quiet stretch in Seahawks Land — no action since the team signed Paxton Lynch in mid-January. Like most of the rest of the league, the Hawks have been heads-down planning offseason moves and prepping for next week’s Combine.

John Schneider will have three tasks in Indy. Beyond scouting players and gauging the free-agent market, the biggest mission will be laying the groundwork for possible draft trades.

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On the air, The roster, Trades

It’s speculation month: Wilson to NYC a whopper

February 20, 2019 cc Leave a comment

Ciara and Russ February is speculation month in the NFL, and Colin Cowherd just topped Reggie Wayne.

A day after the former NFL star suggested the Seahawks tag-and-trade Frank Clark for Antonio Brown, the funniest name in sports radio dropped this rumor: Russell Wilson might want to play for the New York Giants.

Cowherd said sources from the entertainment world are talking about Ciara’s desire to move to New York, where she would have better exposure in her music career. And then Cowherd connected the dots, suggesting Wilson would want to accommodate his wife and might push to play for the Giants.

So, fans everywhere want to know: How much credence should we put into this rumor?

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Contracts, Free agency

Projected market for Hawks’ free agents

February 6, 2019 cc Leave a comment

Russell Wilson could be guaranteed $100 million and Frank Clark $50 million in new deals, according to contract expert Joel Corry, who also laid out the possible markets for several other Seahawks in a conversation with John Clayton on 710 ESPN.

Per Corry, Wilson figures to hit $35 million APY (as we projected) if he signs an extension this year, Clark will aim for $20 million (if not franchised at around $17 million), K.J. Wright could get more than $7 million, and D.J. Fluker, J.R. Sweezy and Justin Coleman all could merit around $5 million on the open market.

All of those amounts, except Wilson’s, would be more than the Seahawks are expected to be willing to pay. But the markets for Wright, the guards and Coleman might not hit those figures either, Corry acknowledged.

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CHAWK LINES, Contracts, Fun & games

Super Bowl weekend notes: Clark & Wilson ready for 2019

February 4, 2019 cc Leave a comment

Right after the Super Bowl, Frank Clark was ready to get started with the Seahawks again: “Let’s get this paperwork (i.e., contract) done so we (can) go on this hunt. I’m tired of the same results.” The Seahawks have been in the playoffs in three of Clark’s four seasons, but it’s nice to see he is aiming higher — and wants to get there with the Seahawks. Now we just have to wait and see how that paperwork turns out.

Speaking of contracts: Talks have not yet begun between John Schneider/Matt Thomas and Russell Wilson’s agent, Mark Rodgers. But that’s no surprise. Those negotiations are not likely to occur until at least May. Meanwhile, right after the Super Bowl, Wilson tweeted: “2019. Going to be a special year.”

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Contracts, Free agency

Pass-rush options aren’t limited to Clark

January 30, 2019 cc Leave a comment

“Business is business so you gotta pay me.” — Frank Clark

The offseason has begun for all but two teams, and football is now in business mode — as Richard Sherman and Frank Clark tweeted recently.

It has been assumed that the Seahawks will keep Clark, their only legit outside pass rusher, via a contract extension or the franchise tag. Pete Carroll confirmed that thought in December when he told 710 ESPN, “He ain’t going anywhere. We aren’t losing him.”

But Carroll also admitted, “We’ve got to figure (the contract) out somehow. It’s a big issue.”

What if the issue is too big? What if John Schneider decides that Clark, who garnered 14 sacks while playing through a bunch of injuries in 2018, is not worth a long-term investment at $17 million APY or more? What if Schneider thinks he can get an equitable pass rusher for closer to $10 million? Or two rushers for the price of Clark?

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The roster, X's & O's

Hawks failed Glowinski & still need guards

January 29, 2019 cc Leave a comment

Pete Carroll and John Schneider have to be kicking themselves over how badly they screwed up with Mark Glowinski, who has to be just as happy that they released him from Tom Cable’s broken system in 2017 so he could get his career going in the right direction.

The guard was a good pick by Seattle in the fourth round in 2015, coming off an excellent college career at West Virginia, and he should have become one of Seattle’s line mainstays. Instead, Carroll and Schneider let him go in 2017 and he turned into one of the Indianapolis Colts’ best linemen in 2018, earning a contract worth $6 million a year.

Glowinski is the latest — maybe the greatest — example of how Cable’s system held players back in Seattle.

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Coaches, Injury report

Huard: Conditioning will be more player-specific under new staff

January 28, 2019 cc Leave a comment

As hip injuries mounted for the Seahawks last season — it seemed like half the team had the same problem at one time or another — we figured they would review the issue after the season and see where they needed to adjust their offseason conditioning.

As it turned out, Pete Carroll was no longer hip to his strength staff at all, so he replaced it. Ivan Lewis, Carroll’s former USC assistant, has replaced longtime conditioning coach Chris Carlisle (at USC and Seattle) and apparently will be tasked with tailoring conditioning to the players in a way Carlisle apparently did not.

Per 710 ESPN’s Brock Huard: “This is going to be … much more catered to position-specific, even player-specific, needs, because they cannot have the number of injuries they’ve had. They just cannot have the number of pulls and strains and soft-tissue injuries. So this was, I think, really in response to that. It was a move to get very player- and positional-specific to enhance those guys and try to keep them injury-free as much as they possibly can.”

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