INDIANAPOLIS — Just 15 days remained until the start of NFL free agency as Seahawks general manager John Schneider met the media Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine.
Schneider said the team remains hopeful that quarterback Geno Smith will be safely under contract by the time the new league year and free agency begin on March 15.
“Sure,” Schneider said when asked if the Seahawks hope to get a contract done with Smith by then.
But will they?
Schneider demurred on that one, saying, “I don’t know.”
That wasn’t necessarily said out of pessimism, but instead simply playing it publicly safe for now, Schneider reluctant to predict anything while talks continue.
But asked to describe those discussions, Schneider said “I would say positive. All these negotiations, some go a little bit faster than others. Usually when you’re talking about larger numbers, they take a little bit more time. Obviously much more complex than different sports with guaranteed contracts. So there’s a lot more that goes into these contracts.”
Also a potentially key date in the process is the deadline a week from Tuesday — March 7 — for teams to slap a franchise tag on a pending free agent. For a quarterback, that means a one-year contract in 2023 worth $32.4 million.
Few regard that as likely, as the Seahawks would have a hard time making that cap hit work and also put together a contending team around Smith.
Asked whether the tag could be an option, Schneider declined to answer, saying “That’s not something I would do (to say if the franchise tag could be realistic).” He did note that “it’s a tool” that can be used in negotiations.
Indeed, the franchise tag can be applied just to prevent a player from hitting free agency, with teams then having until July 15 to continue working on long-term contracts with tagged players. That was the thinking when Seattle used the tag on Frank Clark in 2019 before trading Clark to Kansas City in April shortly before the draft.
Head coach Pete Carroll seemed to indicate it may not come to that, saying of the talks that “I think it’s going to go the right direction. Got to get it done.”
Indeed, Schneider noted that getting Smith under contract would make it easier to get other things done once free agency begins.
“Obviously, when you’re signing a quarterback, there’s a cap tag in there that definitely takes other things out of the mix,” Schneider said. “But we know where we have to be in order to be able to field a championship team and you want to. … It’s twofold, right? You want to max out everybody’s opportunities for themselves and then max out the opportunity for the organization at every position, especially the positions that you feel you need to improve on.”
Exactly what Smith is asking for has not been revealed.
Many have speculated he may want at least a three-year deal that might average close to or just a little above the amount of the franchise tag number.
But for now, the clock remains ticking
“Like I said, it’s a process,” Schneider said. “Are we closer? Yeah. Are we at the finish line? You don’t know where the finish line is yet.”
Here’s more of what Carroll and Schneider had to say Tuesday:
Mum’s the word on Wagner
Carroll and Schneider said they wouldn’t comment on if the Seahawks might be interested in a reunion with linebacker Bobby Wagner because he has not yet been released by the Rams — that is expected to happen on March 15. The Athletic reported this week that Wagner, who is serving as his own agent, has been given permission to negotiate with other teams already.
“Can’t talk about it, sorry,” Carroll said. “But I love Bobby. And he meant the world to us in our program and played particularly well against us. So we’ll see what happens. But right now we can’t really comment on that.”
Each noted that inside linebacker is an issue for the Seahawks with Jordyn Brooks, who replaced Wagner in the middle last year, coming off an ACL injury and weakside backer Cody Barton, who stepped in for Brooks in the middle for the final two games of the year, a pending free agent.
Carroll said Brooks is “doing really well” in his recovery but noted that such an injury is typically a “ninth-month time frame.”
“It does bring the sense of urgency and we have to address it,” Carroll said of Brooks’ injury and Barton’s uncertain future. “There’s a number of guys in free agency, if we need to go that way. Cody had a good finish to the season for us. He did a nice job. But there’s some opportunities and some options and we’re wide open.”
Olson in, Desai out
The Seahawks announced the hiring of Greg Olson as quarterbacks coach to replace Dave Canales on Tuesday while learning that associate head coach-defense Sean Desai is leaving to become the defensive coordinator for the Eagles. Desai worked primarily with the back seven of Seattle’s defense and was given ample credit for the quick process of a number of the team’s younger defensive backs in 2022.
Carroll noted that the fact Desai did not have specific responsibility for one position group means it’s unclear how the Seahawks will replace him.
“Yeah, it’s an unusual position that he filled for us,” Carroll said. “He worked in connection with (defensive coordinator) Clint (Hurtt) in transitioning the scheme and all of that. He helped out coaching the DBs some, and coached the nickels, and worked with the linebackers some, but he didn’t coach any of those guys at that position. So it’s not missing that, but his input has been important and so it’s a rare spot to fill. And we’ll try to fill it in the same manner, so we’ll see.“
Canales, who had been with Carroll since joining USC’s staff as a strength coach in 2009, was named as the offensive coordinator with Tampa Bay. Olson, a native of Richland, has been an offensive coordinator for 13 years in the NFL and was the quarterback coach for the Rams in 2017 when he worked alongside current Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
Carroll called Olson “a great get.”
“Greg is a seasoned guy,” Carroll said. “He’s been through a lot of great players, coached a lot of tremendous guys early in their careers and all of that. So he adds a lot to that. And he’s a real fundamentalist, he’s a real disciplined fundamental guy. And he really believes in all the basics of the position.“
Notes
— Carroll said tight end Will Dissly, who suffered a knee injury against Kansas City on Dec. 24 and then missed the final three games, will for now not need to have surgery saying “it naturally seemed to heal well.” Carroll called the injury damage to a bone on the outside of the knee that the team has never seen before. “He’s doing really well, and he’s moving, and feeling good about it,” Carroll said.
— Carroll said safety Jamal Adams, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the season, is “making his progress” but noted that the injury is similar to the one former tight end Jimmy Graham suffered with the team in 2016. “It is a difficult recovery,” Carroll said. “… And again, it’s always you’ve got to avoid the setbacks. As long as we can do that, then he should be on schedule and be back (for the season).”