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Seattle Seahawks News & Rumors

Latest On Seahawks’ Interest In QB Baker Mayfield

June 22nd, 2022 at 6:18pm CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers have been the recent favorite to acquire quarterback Baker Mayfield, but it sounds like another suitor is still considering a trade for the Browns quarterback. According to Josina Anderson (on Twitter), the Seahawks continue to have a “high level of interest” in acquiring Mayfield.

[RELATED: Browns Willing To Pay Half Of Baker Mayfield’s Salary To Facilitate Trade?]

Seattle isn’t only interested in a trade for Mayfield; they’re also interested in giving the former first-overall pick a contract extension. Anderson cautions that the Seahawks front office is still “collecting information and insights,” so a trade doesn’t sound like it’s imminent.

However, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets some conflicting information, noting that nothing has really changed on the Seahawks front and they’re still interested in Mayfield if he gets released by the Browns. This would obviously require some kind of new deal, so both reporters seem to be on the same page about Seattle’s willingness to sign Mayfield to a long-term deal. However, Condotta makes it clear that the Seahawks have “zero interest” in acquiring Mayfield on his current contract.

Recent reports indicated that the Panthers were also wary of inheriting Mayfield’s $18.9MM salary. While the Browns were initially unwilling to pay much (if any) of the QB’s salary, it sounds like the team is now willing to pick up about $8MM or $9MM on the tab. The Panthers, meanwhile, were hoping Cleveland would pick up about $13MM of Mayfield’s salary. It’s uncertain if Seattle would have similar interest in such an arrangement, but it’s pretty clear that the Browns will have to eat some of the Mayfield’s salary if they hope to pull off a trade.

Mayfield is currently set to play 2022 on his fifth-year option. Thanks to some offset language in that deal, the Browns could end up owing up to $17MM if they simply cut the QB.

Seahawks To Re-Sign DT Bryan Mone

June 20th, 2022 at 8:53am CST by Adam La Rose

Bryan Mone will remain in Seattle for the next three years, and is set to receive a significant raise. The defensive tackle is signing a two-year, $12MM extension, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). The deal includes a $1.5MM signing bonus, and can reach a maximum value of $13.8MM. 

The 26-year-old has been with the Seahawks since 2019. He was cut from the 53-man roster in September during his rookie season, but immediately brought back on the team’s practice squad. He made just four appearances that season, but showed enough in his limited opportunities to remain in the fold for the following two years.

In 2020, the Michigan alum played 10 games, once again in a rotational role. He was tendered as an ERFA, keeping him in place for another year. This past season, he set a new personal high in snaps, and registered the first five starts of his career. He totalled 35 tackles and 1.5 sacks, making it an easy decision for the Seahawks to tender him once again this past April.

That decision locks in the former UDFA to a salary of $965K this season. This extension will keep him on the books through 2024, however, at a substantially higher rate. Seattle will be counting on his continued career ascension as he takes on a larger workload. It also represents the second straight year in which Seattle has signed an interior d-linemen to an extension before they played out the upcoming season on a tender, doing so in 2021 with Poona Ford.

Mone will remain in Seattle through its transition to a 3-4 base defense starting this year. As an appropriate scheme fit at nose tackle, he will look to take another step forward in production, knowing he is under contract for the intermediate future.

Latest On Seahawks’ D.K. Metcalf, CB Competition

June 19th, 2022 at 6:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Seahawks have seen multiple franchise pillars depart this offseason, but they have maintained an optimistic tone with respect to keeping one of their young stars. Still, the recent actions of D.K. Metcalf have caused a stir in the organization. 

The 24-year-old made headlines with his unexcused absence from Seattle’s minicamp. That decision “surprised the team some,” according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Metcalf had been present for a portion of the voluntary offseason program, which could explain why members of the team were caught off guard by the move to skip mandatory practice last week.

Metcalf is among the numerous wideouts from the 2019 draft class who are in line for second contracts, something which is taking place within the context of a skyrocketing WR market. Head coach Pete Carroll provided an update on contract talks, saying that things are still “semi-quiet” right now, but that negotiations could intensify in the coming weeks. Condotta, likewise, states that “the drama [surrounding Metcalf] may linger all summer but it should end by fall.”

While the Metcalf situation is front and center right now in Seattle, the offseason has also led to speculation about the team’s cornerback situation. As Condotta’s colleague Adam Jude writes, there appears to be a competition along the outside which is “wide open.” He notes that Sidney Jones has been practicing with the starters, which should come as little surprise given that he started 11 of 16 contests last year. However, Jude adds that one, if not both of rookies Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen could take on starting roles this season, given their performances in practice, as the team looks for a D.J. Reed replacement.

Bryant and Woolen won’t have the chance to push for a starting spot until training camp in July. By that time, the Seahawks may have already taken care of their most pressing financial issue.

Jake Heaps To Become Russell Wilson’s Full-Time QB Coach

June 19th, 2022 at 1:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

Russell Wilson will be in a new home this season, but he will have a familiar face coaching him in Denver. Former pro quarterback and radio personality Jake Heaps is becoming Wilson’s full-time positional coach, as detailed by Kyle Ireland of KSL Sports. 

The 30-year-old has spent the past four years at ESPN 710 Seattle, allowing him to stay close to home and to Wilson, during the decade the latter spent as a Seahawk. Heaps also worked with other QBs at various levels, but now he will be able to continue his partnership with the nine-time Pro Bowler.

“It is with mixed emotions that I tell you that I will no longer be able to host on Seattle Sports’ station” he said. “As we all know, Russell Wilson was traded and when this happened I knew that my two careers that were perfectly aligned here in Seattle had become complicated… I have resigned to pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to coach Russell Wilson full-time and develop the next generation of quarterbacks.”

Heap went undrafted into the NFL in 2015, after a college career which saw him play for BYU, Kansas and Miami. He originally signed with the Jets, but found his way onto the Seahawks during the 2016 offseason. He didn’t initially make the 53-man roster, but he was brought back to the practice squad in September as insurance. After a brief stint in the CFL, he came back to Seattle in 2017. Like each of his professional stops, though, it ended quickly, leading him to his coaching career.

In Denver, Heaps will work alongside new head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who brought fellow ex-Packers staffer Justin Outten with him to serve as offensive coordinator. He will play an integral role in Wilson’s – and therefore, the team’s – success as they look to contend in the AFC.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/15/22

June 15th, 2022 at 8:29pm CST by Ben Levine

An updated list of today’s minor moves:

Los Angeles Rams

Seattle Seahawks

Pinkney, a 2020 undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt, bounced around the NFL for much of the 2021 campaign, spending time with the Titans, Lions (two stints), and Rams. He got into a pair of games for Los Angeles, starting one.

Rose had a productive college career at Kentucky before going undrafted during the 2021 draft. He spent his entire rookie campaign with the Vikings organization but didn’t get into a game.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll On QB Competition

June 12th, 2022 at 10:44am CST by Rory Parks

Geno Smith and Drew Lock have been engaged in a battle for the Seahawks’ starting quarterback job throughout the team’s spring work, and Smith has been taking the bulk of the first-team snaps. Head coach Pete Carroll, echoing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron‘s recent remarks, said that Smith continues to lead the race after mandatory minicamp, which took place last week.

“Geno’s still ahead, you can tell that,” Carroll said, via Liz Mathews of Seahawks Wire. However, like Waldron, Carroll was quick to point out that the competitors’ current status is largely a function of their familiarity with the offense. Smith has been with the club since 2019, and Lock was just acquired in March as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Broncos.

Carroll added, “it’s not going to be too much for Drew to be caught up. By the time we get through [training] camp he’ll be there. He’s really bright. It makes sense to him. He’s really sharp in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage and all of that. So it’s just time that he needs, and there’s nothing we can do but gain some more of that.” 

As Mathews confirms, both Smith and Lock will get opportunities with the first-team offense when training camp opens in July. It has been reported that, despite Lock’s early-career struggles in Denver, Seattle brass truly believes that he can emerge as a legitimate NFL starter, and Albert Breer of SI.com recently detailed GM John Schneider‘s faith in the Missouri product. Breer expects Lock to be anointed the QB1 before the regular season begins, and given his age (25) and the upside that the organization apparently sees in him, it’s not difficult to see why.

The 31-year-old Smith, meanwhile, had started only two games from 2015-20 before being forced into action last year in the wake of Wilson’s finger injury. In four games (three starts) in 2021, the former Jets second-rounder performed reasonably well, completing over 68% of his passes for five TDs against just one interception, while adding nine carries for 42 yards and a TD. In all three of his starts, Smith posted QB ratings of at least 94.3.

Still, his age and limited usage make it clear that Smith is no longer viewed as a franchise passer. So it makes sense that the ‘Hawks would give Lock every opportunity to prove his worth in 2022, and if he cannot live up to his potential, Seattle will be in the market for a QB next offseason.

Carroll, though, is not tipping his hand. “It’s gonna be a real battle,” he said. “It’s going to be really an exciting time for our team and for those guys in particular and for our people watching. I’m pumped up about it. I really am.”

Of course, a possible Baker Mayfield acquisition continues to loom over the Lock-Smith duel. Although the Seahawks are not expected to trade for the disgruntled Browns passer, the team reportedly would be interested if Cleveland ultimately elects to cut him.

D.K. Metcalf Absent From Seahawks Minicamp

June 12th, 2022 at 7:37am CST by Sam Robinson

Jun. 12: In recent remarks to reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Carroll confirmed that “there have been conversations” between the team and Metcalf on a new contract (video link). However, he also classified the negotiations as “semi-quiet” at this time, adding that the next few weeks before the start of training camp will be crucial to this process.

Jun. 7: D.K. Metcalf is rehabbing from offseason foot surgery, but the fourth-year Seahawks receiver will continue to do so on his own. Metcalf is not at Seahawks minicamp, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The Seahawks were scheduled to convene for their mandatory offseason sessions next week but are instead holding it this week.

Unlike skipping OTAs, this can be considered a holdout. Players can be fined more than $90K for missing all of minicamp, though teams can also excuse absences. This absence is not excused, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets. While that money is not especially significant for a player on the cusp of a monster extension, Metcalf’s absence certainly is notable given his current situation.

The 24-year-old wideout was not linked to missing even OTAs this offseason, differing from a few of his receiver peers, and even showed up for some. A minicamp absence changes the equation a bit.

Metcalf has said he wants to stay in Seattle and expects to. Pete Carroll expects a resolution, though the 13th-year Seahawks HC said a deal will take some time. Contract talks have taken place, according to Rapoport, who adds Metcalf is rehabbing his injury in Los Angeles. Metcalf is set to make $3.99MM in base salary this season. Like the other lot of extension-seeking wideouts from the 2019 draft, Metcalf is due for free agency in 2023, with fifth-year options only present in first-rounders’ deals.

The Seahawks have a big decision to make with Metcalf, who has become an upper-echelon receiver despite pre-draft doubts that dropped him to No. 64 overall. Seattle may lean harder toward a run-oriented offense post-Russell Wilson, and although moving the perennial Pro Bowl quarterback’s salary off the books (beyond a considerable 2022 dead-money hit) opens some space for the Seahawks to work salary-wise, the new wide receiver market could push Metcalf’s asking price beyond $25MM per year. Former Ole Miss teammate A.J. Brown received a $25MM-AAV deal from the Eagles but needed a trade to get there. GM John Schneider mentioned the challenges of the new receiver market, and those comments came before the Brown extension.

Metcalf generated trade calls this offseason and was linked to the Jets, who were linked to many high-end wideouts before opting to draft Garrett Wilson 10th overall. Even as interest emerged, Metcalf was linked to a Seahawks extension. The Seahawks have done major extensions during camp, re-upping the likes of Wilson (2015), Bobby Wagner (2015, 2019) and Jamal Adams (2021) in that window. Metcalf could be next, but if he misses all of minicamp, trade rumblings could resurface.

Seattle has already jettisoned Wilson and Bobby Wagner this offseason. Metcalf represents a cornerstone-type player. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020, a 1,303-yard season, and played hurt last year. Metcalf’s numbers suffered due to the injuries sustained by he and Wilson; he finished with just 967 yards in 17 games. Brown is also a one-time Pro Bowler. Although Brown has moved past the extension-seeking glut in which his peers reside, Metcalf still joins a few others — Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin, Diontae Johnson — as high-profile receivers entering contract years. How many will be extended profiles as one of the offseason’s top remaining storylines.

Hawks View Artie Burns As Starter Option

June 11th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not big on making big cornerback investments, with Richard Sherman‘s 2014 extension the exception, the Seahawks have some questions at the position ahead of training camp. A year after the team let Shaquill Griffin walk in free agency, 2021 starter D.J. Reed joined the Jets in March. The Seahawks did not use a first- or second-day draft pick at corner and, while they brought back Justin Coleman in the slot, have some uncertainty in how they will replace Reed. One option will be Artie Burns, the former Steelers first-round pick who signed a one-year, $2MM deal. Burns, 27, lined up opposite Sidney Jones with Seattle’s first-team defense at minicamp, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. Burns, who worked as a late-season starter with the Bears last season, has not been looked upon as a primary starter since the Steelers benched him in 2018. A pair of fourth-round picks — second-year cover man Tre Brown and rookie Coby Bryant — loom as options as well. Brown did not participate in minicamp, due to the knee injury that ended his rookie slate. After nearly four years after his Steelers starter run wrapped, Burns has a chance to carve out a key role with his third team.

  • Shifting back to the Seahawks, they set to return their 2021 guard duo — Gabe Jackson and Damien Lewis — but their oldest O-lineman will be returning from offseason knee surgery, per Condotta. Jackson, 30, missed OTAs and the Seahawks’ minicamp because of the procedure. The former Raiders starter is going into his ninth season. Because of the new contract the Seahawks gave Jackson last year, he is set to count $9MM toward their 2022 cap. Jackson only missed one game in his first Seahawks season.
  • Staying on the Seahawks’ O-line, the team will feature a right tackle competition in camp. Rookie Abraham Lucas will vie for the job against second-year blockers Jake Curhan and Stone Forsythe, Condotta adds. A former UDFA, Curhan started five games last season. Forsythe, who has mostly worked as a left tackle during his short career, played just 14 offensive snaps as a rookie. Second-year Seattle OC Shane Waldron said he does not have an issue starting two rookies at tackle; No. 9 overall pick Charles Cross is set to succeed Duane Brown on the left side.

Chris Carson Not Planning To Retire

June 11th, 2022 at 7:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Neck injuries have cost longtime Seahawks starters their careers in recent years. Both Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril did not come back after seeing their 2017 seasons end because of neck trouble. Five years later, Chris Carson‘s career is in jeopardy because of a neck ailment sustained early last season.

Pete Carroll confirmed this week the sixth-year veteran running back is not certain to return to the field. Since Carson was forced out of action four games into the 2021 season, not much in the way of good news has emerged from this situation. But Carson, 27, is not ready to call it a career.

“Oh, we still going right now,” Carson said, via Heavy.com’s Jonathan Adams. “I see myself playing until I feel like stopping. My mindset is never to give up, so I’m staying positive like I said, and [will] continue to fight and get back onto the field.

“… Not trying to rush it; I’m just trying to take it one day at a time. Just keep rehabbing, keep getting better. Keep building strength and then go from there. But like I said, there’s no timeline for me.”

A 2017 seventh-round pick, Carson has done well for himself as a pro. The Oklahoma State product has two 1,100-yard rushing seasons and, when healthy, held off former first-round pick Rashaad Penny for Seattle’s first-string running back gig. Carson worked as the top ball-carrying option for three straight playoff teams, leading to a new contract.

Partially due to Penny’s extensive injury history, the Seahawks gave Carson a two-year, $10.4MM deal in 2021. Carson, who has already recovered from a broken leg in his pro career, received $5.5MM guaranteed on his current deal. He is set to earn a $4.5MM base salary this season.

The Seahawks insured their backfield by drafting Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III in Round 2, making that pick after re-signing Penny to a one-year, $5.75MM contract. These two stand to be Seattle’s top backs this season. Carson looms as a wild card for the team’s offense, which will likely continue to be one of the league’s most run-oriented attacks. Training camp serves as the next key point on the resilient runner’s NFL timeline.

Contract Details: Michel, Goodwin

June 9th, 2022 at 9:24pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on deals recently signed around the NFL:

  • Sony Michel, RB (Dolphins): One-year, $1.75MM. The deal, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, has a guaranteed amount of $850,000 consisting of a $350,000 signing bonus and $500,000 of the base salary. Michel will also earn a per game active bonus of $14,117 for a potential season total of $240,000.
  • Marquise Goodwin, WR (Seahawks): One-year, $1.27MM. The contract, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, has a guaranteed amount of $152,500 in the form of a signing bonus. It’s a low-risk deal meant to either bring in a veteran on the back end of the depth chart or motivate the younger players on the back end of the depth chart to up their game.
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