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Geno Smith: Extension Talks With Seahawks “Looking Very Good”

February 4th, 2023 at 11:25am CST by Ben Levine

Contract talks between Geno Smith and the Seahawks have begun, and the quarterback is optimistic that the two sides will ultimately reach a deal. During an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday, Smith said the chances of an extension are “looking very good.”

“We’ve had talks and we’re in the process of getting all that settled right now,” Smith said (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). “It’s looking very good. We think we can get some things done, but obviously those things take time. This is the process that I hate about the NFL because I just want to play football, but it’s a business as well, so we’ve got to take care of business and then we’ll get back to the football.”

Both sides have expressed optimism that they’d ultimately agree to an extension. As Henderson points out, head coach Pete Carroll has continually expressed his interest in bringing back Smith, but the head coach hasn’t gone as far as to declare it would happen…a factor that’s somewhat relevant when you consider that the Seahawks could always slap the impending free agent QB with the franchise tag.

Smith ended up making about $7MM this past season thanks to incentives. During a separate appearance on the The Pivot Podcast, the quarterback wouldn’t reveal what he’s specifically looking for in a new contract, just noting that he wants to be paid what he’s worth.

“I love Seattle,” Smith said. “We have a great relationship and I think we’ll work things out. When it comes to contracts, I think every player just wants to get paid his worth. And it’s funny because a great friend of mine tells me, no matter what check they write, it’ll never be your worth because your worth isn’t in money, it isn’t in monetary things. So you just want to be respected. Your contract just wants to say, we respect you, we understand what you bring to the table, we understand what caliber of player you are, and we appreciate you. That’s really all it comes down to.”

Smith had a breakout campaign during his age-32 season, resulting in his first career Pro Bowl nod. He helped guide the Seahawks to a 9-8 record while completing a league-leading 69.8 percent of his passes for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

Sean Desai Receives Broncos Interview Request, Withdraws From Vikings’ DC Search

February 3rd, 2023 at 1:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Sean Desai dropped off the defensive coordinator tier this season, the Seahawks assistant continues to generate interest for a second chance. The Broncos are now in play to bring him aboard.

The Broncos requested a DC interview with Desai, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This request could very well lead to a hire. Desai has informed the Vikings he is withdrawing from their DC search, Mike Klis of 9News adds (on Twitter), noting the former Vic Fangio lieutenant wants to concentrate on the Broncos job. Desai interviewed for the Minnesota gig early last week.

[RELATED: Broncos Request Brian Flores DC Interview]

Fangio was connected to Sean Payton this offseason, but a return to Denver so soon after being fired never seemed realistic. That said, Klis adds Fangio recommended the Broncos to Desai. The 39-year-old assistant spent the 2021 season as Chicago’s DC and worked under Pete Carroll and fellow Fangio disciple Clint Hurtt this season in Seattle.

Fangio making recommendations regarding the Broncos would seem to carry some weight, given his coordinator pedigree and Payton’s view of the new Dolphins defensive boss. Desai was with the Bears for nine seasons, four of those coming under Fangio’s leadership on the defensive side. The Bears promoted him from the quality control level to safeties coach once Fangio departed for Denver, and after Chuck Pagano stepped down, Desai received the promotion to DC.

Desai’s season in charge led to a No. 6 ranking in total defense, despite Khalil Mack missing more than half the season. Robert Quinn also broke Richard Dent‘s longstanding single-season sack record. The Bears went 6-11 in Matt Nagy‘s final year, and the franchise changed regimes in January 2022. Desai would represent some continuity for the Broncos, who used Fangio concepts under Ejiro Evero this season.

Evero remains in contention for the job, speaking with Payton about staying. Broncos management supports a Payton-Evero alliance. But the Desai development would seem to further distance the incumbent from a second season. Desai withdrawing from Minnesota’s search may also give the NFC North team a chance to interview Evero, which it sought earlier this week. Evero is under contract with the Broncos, but if Payton is zeroing in on an outside hire, they would be unlikely to block their 2022 DC from another interview. Denver did block Evero from interviewing for Atlanta’s DC post, but that came before Payton’s arrival.

2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 2nd, 2023 at 1:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earlier this week, the NFL revealed its 2023 salary cap. Teams can now budget for their offseasons, knowing a $224.8MM ceiling is in place. This year’s nonexclusive franchise and transition tag numbers also emerged, giving teams more clarity on those fronts as well. With that in mind, here is where every team stands in terms of cap space:

  1. Chicago Bears: $90.91MM
  2. Atlanta Falcons: $56.42MM
  3. New York Giants: $44.28MM
  4. Houston Texans: $37.56MM
  5. Cincinnati Bengals: $35.55MM
  6. New England Patriots: $32.71MM
  7. Seattle Seahawks: $31.04MM
  8. Baltimore Ravens: $26.87MM
  9. Las Vegas Raiders: $19.78MM
  10. Arizona Cardinals: $14.47MM
  11. Kansas City Chiefs: $13.96MM
  12. Detroit Lions: $13.83MM
  13. Indianapolis Colts: $12.59MM
  14. Denver Broncos: $9.07MM
  15. San Francisco 49ers: $8.28MM
  16. Washington Commanders: $8.24MM
  17. Philadelphia Eagles: $4.24MM
  18. Pittsburgh Steelers: $1.03MM
  19. New York Jets: $1.31MM over the cap
  20. Dallas Cowboys: $7.18MM over
  21. Carolina Panthers: $8.94MM over
  22. Los Angeles Rams: $14.19MM over
  23. Cleveland Browns: $14.64MM over
  24. Miami Dolphins: $16.45MM over
  25. Green Bay Packers: $16.48MM over
  26. Buffalo Bills: $17.88MM over
  27. Los Angeles Chargers: $20.38MM over
  28. Jacksonville Jaguars: $22.35MM over
  29. Minnesota Vikings: $23.43MM over
  30. Tennessee Titans: $23.67MM over
  31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $55.03MM over
  32. New Orleans Saints: $60.47MM over

These figures (courtesy of OverTheCap) will change dramatically in the coming weeks, but this is where each team stands ahead of Super Bowl LVII. After that point, cap-casualty cuts can begin taking place. Restructures, extensions and trades will commence as well, with the Saints of recent years doing well to prove there are a few roads to cap compliance.

While New Orleans is in its usual February place, the team actually was further over the 2021 and ’22 caps at this point on the NFL calendar. Using void years to load up its roster during Tom Brady‘s three-year stay, Tampa Bay has seen much of that bill come due. If Brady does not re-sign a procedural deal, which would allow for the Buccaneers to spread out his dead money, the team will be hit with a $35.1MM dead-cap charge this year.

The Browns led the league by a wide margin in cap carryover from 2022, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Cleveland carried over $27.6MM in cap space. The Browns paced the league in cap space throughout the 2022 season, bracing for the Deshaun Watson contract’s spike. As of now, Watson’s cap figure will balloon from $9.4MM to $54.9MM. No NFL player has ever played a season on a cap number higher than $45MM.

The Panthers, Broncos, Bears and Raiders rounded out the top five in carryover dollars, ranging from $10.8MM to $6.7MM. Chicago ate considerable dead money via the Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn trades. The rebuilding team is still paying most of Quinn’s salary, doing so in order to secure a better draft pick from the Eagles. The Bears will have quite the opportunity to bolster their roster in Ryan Poles‘ second year in charge, leading the league by a massive margin and holding the No. 1 overall pick. The Falcons still have $12MM-plus in Deion Jones dead money on their 2023 payroll, but the team is rid of Matt Ryan‘s record-setting dead-cap hit ($40MM).

Baltimore will have a major decision to make in the coming weeks. GM Eric DeCosta said he has not decided if the team will place the exclusive or nonexclusive tag on Lamar Jackson. Even the nonexclusive number — $32.42MM — will dramatically change the Ravens’ budget ahead of free agency. The exclusive tag, which prevents other teams from submitting an offer sheet to Jackson, is expected to come in just north of $45MM.

Seahawks’ Dave Canales Set For Second Ravens OC Interview

January 31st, 2023 at 7:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

A thorough search to replace Greg Roman now includes second interviews. The Ravens plan to bring in Seahawks quarterbacks coach Dave Canales for a second meeting about their vacant offensive coordinator position, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The Ravens have sent out 10 interview requests about the job. Some went to internal staffers and others to current coordinators. Canales profiles as an up-and-coming option, but he has extensive experience. The veteran position coach has been on Pete Carroll‘s Seahawks staff since the HC arrived in Seattle in 2010.

Canales, 41, has not been connected to any other OC search yet, but it is not surprising the Ravens are showing interest. Geno Smith just completed one of the more surprising years by a quarterback in recent NFL history. Signed in April to a one-year, $3.5MM deal, Russell Wilson‘s former backup provided strong work replacing the franchise icon. Smith led the NFL with a 69.8% completion rate and threw 30 touchdown passes, piloting the Seahawks to a wild-card spot.

Wilson also worked under Canales, who served as the Seahawks’ QBs coach from 2018-19 and their passing-game coordinator from 2020-21. While Wilson struggled mightily in his Denver debut, he continued to lift Seattle squads to the playoffs during most of his time with Canales. Carroll saw plenty in Canales, bringing him from El Camino College — a JUCO program — to USC in 2009 and then installing him as a full-fledged position coach in 2010.

While the Ravens are progressing to second-round interviews with some candidates, they’re also set to conduct first interviews this week. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), the organization will interview Bills wide receivers coach Chad Hall on Wednesday.

Hall started as an assistant with the Bills in 2017 and has spent the past four seasons as their WRs coach. Stefon Diggs has exploded during his three seasons with Buffalo, but Hall has also squeezed a career year out of John Brown in 2019 and has helped with the development of late-round wideouts like Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie.

Baltimore interviewed former OCs George Godsey, its current tight ends coach, and 2022 Broncos OC Justin Outten. The Ravens also spoke with Georgia OC Todd Monken this week; Monken is also on the radar to return to the Buccaneers. The Ravens sent Eric Bieniemy an interview request, but it is unclear if the longtime Chiefs OC is interested in a non-head coaching role. Baltimore has promoted from within to fill its OC role recently, hiring Roman and Marty Mornhinweg, but it appears to be seriously considering outside options this time.

Here is how the Ravens’ OC search looks:

Seahawks Notes: Smith, Lock, Myers, Draft

January 25th, 2023 at 9:15pm CST by Ben Levine

We heard recently that the Seahawks and quarterback Geno Smith have started contract talks. While general manager John Schneider indicated that negotiations haven’t gotten serious, he did express optimism that the organization would ultimately re-sign the QB. During an appearance on “The Ian Furness Show” on Sports Radio 93.3 KJR, Schneider said the team expects to agree to a new deal with Smith (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times).

“I met with Geno on his exit interview, and we had a great talk,” the GM said. “He knows what the process is going to be. We’d love to have him back. He knows that. Like you said, he’d love to be back here as well.

“In terms of getting it done, it’s a process. Hope to get started here pretty quick. We have a little time here to kind of evaluate our team and get settled in. … We’ll get to it as soon as we can and try to do what’s best for Geno and try to do what’s best for the organization.”

Smith played out the 2022 season on a one-year, $3.5MM contract; incentives allowed him to double his earnings for the year. He will significantly outpace that figure on a new contract following a breakout campaign that saw him earn first career Pro Bowl nod.

More notes out of Seattle:

  • Smith isn’t the only Seahawks quarterback that’s set to hit free agency, as Drew Lock‘s contract will also expire. While the trade acquisition had to settle in as a backup during his first season with the organization, Schneider said the front office is still interested in bringing him back. “Yeah we’d love to,” Schnieder said during his radio appearance (via Condotta). “We think that’d be the ideal situation.”
  • The Seahawks recently signed kicker Jason Myers to a contract extension, and ESPN’s Brady Henderson passed along some details on the new pact (via Twitter). The four-year, $21.1MM deal includes a $7.5MM signing bonus and can max out at $22.6MM. The veteran will earn a fully guaranteed $1.165MM base salary in 2023, an injury-guaranteed $3.635MM in 2024 (becomes full guarantee on fifth day of 2024 league year), and non-guaranteed base salaries of $4.2MM in 2025 and $4.6MM in 2026.
  • Henderson tweeted out some helpful insight in anticipation of the Seahawks’ offseason. While many publications show that Seattle owns nine draft picks in the upcoming draft, Henderson notes that the organization actually has 10 selections. The confusion stems from last year’s John Reid trade, with the reporter noting that the Seahawks ultimately didn’t have to give up a seventh-round pick in the deal.
  • Three Seahawks players were named as finalists for key Associated Press awards. Smith is a finalist for Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year, while running back Kenneth Walker III and cornerback Tariq Woolen were finalists for AP Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year (respectively).

Dolphins To Interview Vic Fangio, Kris Richard, Sean Desai For DC

January 25th, 2023 at 8:24am CST by Sam Robinson

Vic Fangio will interview for a third defensive coordinator position during this year’s cycle. The Dolphins’ previously rumored interest will produce a meeting.

Miami is set for interviews with Fangio, Seahawks assistant Sean Desai and Saints co-DC Kris Richard, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Fangio and Desai worked together with the Bears, while Richard has been a fixture in defensive coordinator searches in recent offseasons. The Fangio and Desai meetings will occur Wednesday.

Richard, 43, re-emerged as a DC after four seasons on the position coach level. The Saints promoted the veteran staffer to that role, placing him alongside Ryan Nielsen in a rarely utilized co-DC arrangement. The former Seahawks DC had spent time under Rod Marinelli as the Cowboys’ secondary coach from 2018-19 and caught on with the Saints as their DBs coach in 2021. Richard is best known for his time in Seattle, however. He served as the Legion of Boom’s position coach and later Seattle’s DC during that unit’s heyday, and the Seahawks of that period became the first team to lead the NFL in scoring defense in four straight years since the 1950s Browns.

This garnered Richard some HC interest back in the late 2010s — which included a 2019 Dolphins interview — but nothing materialized. The Saints have ranked in the top 10 defensively in each of Richard’s two years with the team, though Dennis Allen has overseen both those units. The Panthers have also spoken to Richard about a meeting. Nielsen has come up as a candidate — in Atlanta and Minnesota — as well, so New Orleans faces the possibility of losing both its DCs this offseason. Desai, the Bears’ DC in 2021, also received an interview request from the Vikings.

Fangio has interviewed for the Falcons and Panthers’ positions thus far but came up in connection to the Dolphins gig soon after it became available. He is believed to be the lead candidate, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets, with ESPN’s Jeff Darlington noting (via Twitter) Fangio and Mike McDaniel share an agent and have a good relationship.

Fangio, 64, did not last too long in his HC opportunity with the Broncos, though his three-year Denver tenure was the longest since John Fox‘s, but the longtime defensive staffer was long believed to be a hot candidate to return to a full-time role as a DC. That is coming to fruition. Fangio’s options could soon include a return to the 49ers, with the team being connected to rehiring him in the event DeMeco Ryans departs.

Ravens Request Interview With Seahawks’ Dave Canales For OC

January 21st, 2023 at 3:11pm CST by Ely Allen

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters this week that the franchise will “cast a wide net” for what he considers to be “one of the top football coaching jobs in the world,” according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. The team has followed through on that promise thus far, continuing a trend today as they made their third request to interview a candidate in the past two days. This time, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the target is Seahawks quarterbacks coach Dave Canales.

Canales is a longtime Seattle staffer who has spent his entire life on the west coast. Growing up and schooling in California, Canales took the progressive steps from high school coordinator to community college position coach to Power Five strength coach all within a five-year period.

He left his position at USC, following then-head coach Pete Carroll, to join the Seahawks as a wide receivers coach in 2010. Canales stayed in the position for eight years before moving to the quarterbacks room. After two seasons as quarterbacks coach, Canales was granted the title of passing game coordinator for two years before going back to the quarterbacks coaching position this season.

As the Seahawks’ quarterbacks coach, Canales ensured the seamless transition from one Pro Bowl quarterback to another. Working closely with quarterback Geno Smith, who had started five games in the previous six seasons, Canales coached Smith to a career year in the quarterback’s ninth season. During Smith’s first two seasons in the NFL, his only two as a full-time starter prior to this year, Smith had a paltry completion percentage of 57.5 and threw more interceptions (34) than touchdowns (25). This year, under Canales, Smith led the NFL with a completion percentage of 69.8 and was the only quarterback in the league to throw 30 or more touchdowns while tossing less than 12 interceptions.

The move to Baltimore may be a bit of a culture shock for the longtime westerner, but the Ravens would be rewarding him with a promotion to coordinator and the keys to an offense with an MVP quarterback if he gets the position. Lamar Jackson, while still completing a respectable 62.3-percent of his passes this year, finished the season with his lowest completion percentage since his rookie year. He has also seen his QBR plummet ever since his league-leading 83.0 rating during his MVP campaign. Bringing in a coach who has experience with a mobile quarterback like Russell Wilson and helped develop a veteran passer like Smith could be just what the doctor ordered in Baltimore.

For now, Canales is one of many coaches expected to fall under the widely cast net as Harbaugh and the Ravens look to fill one of the top football coaching jobs in the world. The team has also recently requested meetings with Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson and Browns wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea. There is likely to be several more names in consideration as Harbaugh, Jackson, and company decide who will best help them to take the next step.

Seahawks Sign K Jason Myers To Extension

January 18th, 2023 at 6:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Jason Myers is staying in Seattle. The Seahawks announced on Twitter that they’ve signed their kicker to an extension.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that it’s a four-year extension worth $21.1MM. The deal can max out at $22.6MM based on incentives. Myers was set to hit free agency in March but will now be sticking with the Seahawks through the 2026 campaign. In terms of total value, the $21.1MM contract will trail only Younghoe Koo ($24.25MM), Justin Tucker ($24MM), and Jason Sanders ($22MM) at the position, while the $5.25MM average annual value is second to Tucker ($6MM).

Following a three-year stint with the Jaguars and a Pro Bowl season with the Jets, Myers inked a four-year, $15.45MM deal with the Seahawks in 2019. During his four years with the organization, he’s connected on 87.5 percent of his field goal attempts and 93.5 percent of his extra point tries. Myers also connected on 37 straight field goals between 2019 and 2021, the fourth-longest streak in NFL history.

Myers made his second career Pro Bowl appearance in 2022. He ended up converting 34 of his 37 field goal attempts and 41 of his 42 extra point attempts. He also contributed five points during Seattle’s playoff loss to the 49ers.

NFC West Notes: Rams, Hopkins, Seahawks

January 18th, 2023 at 3:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Coming off disappointing seasons, the Cardinals and Rams may be looking to make high-profile cost cuts. DeAndre Hopkins and Jalen Ramsey may well be available in trades, with the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora noting deals involving the two former All-Pros will come down to “when” and they are moved and not “if.” Both Ramsey and Hopkins have already been traded, each moving from the AFC South to the NFC West — Ramsey in 2019 and Hopkins in 2020. Although Ramsey required two first-round picks to be pried from Jacksonville, La Canfora adds neither player should be expected to bring in the kind of haul fans would anticipate.

Both talents are signed to lucrative extensions. Ramsey’s five-year, $100MM deal (which set the cornerback market in 2020) runs through 2025. Hopkins’ $27.25MM contract runs through 2024. Ramsey, 28, should be expected to command more in a trade compared to Hopkins, 30. Coming off a suspension- and injury-limited 2022, latter has been rumored to be a possible trade chip. Several teams called the Cardinals on Hopkins at the deadline. Ramsey, however, has been a dependable piece in L.A. His exit would leave the Rams vulnerable at corner, considering they have rotated low-cost pieces around Ramsey at the position for years.

A Ramsey trade before June 1 is not especially palatable for the Rams, who are again projected to enter the offseason over the cap. Dealing the All-Pro talent after that date, however, would save the team $17MM. The Rams having not restructured Ramsey’s deal makes a trade something to monitor, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue notes (subscription required). Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • This season’s Rams staff did not particularly appeal to Sean McVay by season’s end, Peter King of NBC Sports notes. Upon returning, McVay is expected to make staff changes. This may have been behind the Rams’ call to allow their position coaches to interview for other jobs without the threat of blocking the meeting. Whatever the reason, the Rams’ staff should look different in 2023. McVay also likely has a bit of regret of not taking a major TV job last year, per King, who adds no top-level gig was on the table for the six-year Rams HC this year.
  • The Rams will attempt to extend one of their UFA-to-be D-line starters (A’Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines), Rodrigue adds, but probably will not keep both. A former sixth-round pick who has started for the past two seasons, Gaines appears likelier — per Rodrigue — to be the team’s higher priority. Robinson’s expected market value could price out the Rams, who have Aaron Donald making a cool $10MM more than any other interior D-lineman.
  • Jamal Adams, who suffered a torn quad tendon in Week 1, remains without a timetable, Pete Carroll said this week. Jordyn Brooks‘ ACL surgery is scheduled for Friday. The late-season ACL tear will make top Seahawks tackler a candidate to begin next season on the PUP list. Surgery could be in the cards for tight end Will Dissly, but he will first attempt to rehab his knee injury without a procedure (Twitter links via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta).
  • Despite issues in the first season under DC Clint Hurtt, the Seahawks are planning neither staff changes nor a move back to a 4-3 defense, Carroll said. Seattle, which brought in Hurtt and ex-Bears DC Sean Desai to install a Vic Fangio-style scheme, finished outside the top 20 in yards, points and DVOA this season.
  • The second-team All-Pro nod 49ers special-teamer George Odum received will increase his 2023 base salary by $250K, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Odum, who signed with the 49ers in 2022 after a Colts tenure, will also collect a $250K incentive for the All-Pro nod. Odum led the league with 21 special teams tackles. Attached to a three-year deal worth $5.7MM, Odum has become one of the NFL’s best special-teamers. He earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2020.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/17/23

January 17th, 2023 at 7:27pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s reserve/futures deals:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

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