HEADLINES

Pete Carroll

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Hufanga, Rams

October 10th, 2024 at 1:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Left in charge after the Seahawks jettisoned their other football operations pillar, John Schneider‘s search for Pete Carroll‘s successor started earlier. The 14-year Seattle HC’s age (72 as of Week 18 last season) moved Schneider to do some early work on candidates, per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, leading the team to 36-year-old Mike Macdonald.

While the Carroll-for-Macdonald change — or a move to a much younger candidate — was eventually expected, the decision from Seahawks ownership gave Schneider full autonomy for the first time. Previously riding shotgun to Carroll in terms of final roster say, Schneider’s takeover of sorts came after the aging HC had discussed ceding that power to the GM in recent years, Henderson adds. A January report also pointed to Carroll considering retirement around midseason only to reverse course; Seahawks ownership’s decision cemented the change to a Schneider-run operation. Although Carroll and Schneider rarely disagreed to the point the coach had to wield his decision-making hammer, it will be interesting to gauge the Seahawks’ direction with the longtime GM calling all the shots.

Carroll is technically a Seahawks advisor following his coaching stay, though the former Jets and Patriots HC wanted to coach again. He lobbied to keep the Seattle gig. But Carroll has kept his distance from the facility, with Henderson adding the departed coach wants to give Macdonald’s regime space. Carroll had indeed planned to serve in his advisory role, but he has stepped back in the months since. Carroll, now 73, is no longer eyeing another coaching job.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • Both Carroll and Macdonald signed off on a Jason Peters addition. The now-42-year-old tackle played sparingly for the Seahawks last season, coming in to help a team that missed RT Abraham Lucas for much of the season. With that again the case and George Fant‘s second Seattle stint on hold, the Seahawks again summoned Peters to the practice squad. Close to becoming the first O-lineman to be on an active roster in a 21st NFL season, Peters said he did not expect to play again. Staying in contact with Schneider helped the All-Decade blocker’s cause, Henderson adds, and he could be on the cusp of being elevated to the Hawks’ gameday roster again.
  • Tre’Davious White is still on the Rams‘ 53-man roster, but the team deemed the eighth-year veteran a healthy scratch in Week 5. Classifying this as a coach’s decision, Sean McVay demoted the free agency acquisition from starter to out of the mix entirely, via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. This is an interesting decision, even with the Rams activating Darious Williams from IR and turning to the recently re-signed Ahkello Witherspoon as a starter (alongside Cobie Durant) for the first time this season. Despite his injury trouble during the final years of his Bills tenure, White played 98% of Los Angeles’ defensive snaps during the team’s first four games. Pro Football Focus rated White as the NFL’s seventh-worst corner this season, and the former Buffalo extension recipient has already been charged with allowing four touchdown receptions and a 138.4 passer rating as the closest defender this season. White, 29, is on a one-year, $4.25MM deal.
  • Talanoa Hufanga is back on IR, having suffered a wrist injury shortly after his ACL rehab odyssey concluded. Injuries are slowing the All-Pro safety, but ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano still views him as being on the 49ers’ extension radar. Hufanga joins cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir on San Francisco’s extension radar. The team may be readier to commit to Lenoir compared to Ward, who is three years younger (at 25), but Hufanga being on the team’s re-up radar is interesting. The former fifth-round pick rocketed onto the All-Pro tier in 2022 and would make sense as an extension candidate, but the 49ers paid Brandon Aiyuk this offseason and have a Brock Purdy extension on the horizon. Choices will need to be made on a defense that also houses Dre Greenlaw in a contract year.

Pete Carroll Not Eyeing New Coaching Gig

August 22nd, 2024 at 10:02am CST by Adam La Rose

Pete Carroll intended to remain in his post as head coach of the Seahawks in 2024. Efforts to convince the organization to allow that to take place were unsuccessful, though.

Set to turn 73 in September, Carroll does not have a role of any kind in place with the Seahawks. Seattle’s power structure now has general manager John Schneider making final decisions on roster-building moves and rookie head coach Mike Macdonald positioned to take over on the sidelines. Carroll has not been in touch with Macdonald or other Seattle staffers, nor is he actively seeking out a new coaching opportunity.

“Well, you know, I get asked a lot, so I’m pretty familiar with answering that I could coach tomorrow,” the Super Bowl winner said during an interview on 93.3 KJR. “I’m physically in the best shape I’ve been in a long time. I’m ready to be ready to do all the activities that I’m doing and feeling really good about it. I could, but I’m not desiring it at this point.”

Carroll’s NFL tenure dates back to 1994, and he took over as head coach in Seattle in 2010. The tenure that followed included a pair of Super Bowl appearances and an overall winning percentage of .606. The past three seasons have not included double-digit wins, though, and the Seahawks made only one playoff appearance during that span. Macdonald will be tasked with overseeing efforts on the defensive side of the ball in particular as the team looks to return to its former successes in that capacity.

While a number of coaches who were left without a position in the 2024 coaching cycle intend to return to an NFL sideline – including, most notably, Bill Belichick – Carroll does not have his eyes on doing so in the short- or long-term future. While circumstances could change, of course, the NFL’s 15th-winnigest coaches’ comments on his situation point to the 2023 campaign being his final one in any coaching capacity.

“We’ll see what happens,” Carroll added. “I’m not waiting on [a new opportunity] at all. I’m going ahead and I got other things that I want to do that I’m excited about, and I’m going to see how all that goes… So, if it’s been 40-something years, 48 years or whatever coaching and that’s it, I feel OK about that.”

Latest On Pete Carroll’s Seahawks Exit, Team’s HC Search

January 30th, 2024 at 6:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hours after the Seahawks closed the regular season with a win over the Cardinals, Pete Carroll said he was ready to return for a 15th season in charge. Two days later, the Seahawks officially announced other plans, moving on from the Super Bowl-winning HC.

Carroll may not have been resolute on returning, however. During the season, the longtime Seattle HC informed some team decision-makers he was moving toward retirement and was interested in staying with the team in a different capacity, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline notes. That path came to fruition, though it is not known what role Carroll will play going forward. He is not part of the committee searching for his own replacement.

The apparent Carroll backtracking did not sway Seahawks management, per Pauline, as team higher-ups were ready to move in a different direction. Carroll, 72, said he lobbied to keep his job and expressed frustration he was forced to convince non-football staffers. That said, GM John Schneider — effectively Carroll’s right-hand man for 14 years — has since assumed full control of the Seahawks. The veteran GM is leading the HC search.

This proved to be a disappointing season for the Seahawks, who faced higher expectations after a 9-8 2022 slate and a busy offseason. Seattle used two first-round picks, gave Dre’Mont Jones a $17MM-per-year deal and brought back Bobby Wagner. The team also traded for Leonard Williams, sending the Giants second- and fifth-round picks at the deadline. The Carroll- and Clint Hurtt-run defense struggled, finishing 30th in points allowed and 28th in DVOA. The team rallied back from its 6-7 place, but the mini-surge was not enough to qualify for the playoffs — even in a weak NFC wild-card chase. Hurtt is now with the Eagles, having agreed to become their D-line coach.

With Ben Johnson off the board, the likelihood of Ravens DC Mike Macdonald landing one of the two remaining jobs increases. Macdonald remains in the thick of the Seattle derby, ESPN’s Dan Graziano relayed on NFL Live (via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta), but Giants OC Mike Kafka has also emerged as a name to watch here. Bobby Slowik has joined Johnson in bowing out and agreeing to keep his current job.

It would surprise if Kafka landed this job, if only because the Giants are coming off a rough follow-up to their surprising 2022 divisional-round run. The Giants tumbled to 30th in points scored and in offensive DVOA. Granted, Daniel Jones‘ injury changed the equation for the Giants, who have employed Kafka as their play-caller over the past two seasons. Jones, however, was not playing well before his ACL tear. And tension between Kafka and Brian Daboll ran high at points, leading to the head coach yanking play-calling duties during games. Rumblings about Kafka being out of the picture in New York surfaced, but he remains on staff. Kafka is not in contention for the Washington job.

Here is how the Seahawks’ HC search looks:

Pete Carroll Pushing For Chargers’ HC Job?

January 23rd, 2024 at 12:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Pete Carroll is one of the top names on this year’s coaching carousel, the 14-year Seahawks leader has not met with a team about its HC position. It appears he is trying to change that.

Carroll had wanted to keep going with the Seahawks, admitting he made an aggressive pitch to stay on. The Seahawks instead kicking him to an advisory role leaves the energetic leader’s NFL future uncertain. But Carroll is believed to have attempted to land another gig. The 72-year-old coach has been making a behind-the-scenes push to land the Chargers’ job, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

While both the Chargers and Falcons have Jim Harbaugh on their respective radars, the Michigan HC is now most closely linked to the Bolts’ opening. The Chargers have made Harbaugh an offer viewed as “extremely strong,” and Harbaugh assistants are already circulating. The Chargers have satisfied the Rooney Rule, and although Harbaugh has been in talks with his current employer about an extension for weeks, it would not surprise to see him make Los Angeles his vehicle for an NFL comeback after nine years in the college ranks.

Carroll and Harbaugh coached against each other throughout the latter’s time in San Francisco, most memorably in a tightly contested 2013 NFC championship game the eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks won. While Carroll has coached in two Super Bowls as a head coach and has a ring from Super Bowl XLVIII, his Seattle defenses have declined over the past several years. Over the past two, the Seahawks ranked 30th in total defense. That understandably interfered with his hopes of coming back for a 15th season, with longtime GM ally John Schneider now running the show in Seattle.

It would stand to reason teams would still be interested in Carroll, given his accomplishments, but the two oldest members on this year’s HC carousel — Carroll and Bill Belichick — have not received substantial interest. At least, not from multiple teams. Belichick remains closely linked to the Atlanta HC opening, interviewing twice. But the 24-year Patriots HC has not met with any other team.

Belichick, who is 71, is less than a year younger than Carroll, who was the NFL’s oldest HC last season. No team has hired a head coach older than 66 in NFL history, with only four coaches (Carroll, George Halas, Marv Levy, Romeo Crennel) in league annals coaching a game at 72 or older. Carroll’s age will undoubtedly impede his quest to land a fourth NFL HC gig. It is nonetheless interesting Carroll is trying to land in Los Angeles, where he spent nine years coaching USC in the 2000s.

Seahawks’ Pete Carroll Addresses Potential Coaching Future

January 12th, 2024 at 4:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

At the start of the week, Pete Carroll indicated he would remain in place to spend a 15th season as the Seahawks’ head coach. However, a meeting with owner Jody Allen has now resulted in Carroll shifting to an advisory role with the franchise.

The timing of the move and the characteristics of Carroll’s public remarks on his future have led to questions about his desire to continue coaching. Considering that would require the 72-year-old taking a position outside of Seattle after such a long tenure in the Emerald City, a new coaching gig would come as a surprise to many. However, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said in an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show that Carroll could be a candidate to watch in the event a vacancy for a team with a win-now roster were to appeal to him (video link).

Carroll spoke further about his situation on Friday with Brock Huard and Mike Salk of Seattle Sports. His comments in that interview point to him remaining in Seattle for at least the time being. They also make it clear, however, that his interest in spending time on an NFL sideline again has not been entirely extinguished. As things stand right now, he does not appear to be a genuine candidate for one of the league’s HC vacancies.

“I don’t know that,” Carroll said when asked about his potential desire to continue coaching (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). “I’ve got plenty of energy for it and thought and willingness, but I can’t imagine there’s a place, the right one. I don’t know. I’m open to everything, but I’m not holding my breath on that. There’s a lot of world out here that I’m excited about challenging and going after. So if that happens, it happens. We’ll see.”

The Super Bowl winner went on to note the apparent difference between his vision of the team’s direction and that of ownership, noting that the latter group is comprised of personnel which are “not football people.” It will certainly be interesting to see how his new position in Seattle takes shape (presuming he does not depart for an outside coaching gig).

The Patriots became the first team to make a HC hire on Friday, promoting Jerod Mayo to replace Bill Belichick. That move leaves seven vacancies around the league, so a market could develop if Carroll elected to change course and pursue a new opportunity. Given his comments on the matter, Carroll’s immediate future is in the air to at least an extent despite his new role in Seattle.

Pete Carroll Attempted To Keep Seahawks HC Gig; Staffers Free To Explore Other Jobs

January 10th, 2024 at 10:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

After 14 seasons with Pete Carroll at the helm, the Seahawks are starting over. They are kicking Carroll to an advisory role. With this not being Carroll’s call, it is fair to label it a firing.

Lending further toward this split not being entirely amicable, Carroll said Wednesday he “competed pretty hard to be the coach” in 2024. The Seahawks are nevertheless moving on. Although the Seahawks have 10- and nine-year HC runs in their history (Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox), Carroll is the longest-tenured HC in franchise annals by a wide margin.

Carroll, 72, said Monday he was expecting to be back with the Seahawks for a 15th season. Acknowledging he is “about as old as you can get in this business,” Carroll said today (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero) he did not foresee this outcome when he last met with the team. Carroll also does not know what his role with the organization will be yet, The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar tweets.

Given Carroll’s accomplishments, it is unsurprising ownership did not opt for a straight-up firing. A similar scenario is unfolding in New England with Bill Belichick — Carroll’s Patriots successor back in 2000 — though Carroll is not a lock to coach again. An NFL HC for 18 years (between stints with the Jets, Pats and Hawks), the Super Bowl winner/gum enthusiast did not slam the door on coaching somewhere else but acknowledged it is too early for such rumors. Based on his push to keep the gig he held for 14 years, Carroll still believes he can coach effectively.

The Seahawks are coming off their second straight 9-8 season, though this one veered toward disappointing due to the resources poured into the roster. Seattle re-signed Geno Smith on a three-year, $75MM deal, made two more first-round picks (Devon Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba) and made two big-ticket D-line investments by giving Dre’Mont Jones a $17MM-AAV contract and making a buyer’s trade for Leonard Williams. Carroll’s defense ranked 30th in yards allowed, following a 26th-place ranking in 2022.

Although Carroll is seemingly set to play a role in Seattle’s front office, he will not have a say in who replaces him. GM John Schneider will lead the way on that front. Carroll said the chance for Schneider to pick a head coach became the biggest factor in his decision to accept this move to an advisory position, per Dugar and the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta.

Schneider, 52, has ridden shotgun alongside Carroll throughout their time in Seattle. The GM arrived during the same 2010 offseason as Carroll, though the latter held final say. It is not known if the Seahawks will give Schneider full autonomy, or if both the GM and HC would separately report to Jody Allen, but the successful GM has been in place longer than all but one pure GM in the NFL. Only the Saints’ Mickey Loomis, hired in 2002, has served in his role longer than Schneider, who obviously played a major role in assembling Seattle’s Super Bowl XLVIII and XLIX rosters. The 15th-year GM is signed through 2027.

This change will almost definitely lead to major staff adjustments. The Seahawks will let Carroll’s assistants speak to other teams about jobs, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones noting the next HC will not be required to retain any staffers. Shane Waldron has completed three seasons as Seahawks OC, while Clint Hurtt has been in the DC role for two years.

Teams can block lateral moves for contracted coaches, so long as they do not involving a team wanting to interview a non-play-calling coordinator for a play-calling position. The Panthers did so earlier today, preventing an Ejiro Evero Jaguars DC interview. The Rams, however, made a similar good-faith gesture last year by letting Sean McVay‘s staffers explore other opportunities while he debated walking away.

Pete Carroll’s Seahawks HC Tenure Ends

January 10th, 2024 at 1:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after the Seahawks’ season ended, Pete Carroll said he expected to be back on the sidelines for a 15th season with the team. The Seahawks have other ideas. Carroll’s tenure as Seattle’s HC is ending, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.

The NFL’s oldest active HC, Carroll coached 14 years with the Seahawks. It is not certain the Super Bowl-winning leader will be out entirely with the organization, but Schefter reports he will not be back coaching the team in 2024. A day after the Titans’ decision to outright fire Mike Vrabel, the Seahawks have come in with a similarly surprising call. Carroll, 71, has since informed his staff he is out, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets.

Hired after a wildly successful USC tenure in 2010, Carroll revived his NFL career with the Seahawks. The former Jets and Patriots HC guided the franchise to its apex during the mid-2010s, when Carroll coached the team to back-to-back NFC championships and a Super Bowl XLVIII blowout conquest. The Seahawks, however, have drifted off the Super Bowl radar over the past few years. And Carroll’s defenses have not rivaled the Legion of Boom days in a while.

Seahawks owner Jody Allen confirmed Wednesday that Carroll will no longer be in place as head coach. Allen added that the 14-year Seattle leader will remain with the organization in an advisory role. This is similar to how the Buccaneers played it when Bruce Arians stepped down, though that split is believed to have come from Arians. Carroll going from being committed to coaching in 2024 to this lesser role represents a sea change in the Pacific Northwest.

“After thoughtful meetings and careful consideration for the best interest of the franchise, we have amicably agreed with Pete Carroll that his role will evolve from Head Coach to remain with the organization as an advisor,” Allen said in a statement. “His expertise and leadership in building a championship culture will continue as an integral part of our organization moving forward.”

A Dan Quinn-Seahawks reunion could be in the cards. The Cowboys’ DC is expected to be a lead candidate to return to Seattle, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Quinn was the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator during their two Super Bowl seasons in the 2010s, replacing Gus Bradley. Quinn, who has been Dallas’ DC for three seasons, also worked as Seattle’s defensive line coach from 2009-10. Quinn, 53, has been selective about his return to a head coach position, bowing out of the past two HC carousels after garnering extensive interest. It would not surprise if he pursued the Seattle gig, given his past with the franchise.

The Jets made Carroll a one-and-done in 1994, and the Patriots traded for Bill Belichick‘s rights to replace him after three seasons (1997-99). Carroll then won two national titles at USC. After two seasons back in the pros in Seattle, Carroll ignited the team’s ascent when the team drafted Russell Wilson in the 2012 third round. The former No. 75 overall pick paired with a young core of defenders, a cadre 2012 second-round pick Bobby Wagner also joined, and created one of this era’s most dominant nuclei.

The Seahawks held a record-setting Broncos offense to eight points in a 43-8 smashing 10 years ago, and their follow-up effort produced an overtime walk-off to complete an NFC championship comeback over the Packers. A less healthy Seahawks defense could not hold up against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, with one play call — the pass that led to Malcolm Butler‘s seminal interception, eschewing a Marshawn Lynch carry from the 1-yard line — remembered as the tipping point in that Super Bowl and for both franchises in the 2010s.

While the Seahawks never made it back to a Super Bowl under Carroll, Wilson’s progression into a Hall of Fame-caliber passer helped keep the team in contention for several years. Carroll guided the Seahawks to 10 playoff appearances and five division titles in his 14-season run. The team’s blockbuster Wilson trade in 2022 brought back major assets that have been used on potential cornerstones. After a surprise playoff berth in 2022, which featured a shocking Geno Smith re-emergence, the Seahawks disappointed this season by finishing 9-8 and missing the postseason.

During the Legion of Boom’s heyday, the Seahawks became the first franchise since the 1950s Browns to lead the NFL in scoring defense in four straight seasons. Bradley, Quinn and Kris Richard resided as Seattle’s DCs during that period, with Richard Sherman (Round 5, 2011) and Earl Thomas (Round 1, 2010) becoming Canton-caliber DBs and Kam Chancellor (Round 5, 2010) working as a co-anchor of the group. As that storied secondary splintered, along with the losses of Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, the Seahawks steadily regressed defensively. Wilson’s two extensions made it more difficult for the Seahawks to retain their defensive core, after the team used its QB’s rookie deal to load up the roster in 2013 and ’14. By 2018, only Wagner and K.J. Wright remained.

Under Clintt Hurtt over the past two seasons, the Seahawks finished no higher than 25th in scoring or total defense. This certainly became an issue for the defensive-minded head coach, whose unit crashed to 30th in total defense (28th in DVOA) in 2023. Carroll had fired Ken Norton Jr. after a four-season DC run, but the unit has worsened in the two years since. While Smith did not match his Comeback Player of the Year season, the team’s offense outshined the Carroll- and Hurtt-managed defense. This almost definitely has contributed to the Seahawks’ course change.

Carroll’s latest HC contract runs through 2025. He also held final personnel say, though he and GM John Schneider — brought in together in 2010 — worked collaboratively throughout this successful era. It is now worth watching to see if Schneider will have full control once the team hires Carroll’s replacement. Will Carroll retain any say in decision-making from his new advisory perch? Carroll finishes his Seahawks HC career at 137-89-1. His AFC East years round the record out to 170-120-1.

The Panthers, Chargers and Commanders have requested meetings with Quinn, who turned the Cowboys’ defense around quickly. Those clubs now have clear competition, though it remains to be seen which other candidates Seahawks ownership has in mind. But the next era will be unmistakably different.

The Seahawks picked up their first championship and tripled its Super Bowl appearance count under Carroll, whose high-energy style led to him becoming one of this NFL period’s defining figures. In an offseason in which Belichick is also expected to separate from the Patriots, the NFL will look considerably different by the time teams reconvene for the 2024 season.

Pete Carroll Intends To Stay For 15th Season With Seahawks

January 8th, 2024 at 11:56am CST by Sam Robinson

Pete Carroll retirement noise circulated briefly as the season wound down, but the longtime Seahawks head coach swatted those away Monday morning. The NFL’s oldest HC is planning to stay on for a 15th season in 2024.

The Seahawks finished 9-8 for a second straight season. Considering the draft capital the team used from the back end of the Russell Wilson haul, the eight-loss season and playoff absence represents a disappointment. Carroll, 72, is still aiming to turn things around next season.

“I plan to be coaching this team,” Carroll said, via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. “I’m not worn out. I’m not tired. I need to do a better job.”

Despite making a buyer’s trade by landing Leonard Williams from the Giants (for second- and fifth-round picks), the Seahawks did not boast an upper-echelon defense. Carroll being a defense-oriented head coach, this is obviously a disappointment. Seattle will send New York the No. 48 overall pick in 2024 for Williams, who is on track for free agency. The Carroll- and Clint Hurtt-run defense ranked 25th in scoring and 30th in yards allowed. Even as the Seahawks have steadily plummeted on that side of the ball, a 30th-place finish represents a new Carroll-era low for the franchise.

While Carroll expects changes (via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar), the veteran HC indicated this is the case only because there are usually changes at this time of year.

Carroll hired Hurtt to run the defense in 2022, ousting Ken Norton Jr. But Seattle’s defense has regressed over the past several years. The only defense since the 1950s Browns to go rank first in points allowed in four consecutive years, the Seahawks are long past their Legion of Boom days. They have not ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense since 2016. That said, Norton’s group finished 11th in 2021. Hurtt’s units have now gone 25th-25th in his two seasons calling the shots.

The Seahawks have Geno Smith tied to a team-friendly contract — a three-year, $75MM deal that includes barely $28MM guaranteed — so it would not be shocking to see Wilson’s successor receive a third season as QB1. Smith, 33, finished 12th in QBR this season. The Seahawks also have their top two running backs and top three wide receivers each signed for at least two more seasons.

As for Carroll, his most recent extension runs through 2024 with an option for 2025. Without a 10-win season since 2020, Wilson’s last non-injury-plagued year in Seattle, Carroll signing another extension may generate more discussion among ownership. The team had evaluated contingency plans in the event Carroll did choose to retire, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero note. Unless Jody Allen would want to move on from Carroll, he will stay in place for the 2024 campaign. The former Jets and Patriots HC will turn 73 in September.

Seahawks Activate CB Coby Bryant From IR

November 23rd, 2023 at 7:08pm CST by Rory Parks

NOVEMBER 23: After placing rookie sixth-round safety Jerrick Reed II on IR following a torn ACL, Carroll was indeed able to find room on the roster for Bryant. The second-year Cincinnati product is now set to return to a crowded cornerbacks room led by Witherspoon, Woolen, and Brown with solid contributions from Jackson and Burns. Brown seems to have taken his third cornerback role while Jackson started ahead of him all last year, so it will be interesting to see how Bryant fits into the defense moving forward. Reed, in his first season out of New Mexico, hasn’t been asked to do much as a rookie on defense but is currently third on the team in special teams tackles.

In addition to the two IR transactions, the Seahawks also activated practice squad quarterback Brett Rypien for tonight as a standard gameday elevation. They’ll hope he’s not necessary, but with Geno Smith banged up heading into the Thanksgiving Day matchup with the division-rival 49ers, Rypien will serve as Drew Lock‘s backup should Smith be forced to the bench for any reason.

NOVEMBER 19: The Seahawks selected Coby Bryant in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, and Bryant appeared in all 17 games in his rookie season, including six starts. He also enjoyed a 65% snap share.

He started the first two games of the 2023 campaign at nickel and played in 77% of Seattle’s defensive snaps despite exiting the club’s Week 2 contest early due to a toe injury. That injury ultimately forced the ‘Hawks to place Bryant on injured reserve.

According to head coach Pete Carroll, Bryant is healthy and is ready to return to the field (via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic). However, the Seahawks have not yet opened his 21-day practice window because they feel they do not have enough room for him on the active roster.

That serves as both an indictment of Bryant’s play as well as a testament to the quality of Seattle’s cornerback depth chart. Rookie Devon Witherspoon, the No. 5 overall pick of this year’s draft, has been on the field for every defensive snap this season, and he has thrived. Pro Football Focus’ metrics presently position the Illinois product as the eighth-best corner in the league out of 109 qualified players, and the 55.2% completion rate and 80.7 quarterback rating he has yielded support that assessment. He has also amassed two sacks, a pick-six, and 12 passes defensed.

Riq Woolen, who earned a Pro Bowl nod and led the league with six interceptions in his rookie season in 2022 — he was selected one round after Bryant — is enjoying a solid sophomore season, and he rarely comes off the field. Tre Brown, meanwhile, has a 60% snap share and has generally played well, and Michael Jackson and Artie Burns have been useful complementary pieces.

Bryant, who was tied for third in the league with four forced fumbles in 2022, has struggled in coverage, having yielded a 75% completion percentage and 116.5 QB rating in 2022 and a whopping 90% completion percentage and 98.7 QB rating this year. In his limited action in 2023, PFF assigned him an abysmal 39.1 coverage grade.

As such, Bryant may need to wait for an injury or a sudden downturn in performance from one of his fellow CBs to come off of IR and aid in the Seahawks’ push for an NFC West title.

Bears Offered Seahawks Three First-Rounders For Russell Wilson In 2021

September 28th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

When Russell Wilson‘s agent named Chicago as an acceptable trade destination in 2021, the Bears sprang into action. They made what was labeled at the time as a “very aggressive” offer for the perennial Pro Bowler. More details on that proposal have since emerged.

Then-Bears GM Ryan Pace is believed to have offered three first-rounders, a third and veteran players for Wilson in March 2021, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. At the time, Wilson had listed the Bears, Cowboys, Saints and Raiders as teams for whom he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause. While the Broncos were subsequently added to his list, they were not part of the original group.

At this point, the Seahawks were not prepared to trade their franchise quarterback. John Schneider took the offer to Pete Carroll, who determined he did not want to trade Wilson, Finley adds. It is not known which players the Bears were prepared to deal away in 2021, which ended up being Pace’s final year on the job in Chicago.

This was one of the original Wilson what-ifs. The Commanders offered three firsts for Wilson in 2022, beating the Broncos in terms of Round 1 choices included, but he would not waive his no-trade clause for Washington. The Eagles and Browns also pursued the potential Hall of Famer in 2022, but Wilson determined Denver would be the best fit.

The Seahawks turned down the offer in March 2021, leading the Bears to the draft. Pace initially sent the terms to Schneider at Trey Lance‘s pro day in Fargo. A month later, the Bears then vaulted up to No. 11, (via the Giants) to nab Justin Fields. While the Fields-Bears fit has proven rocky, the Ohio State product’s run-game brilliance in 2022 notwithstanding, Chicago did not have to give up what it would have cost to pry Wilson from Seattle.

A year after this offer did not move the needle for the Seahawks, they engaged the Broncos on a swap that came to pass in March 2022. The Seahawks then received a stunning season from three-year Wilson backup Geno Smith and have him signed to a team-friendly deal, which becomes a pay-as-you-go accord following this season.

The Bears, of course, signed off on a similar trade in 2009. They sent the Broncos two first-rounders, a third and Kyle Orton for Jay Cutler in April 2009, with that swap coming weeks after a Cutler-Josh McDaniels feud developed. Cutler ended up setting franchise records for QB starts, passing yards and touchdowns but only piloted Chicago to one playoff berth in his eight-year run. The Bears have struggled to replace the strong-armed passer, who had arrived in Chicago ahead of his age-26 season. Mitch Trubisky bombed, and Fields enters Week 4’s Broncos matchup with the NFL’s lowest QBR.

Wilson has not lived up to the Broncos’ investment, and the decision by management to authorize a five-year, $245MM extension — featuring $124MM fully guaranteed — before seeing how the trade acquisition fit with Nathaniel Hackett has hurt the organization. After the Hackett fit proved disastrous, Wilson has shown better form with Sean Payton. Of course, the Broncos join the Bears at 0-3, thanks largely to a suddenly leaky defense. Wilson, 34, will attempt to continue his progression in Payton’s offense, but his long-term future in Denver is far from certain.

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