Tag Archives: John Schneider

Hawks won’t trade Lock, but will he start somewhere in 2027?

The Seahawks are not going to trade Drew Lock, but odds certainly have increased that they might lose him in free agency next year.

With Sam Darnold injured, Lock has been excellent over the first two games. He has led the Hawks to two wins and has played almost as well as top starting quarterbacks Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy.

Lock has definitely earned more money for 2027. Some fans also are wondering whether Lock has built a bunch of trade value, but quarterbacks are rarely traded in season and John Schneider and Mike Macdonald are not going to do that (short of some team far overpaying).  

Lock surely will remain a Seahawk this season, but he is up for free agency after that and might have a chance to land a starting job elsewhere.

Continue reading Hawks won’t trade Lock, but will he start somewhere in 2027? →

How does Macdonald replace his ‘gravy’ safety?

When Bud Clark was down on the field in Tennessee, being tended to after he had broken his ankle, he assured a questioning Mike Macdonald, “Hell yeah, coach, we gravy.”

We’re not hip to all the lingo, but sounds like he meant it will be OK.

It was apropos that he used that word because Clark was supposed to be the gravy on the Seattle defense this season — the extra sauce to give Macdonald’s unit another element of flexibility and confuse offenses even more. So losing him for the season is a really unfortunate blow to that plan.

Now the question becomes: How does Macdonald replace Clark? Where does he find some more gravy?

Continue reading How does Macdonald replace his ‘gravy’ safety? →

Spoon’s deal beat anything on the field in preseason opener

The Seahawks played their first football game of the season Saturday, but the most exciting action came earlier that morning when Devon Witherspoon finally signed the contract that made him (for now) the highest-paid cornerback in the league.

Mike Macdonald made us laugh when he lamented that his “team” did not play very well in the 17-7 loss to Dallas – because it was mostly third-stringers. We all know his A-team could start playing and winning right now.

This preseason is all about getting Brian Fleury integrated as the new OC, ramping up some young guys (e.g., Bud Clark) and settling the six or seven undetermined roster spots (some of which will rotate throughout the season anyway). Beyond that, the Seahawks are ready to “run it forward” in 2026 right now.

Meanwhile, John Schneider and Joey Laine have been running it forward beyond 2026. With the big extension for Witherspoon finally done, they now have locked up seven starters through at least 2028, along with drafting four other key guys in the last two years.

In our three-year projection, there are just seven openings for 2028: C, RG, WR3, ER2, both ILBs, SS. And four of those guys — Ernest Jones IV, Drake Thomas, Julian Love, Jalen Sundell — could easily be re-signed. That’s a pretty good-looking future.

Let’s take a look at Spoon’s deal, a little more on Terrion Arnold and the few tidbits we learned from the game Saturday.

Continue reading Spoon’s deal beat anything on the field in preseason opener →

Let’s hope the Hawks are making a well-informed bet on Arnold

The Seahawks’ reported pending addition of Terrion Arnold is a bet on a lot of things: (1) Arnold being available to play, (2) Arnold being worth it on the field, (3) Arnold not being a huge distraction to the team, (4) Arnold not ending up in prison and making John Schneider and Mike Macdonald look like complete fools.

You have to hope the bet is more like an insider trading investment than a pure roulette spin. In other words, hopefully Schneider and Macdonald have garnered information about the legal case that makes them think Arnold (a) did not commit the crime and (b) is going to be available to play for them for the majority of the season.

We should hear from the team leaders about this when they officially sign Arnold. They certainly owe an explanation to fans and the community about the decision to sign a guy accused of eight felonies.

There obviously are reasons they are optimistic about this move – reasons that go beyond thinking the cornerback can help them and thinking he is a good guy who got into a bad situation.

Continue reading Let’s hope the Hawks are making a well-informed bet on Arnold →

Arnold would be lucky to land with Hawks

John Schneider’s Seahawks are known for checking out every opportunity. So it’s not a big surprise that they brought in troubled former first-round cornerback Terrion Arnold for a chat and tryout.

What would be a surprise is if they signed him before they knew whether he might be headed to prison. That would be pretty pointless – and make Schneider and Mike Macdonald look like idiots, frankly.

It sounds like they are being smart about it though – waiting for the legal process to play out. And they seem to understand that Arnold needs them a lot more than they need him. This would be just a potential flyer on a talented kid, if he does not end up incarcerated.

In more ways than one, Arnold would be lucky to land in Seattle.

Continue reading Arnold would be lucky to land with Hawks →

Big Cat extension would keep defense elite for longer

AI conversion of photo by Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images

The Seahawks have spent the first week of training camp improving the team that won the Super Bowl (and is being ignorantly underrated in many corners of the NFL universe this summer).

Training camp is the on-field business, with direct impact on the 2026 season. But there is off-field business being done as well, affecting the future of the franchise.

While Devon Witherspoon’s agency supposedly is still negotiating with the Seahawks, Leonard Williams revealed that his agent also has been talking to the team about a new deal – and then word came that the deal is expected to be done before the start of the season. That’s the news we wanted to hear.

Continue reading Big Cat extension would keep defense elite for longer →

NFL position surveys show value of Williams, Darnold ahead of possible extensions

When the Khosla family takes over the Seahawks ahead of this season, the new owners figure to step into a flurry of big contract extensions.

Devon Witherspoon is expected to be the next one, coming in as one of the two highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL before the season begins (ideally even before the Khoslas take ownership). John Schneider also might be working on another big-money extension – for Leonard Williams. And next year it will be Sam Darnold’s turn.

ESPN’s ongoing series of positional top-10 rankings might be informative for the value of new deals for Williams and Darnold.

Continue reading NFL position surveys show value of Williams, Darnold ahead of possible extensions →

NFL folks rank Spoon No. 4 among corners as he seeks top dollar

A new ESPN survey of dozens of NFL coaches and execs puts Devon Witherspoon fourth among all current cornerbacks in the league.

Some oddly think this survey will make it tougher for the Seahawks to extend Witherspoon before the season, but let’s be clear: John Schneider and lead contract guy Joey Laine already are prepared to pay top dollar for Mike Macdonald’s favorite defender. They know he is a top-five corner, and there is no reason to think this survey changes anything in regard to contract talks.

Continue reading NFL folks rank Spoon No. 4 among corners as he seeks top dollar →

Talking tight ends: Barner’s value & Arroyo’s ‘opportunity’

Tight ends are the talk of the town this week.

As many of the NFL’s “chess knights” – as Mike Macdonald calls them – attend the sixth annual Tight End University, a couple of the top guys also have received new contracts.

All of this activity — a month out from training camp – brings the focus in Seattle on the Seahawks’ two young tight ends, AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo. Both are entering big seasons, for different reasons.

Continue reading Talking tight ends: Barner’s value & Arroyo’s ‘opportunity’ →

Hall’s extension was a pleasant surprise

In a move that certainly surprised us, Derick Hall decided not to follow Boye Mafe’s path toward big free-agent money, choosing instead to stay in Seattle for maybe 70% of what he could have gotten on the market next year.

That Hall chose to stay rather than chase the big bucks is a testament to what Mike Macdonald and John Schneider have built and continue to build in Seattle.

It’s the first big move the Seahawks have made to settle their defensive front beyond 2026 – Byron Murphy II had been the only guy among the top seven assured of returning in 2027.

Continue reading Hall’s extension was a pleasant surprise →