HEADLINES

Seattle Seahawks News & Rumors

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/6/25

January 6th, 2025 at 7:29pm CST by Ben Levine

With the regular season having come to an end, many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts. This allows organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Seahawks, LB Ernest Jones Pause Contract Talks

January 6th, 2025 at 6:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Ernest Jones is officially set to hit free agency, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s done in Seattle. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported this past weekend that the Seahawks and the impending free agent linebacker have “amicably paused discussions” on an extension.

It was a busy 2024 campaign for Jones. The Rams informed the former third-round pick that he would not be extended in 2024, and his camp subsequently received permission to negotiate a trade. While Jones didn’t request a trade out of Los Angeles, the Rams quickly sent him to the Titans. The linebacker lasted only a few months in Tennessee before getting shipped to Seattle, where he ended the season.

Per Rapoport, Jones “would love to return” to the Seahawks for the 2025 campaign, and the reporter adds that the two sides could resume contract talks at any time. For what it’s worth, both camps recently expressed optimism that a deal could eventually get done. Following the team’s season finale yesterday, Jones said the two sides “just gotta get there” in terms of contract value (per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic). Meanwhile, head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters that “you’ve got to just trust the process” while expressing confidence “that we’re going to see a lot of Ernest for years to come” (per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times).

The Seahawks didn’t trade for Jones with the intent of making him a rental, with ESPN’s Brady Henderson noting that the team made sincere efforts to extend the player before the end of the season. However, there seemed to be a recent understanding that a deal wouldn’t be resolved until March. Condotta also notes that the team intentionally traded a fourth-round pick (along with Jerome Baker) for the player, with the front office understanding that they could recoup a fourth-round compensatory selection if the player earns a contract worth at least $12MM per year.

Jones played almost every defensive snap for Seattle after joining the team in late October. He ultimately collected 94 tackles in 10 games for the Seahawks, with Pro Football Focus giving him one of the highest positional grades for his run defense. He’ll be joining a relatively deep free agent linebackers class that also includes the likes of Dre Greenlaw, Nick Bolton, and Bobby Wagner.

Seahawks Fire OC Ryan Grubb

January 6th, 2025 at 11:09am CST by Sam Robinson

Ryan Grubb made his professional debut this season, but the Seahawks did not like how it went. After rumors of making Grubb a one-and-done surfaced, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports the team will move on from the former college play-caller.

The Seahawks had poached Grubb from Alabama’s staff. The former Washington OC had followed Kalen DeBoer from Seattle to Tuscaloosa in 2024, but Mike Macdonald made an outside-the-box hire, with other NFL teams not showing interest in Grubb. While college interest should come Grubb’s way again, this is a quick dismissal at the pro level.

Although the Seahawks improved in total offense by going from 21st to 14th from 2023-24, they ranked 28th on the ground. That was believed to have driven Grubb to the hot seat. Macdonald may well target a more experienced option soon, as his college hire did not distinguish himself. Offensive line coach Scott Huff worked with Grubb at Washington, and the two were therefore seen by many as a package deal. Macdonald said on Monday, however, that despite Grubb’s dismissal Huff is likely to remain on staff (h/t The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar).

While Geno Smith has not taken steps forward after his Comeback Player of the Year campaign, he is at worst a middling starting QB. Grubb’s offense also produced a breakthrough effort from 2023 first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had struggled to establish consistency under Shane Waldron. Smith-Njigba jumped from 628 receiving yards as a rookie to 1,130 this season. That will certainly help Grubb if/when he returns to the college level, but this early ouster would stand to trip alarms in the NFL.

Grubb had been the play-caller during Michael Penix Jr.‘s two dominant seasons at Washington, doing plenty to elevate the left-hander to top-10 draft status. Smith finished 21st in QBR, dropping a bit from 2023; the resurgent passer also threw 15 interceptions after finishing 2023 with just nine. Granted, the latter total came in just 15 starts due to two injury-driven absences. Smith played all 17 games this season, guiding the Seahawks to a 10-7 record. Untimely INTs did help define his season, though, and it will now be three play-callers in three seasons — assuming Seattle retains its Russell Wilson successor — for the 34-year-old vet.

The Seahawks interviewed Giants OC Mike Kafka for their HC position and tried to meet with him for their OC post soon after hiring Macdonald; New York blocked the latter effort. With the Giants rumored to have Kafka on the hot seat upon retaining Brian Daboll, the two-year Big Blue play-caller could be a name to watch for this Seahawks post.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

January 5th, 2025 at 10:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Once again, we saw plenty of change occur in the projected draft order after Sunday’s games. Most notably, the Patriots took themselves out of the top overall draft slot with a win over the resting Bills. While this change likely won’t hurt their ability to select one of the players that interested them most, as they likely weren’t looking to select a quarterback with rookie Drake Maye in place, New England likely could’ve benefitted from collecting some serious draft capital trading out of the top spot to any of the teams seeking quarterback help next season.

One of those quarterback-needy teams, the Titans have officially secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, tying for the worst overall record in the league with the Browns and Giants but holding tiebreakers over both franchises. The Browns and Giants, who both secured the second and third overall picks, respectively, today, are also considered top candidates to draft a passer.

With all three teams at the top of the draft interested in adding help at quarterback, the draft’s top two prospects at the position, Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, saw their chances at getting selected No. 1 overall rise dramatically. Plenty could still occur to change this situation; trades could alter the draft order, and further pre-draft evaluations could change opinions on top prospects.

Still, for the first time since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, there is a chance that every team drafts in the first round, as no first-round picks have yet been traded. It’s extremely unlikely that this will remain the case, as draft-day trades are a very common occurrence, but it’s still an interesting concept to note this close to the draft.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks at the regular season’s conclusion:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11. San Francisco (6-11)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19. Houston Texans (10-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7)
  21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  22. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  23. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  24. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
  25. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  26. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  28. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  29. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  30. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
  31. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
  32. Detroit Lions (15-2)

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Seahawks’ Ryan Grubb Could Be On Hot Seat

January 5th, 2025 at 9:36pm CST by Ely Allen

In the first year under rookie head coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks improved a game from last year’s 9-8 campaign, going 10-7 and finishing just one spot shy of a playoff berth in 2024. A defensive-minded head coach, Macdonald brought in nearby Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to serve as his offensive coordinator. A disappointing offensive performance this season, though, may force a change in that position.

In their first season, Macdonald, the former Ravens defensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator Aden Durde‘s unit finished ninth in scoring defense and 12th in total yards allowed. Grubb’s unit was a bit more middle-of-the-road, finishing 19th in points scored and 15th in total yards.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Grubb’s scheme disappointed in the run game, where they finished 30th in the league, despite the presence of two second-round picks in Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. The failure to establish themselves on the ground left quarterback Geno Smith in too many obvious passing situations that limited the effectiveness of the passing game.

Grubb, a well-respected offensive mind, was heavily studied by NFL teams during his time in the collegiate coaching ranks. He worked his way up through jobs in high school, the FCS, and multiple Division I FBS jobs before landing with Washington and helping them to their runner-up finish in the 2023 national championship.

Macdonald gave him his first NFL opportunity as a first-time head coach himself, and Grubb’s NFL offensive gameplan may just take a bit of time to grow and evolve. With the offense being the weak spot of the 2024 campaign, though, it makes sense that Macdonald may be interested in looking into a few changes.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/4/25

January 4th, 2025 at 9:47pm CST by Ely Allen

The last minor moves and standard gameday elevations of the 2024 NFL regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Ross’ new deal to the Texans’ 53-man roster is good through the 2025 season, as well. Ditto for Jones, signed to the active roster in New England today.

Sanders returned to practice this week, and his activation will allow him to close out his second Panthers season on the field rather than on the mend. His Carolina tenure has fallen well short of expectations and a release in the near future could be in the cards. Given the team’s backfield injuries, though, Sanders could handle a notable workload tomorrow while potentially auditioning for free agent suitors.

Gilman’s return will be welcomed by the Chargers’ defense. The 27-year-old has remained a full-time starter this season, his second straight handling first-team duties. Los Angeles is assured of a wild-card spot, but moving up to the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture could be possible on Sunday. In any case, Gilman’s presence will be key for a Bolts defense which leads the league in points allowed per game (17.6).

Gardner’s campaign will come to an end after 15 games played. He fell short of a Pro Bowl nod for this first time in his young career, but the fourth pick of the 2022 draft remained a critical member of the team’s secondary when healthy. Gardner is eligible for an extension this offseason, and his financial future (which will include a fifth-year option decision in the spring) will be a key point of focus once New York’s head coach/general manager tandem is in place.

Looking At Pro Bowl Rosters’ Impact On Fifth-Year Option Statuses

January 3rd, 2025 at 11:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL unveiled the Pro Bowl rosters Thursday. While superstars and veterans tied to big-ticket contracts headline the AFC and NFC squads, rookie-contract players are part of both sides for an event no longer featuring an actual all-star game.

While the Pro Bowl’s prestige peak occurred decades ago, the 2020 CBA still ties invites to players’ value. Players selected to the Pro Bowl on the original ballot (non-alternates) will see their fifth-year option prices change. The 2025 offseason will be the fifth year in which players will see their option values determined partially by Pro Bowl recognition, but Thursday’s results will impact the 2026 and 2027 fifth-year option outcomes as well.

Players who receive two Pro Bowl invites during their first three seasons skyrocket to the top of the four-tiered fifth-year option hierarchy, which will feature a value that matches the amount of that year’s franchise tag at each position. Players who draw one original-ballot invite during their first three seasons will be tied to the second option tier, which matches the transition tag value at that position.

This only applies to former first-round picks, as no other rookie contracts include a fifth-year option. With that in mind, here are the players from the 2022, ’23 and ’24 first rounds to be invited to the Pro Bowl. Here are the ex-first-rounders who changed their option statuses this week:

2022 draft:

Baltimore’s two-first-rounder 2022 draft, made possible thanks to the Marquise Brown trade, produced two Pro Bowlers. This marks the second Pro Bowl for both Hamilton and Linderbaum, bringing both players to the top fifth-year option tier. For Linderbaum, that will inflate his price to that of the offensive line franchise tag number, since all O-lineman are grouped together under this formula. That will make a fifth-year option call trickier for the Ravens, who will certainly pick up Hamilton’s by the May deadline.

This is Stingley’s first Pro Bowl, which will push the former No. 3 overall pick’s 2026 option price into the second tier among corners. Patrick Surtain‘s four-year, $96MM extension raised the bar at the position this summer, and the Texans will be able to negotiate with their top corner beginning later this month. This is Smith’s first Pro Bowl nod as well; he was named an alternate to the 2023 event.

2023 draft:

While Thursday’s announcement crystalized the value of the 2022 first-rounders with regards to the fifth-year option, the ’23 Round 1 crop still has more time. Witherspoon has landed in the Pro Bowl a second time, locking the former No. 5 overall pick into the top echelon of the CB option structure.

Conversely, this is the first original-ballot Pro Bowl for Carter, Flowers and Gibbs. The Lions running back was an alternate last season. The trio’s 2025 showings will determine if they can join Witherspoon on the highest level of the 2026 option hierarchy.

2024 draft:

The NFL’s top rookies have begun to raise their values. Although the Commanders, Raiders and Rams do not have to make option calls on this trio until May 2027, each player has already secured at least second-tier status for when that time comes. They are unlikely to stay on that level. Daniels is on track to claim Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, while Bowers has already broken Mike Ditka‘s longstanding record for tight end yardage by a rookie. Verse, the first Rams first-round pick since Jared Goff, is on track for Defensive Rookie of the Year acclaim.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/2/25

January 2nd, 2025 at 7:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

  • Waived: DT Haggai Ndubuisi

Seattle Seahawks

The Patriots signed Haggai Ndubuisi off the Commanders practice squad just yesterday, but the team is already waiving the defensive tackle. As ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes, Ndubuisi is being waived with a non-football illness designation, an indication that something popped up during the player’s physical.

Brady Russell landed on IR today after the tight end dealt with a foot injury for much of the season. The special teamer got into 11 games with the Seahawks in 2024. In his place, the team signed John Rhys Plumlee from the practice squad. The rookie was listed by the Seahawks as a WR, but the former UCF QB served as an occasional signal-caller on Seattle’s scout team.

Tyler Lockett Plans To Play In 2025; WR’s Seahawks Future In Doubt

January 2nd, 2025 at 9:01am CST by Adam La Rose

Tyler Lockett has spent his entire 10-year career with the Seahawks, and his tenure with the team will include at least one more game. The veteran wideout is aware he could be on the move this offseason, but he has given no thought to retirement at this point.

Lockett and the Seahawks agreed to a restructure last March which upped his earnings for 2024 but left him on track to carry a cap hit of nearly $31MM next season. Without any guaranteed salary on the books for 2024, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic notes the strong possibility remains Lockett will be let go in a cost-cutting move this offseason (subscription required). D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are on track to remain in Seattle for years to come, but Lockett recently acknowledged Week 18 could mark his Seahawks finale.

The 32-year-old has been a staple in the passing game since his arrival and early seasons as a complement to Doug Baldwin. Lockett has since gone on to form a strong tandem with Metcalf, but the decision to add Smith-Njigba in the first round of the 2023 draft signaled Seattle’s trio at the WR spot would soon become a tandem. Indeed, Lockett has failed to see triple-digit targets for the first time since 2018 this season, and his 572 yards and two touchdowns fall well short of his previous production. The former third-rounder knows his role has been reduced in 2024 (something which could impact his free agent market), but he is content with that as his Seattle tenure likely draws to a close.

“If there’s any way that I want to win as a person, I want to win as a team,” Lockett said (via Dugar). “When it comes to me getting the ball, I want it to be something that’s natural and not forced or not me having to say, ‘Hey, man, give me the ball.’”

Metcalf drew trade interest leading up to November’s deadline, but to no surprise the Seahawks did not consider moving him. The Ole Miss product is only under contract for 2025 as things stand, and with no locked in salary and a similarly high cap hit on tap an extension could be in store relatively soon. Smith-Njigba’s rookie contract runs for another two seasons, meanwhile, and the fifth-year option could keep him under team control through at least 2027.

Lockett could have value to any number of suitors eyeing a receiver addition in the offseason, although his declining production will limit his earning potential on his next contract. It will be interesting to see if he and the Seahawks attempt to work out a new arrangement after the campaign, but in the event he is released he will soon need to turn his attention to his first trip to free agency.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/1/25

January 1st, 2025 at 7:58pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the NFL’s minor moves on New Year’s Day:

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed to active roster from Buccaneers’ practice squad: DE Earnest Brown

Los Angeles Chargers

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

  • Signed to active roster from Commanders’ practice squad: DT Haggai Ndubuisi

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Load More Posts