Tag Archives: John Schneider

Free agency, The roster

After a week of free agency, a look at the roster

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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.

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Coaches, Free agency, The roster

Kubiak ties to Darnold & MVS countered losses of Geno & Metcalf

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Relationships 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.

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Free agency, The roster

Free agency Day 3: Hawks apparently gave it a good shot for Fries

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The 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.

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Free agency, The roster

Free agency Day 2: Vikings strike back

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The 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.

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Free agency, The roster

Would Darnold be only a ‘bridge’ quarterback?

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If 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?

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The roster, Trades

Geno traded: Why and how Hawks are suddenly changing quarterbacks

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In a surprising move that seemed unlikely based on everything John Schneider and Mike Macdonald had said, the Seahawks traded Geno Smith to Pete Carroll’s Raiders on Friday.

They got a third-round pick (No. 92) in return – which all things considered was a solid payout. In fact, if Carroll had not returned to the NFL, we doubt there would have been a trade market for Smith. Carroll and the Raiders clearly coveted Smith enough to give up a Day 2 pick.

Here is how it all went down, based on various reliable national NFL reporters:

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Contracts, The roster, Trades

Will Schneider trade Metcalf this time?

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Three years ago, John Schneider had a decision to make: Extend DK Metcalf with a top-of-the-market deal or trade him.

Even though the Seattle general manager admitted to being shocked at the skyrocketing numbers for receivers back then (they were just hitting $20 million per year), Pete Carroll really wanted to keep Metcalf, so Schneider paid the talented receiver $24 million per year.

Now Metcalf is again approaching the end of his contract and it’s deja vu all over again for Schneider.

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Coaches, Free agency, Trades

Carroll joining Raiders spices up offseason possibilities

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It is a surprise that some team wanted to hire a 73-year-old coach who fizzled out over his final three years in Seattle, but kudos to Pete Carroll for making an unexpected return to the NFL.

That now leads to natural questions about whether he might want to bring any of his former Seahawks players to Las Vegas. New Raiders GM John Spyvek, hired from Tampa Bay, will have a lot to say about that, of course.

The Raiders have plenty of roster needs, including quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback. The Hawks have three players at those spots whose names have been bandied about in trade speculation. Would Carroll have any interest in a reunion with Geno Smith, DK Metcalf or Riq Woolen?

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State of the team

Despite poor 2024, Schneider has built a solid core

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The Seahawks have missed the playoffs in three of the past four years and now have the fourth-longest drought from the NFC title game (12 teams have made it since they did in 2014), so fans and media have started to point the finger at John Schneider.

After a particularly bad 2024 in which the general manager missed on most of his free agents and put together the Seahawks’ worst offensive line since 2016, many are calling for his job.

But let’s be very clear: Jody Allen is not going to fire Schneider. Not when Mike Macdonald, the coach he just hired, led the Hawks to 10 wins in his first season by turning around a defense that had wallowed in the NFL’s depths in Pete Carroll’s last few seasons.

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Coaches, Contracts

Macdonald wants Geno as his QB, but ‘it’s a Seahawks decision’

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If Mike Macdonald has his way, Geno Smith will be back in 2025, playing under a new offensive coordinator and possibly an extension.

In his final presser of the season, Macdonald told reporters, “I want Geno to be here. … I feel like Geno is the best (quarterback) for the team right now.”

But Macdonald also indicated nothing is set in stone, which explains his cryptic answer the previous day on Seattle Sports 710 AM when asked if Smith would be back: “I guess yeah.”

Smith’s cap hit will be $44.5 million, which means the team could look at lowering it with an extension or perhaps even moving on if a deal cannot be reached. The latter seems very unlikely though — Smith is a top-15 QB (No. 13 by EPA over the past three years), and there are no better options for Seattle in 2025.

“Ultimately, it’s not my decision,” Macdonald said. “It’s a Seahawks decision. But Geno knows how we feel about him — and we love him as our starting quarterback, for sure.”

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