1. The attendance at OTA’s followed by mini-camp
In the Pete Carroll era it always felt like somebody was sitting out or not attending for one reason or another. This year, having near enough full attendance at OTA’s and even the unsigned rookies taking part in mini-camp, is great to see.
I’ve always seen it as a missed opportunity not to capitalise on this time of year by sitting out. Even for unsigned rookies — the team isn’t going to use a high pick on you and then not give you the contract you are due if you get hurt in mini-camp. Use the time available to get some work in. Seeing everyone working during the voluntary sessions hinted at a team aligned with an all-in mentality.
I can’t help but feel like players such as Cooper Kupp are having a big impact here. Everything we’ve come to learn about him since signing in Seattle speaks to a consummate professional. Likewise with DeMarcus Lawrence. When you’re seasoned vets are rocking up to camp and taking part, really nobody else has an excuse not to be there.
There’s no contract drama, despite the fact several players are in contract years. The whole vibe around the Seahawks is business-like, determined and goal-minded for the season. I like that a lot and think it’ll pay dividends down the line.
This isn’t to say anything against Carroll’s approach previously. Obviously it worked, especially for the LOB era team. I do think in the latter stages though it was harder to keep everything on track and that a shift was needed. You can’t stick with the same approach forever. This is a very different staff with their own way of doing things and that’s a good thing for the current-day Seahawks.
This is a drama-free team at the moment — and it feels good to write that.
2.The way Abe Lucas spoke about the team during a press conference recently
He talked about being really good at a handful of things on offense, making that the identity of the team and exerting your will — rather than trying to be a hodge-podge of different things (his words) and not excel at anything. That was definitely one of the many issues with Ryan Grubb.
I like the idea of a simplified offense in year one of this system with a focus on being really good in certain areas — namely the run. The Seahawks have no base identity to the offense and need a starting point. They have to establish who and what they are and build off that. I think we saw that approach on defense last year and by the end of the season the unit was really thriving. I suspect we’ll see something similar on offense.
3. The no-nonsense approach to things
My favourite types of players are people like Lucas and Grey Zabel. I got into football for the combination of brutal violence, physical brilliance and tactical challenge. I don’t want to watch a finesse team. I don’t think we’re going to get that in 2025.
This also speaks to the Head Coach too. I have to say I really liked the way he shot down the question last week asking whether Sam Darnold is definitely the starter. Contrary to what some might say, it isn’t a question you ‘have’ to ask. Darnold is clearly the starter, we can all see that. If he struggles then that will change but there are no Russell Wilson/Matt Flynn notes coming out of the Seahawks. If Jalen Milroe was pushing to start and wowing everyone as a rookie phenom, we’d have heard about it by now.
Mike Macdonald had no time for this and made it quite clear to everyone he wasn’t tolerating a manufactured discussion around the starter at the position. There is no guarantee that Darnold will thrive in Seattle but he’s going to get the opportunity to show he can. Macdonald’s answer ended any doubt about that being the case.
If you recall, shortly before Geno Smith was traded to the Raiders, we discussed on this blog the not-so-amazing relationship between the quarterback and DK Metcalf. As it turns out, both moved on. It has since emerged that Metcalf himself might’ve been angling for a move for a decent amount of time.
However, the Smith trade created shock-waves across social media. Some prominent Seahawks voices virtually carried a tone of grief. Why have they done this? Was it just about money? Age? A lack of appreciation for Smith, who was beloved by certain sections of the internet?
Well, the peerless Brady Henderson has shed a bit more light on the decision over the last few days. Speaking on Seattle Sports, this is what he had to say:
“When you talk about Sam Darnold versus Geno Smith, I think if you were to say to that coaching staff, that scouting staff… and get them in an honest conversation, I think they would tell you that Sam Darnold’s a really good quarterback, though he’s not quite as talented as Geno Smith.
“I think they would tell you that Geno Smith is a more talented thrower of the ball and that the reasons they thought he (Darnold) was the better option for them went beyond that. It was about, he is younger, he was going to be a little bit cheaper and I think they would tell you that they think he’s going to be a better leader than Geno Smith was. I wouldn’t discount the degree to which that was a factor in their decision to pivot away from Geno Smith and go to Sam Darnold — the leadership stuff.
“I know people will cringe hearing that but I really think that was a factor here, that some of the challenges with Geno were his temperament and the way that he carried himself and the way that he interacted with team mates and I think that they will tell you that, nobody knows how it’s going to go on the field but I think the people who are in the building who know Sam Darnold have vouched for the idea that this guy’s a good leader, he’s going to relate to his team-mates, he’s going to handle adversity well.”
I’m pretty sure this isn’t going to change anyone’s view on the whole Smith/Darnold debate. Everyone’s position is more or less entrenched at this point and, I’m afraid to say, it’s a topic that will likely return to the online discourse any time either player does something of note on the field in 2025, good or bad.
However, I do think it’s something worth noting. The quarterback position is unlike any other role in professional sport. You’re more or less a Head Coach on the field and a CEO off it. You need to be both relatable to team-mates, respected, yet be able to hold people to account and manage the difficult moments.
Every player does this differently. Joe Burrow is different to Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen is different to Jalen Hurts. Some players have so much talent that you are able to overcome any perceived leadership weaknesses. You could argue that Russell Wilson, who clearly wasn’t the most beloved team-mate in Seattle, fits that category. For a period he was one of the very best players in the league so it was a moot point.
Smith was not one of the best players in the league. He was a player approaching his 35th birthday this year, with one statistically brilliant season in his career (2022). His final two years in Seattle were a mixed bag. He virtually won games on his own at times and he also helped lose games with some mind-boggling decisions. Smith wasn’t helped by poor offensive play-callers and a shoddy offensive line but there wasn’t enough evidence to think — you reward this player with a long-term, handsome extension and hope that everything works out if you improve those aspects of the offense.
You’re less likely to take that chance if the feeling within the staff and the front office is that he lacked the leadership qualities you want for the position.
I don’t think a Darnold vs Smith comparison throughout 2025 is worth anyone’s time. I don’t see it as preferring Darnold over Smith. I look at it this way. The Seahawks didn’t want to commit to Geno unless it was on their terms, with an ‘out’ for the team. The minute it became clear that wasn’t viable, they were right to move on. They had to pivot to someone and it just so happens to be Darnold. The truth is the Seahawks are now in search mode. They’re still looking for ‘the guy’. But they were anyway, even with Smith under contract.
They’ve taken a very low-risk, calculated gamble on Darnold with no long-term commitment. He had a productive 2024 season in Minnesota and they’ll see if he can replicate that, or even produce 75% of that season to justify the cost. They appreciate his personality and leadership qualities. If it doesn’t work it’ll be a ‘who’s next?’ type of situation. It’s not ideal but when you don’t have a legit long-term franchise quarterback, those are the cards you have to play.
Smith wasn’t a legit long-term franchise quarterback, irrespective of what some people on the internet thought. He was a skilled passer capable of producing moments of magic. At times, he did carry the team in games. He has excellent physical tools and is among the most impressive athletes at his position in the NFL.
He’s also 35 this year, he can be erratic and by all accounts Henderson is relaying a reality that he wasn’t the best leader. Moving on from that and trying to find a better fit for the culture of your team feels like a reasonable move. Especially when you factor in the cost saving and the return of a third round pick which was used on Jalen Milroe, who they’ll try to develop into a potential long-term solution.
Darnold isn’t likely to produce as many ‘wow’ throws this year. Nor is he likely to have a game where he’s the pre-eminent factor in the win. He’s probably going to be more of a facilitator with more focus than ever on the running game, passing off the running game and clear scheming. Yet for the last two seasons Smith has produced 20 and 21 touchdowns respectively, with 24 total interceptions and a passer rating in the 92/93 range. It’s not going to be the greatest challenge ever for Darnold to at least match that output to help the Seahawks stay on course.
In fact, he could easily better those numbers in a more structured, efficient and functioning offense. Smith would’ve probably bettered his numbers too. But perhaps Darnold’s greatest X-factor could be in the locker-room and how he leads the group? That might’ve been as a big a factor as any in Seattle’s decision to make a change at quarterback this year.
This is a guest article written by Curtis Allen…
Many things have changed for the Seahawks since John Schneider was promoted to Director of Football Operations in January of last year. We have seen adjustments in just about every area of the organization.
One was the hiring of Joey Laine as vice president of football administration in April 2024. He is responsible for the financial side of team operations, including contract negotiations and managing the salary cap. His role is to advise John Schneider on the financial and cap impact of personnel decisions and implement them in a way that best contributes to team success.
Together they have steered away from some of the organizational principles of recent years, adopting an approach I would describe as ‘prudently aggressive.’ They have shifted their focus to a more pragmatic approach and employed that vision to all areas of the roster and cap. It feels more thorough and well-rounded, while also acknowledging the financial realities of running a competitive club in ways the previous administration lacked at times.
Outlining some of these strategies will give us insight into how they may handle decisions in the near term and into 2026 and beyond.
A Direct Approach to Making Necessary Moves
Pete Carroll recently confirmed on an interview with Brock and Salk that after the 2023 season, he and John Schneider were not aligned on what to do next. Carroll wanted to keep the team mostly intact and Schneider felt roster changes were necessary.
Carroll moved on and Schneider stayed. We know what happened next. Safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs were released. Also notable is that the team did not designate Adams as a post-June 1 cut to split up the dead cap and take some in 2025. The decision was made to take the full $31 million of dead cap in 2024 and start fresh the following year.
That was just one step in this new approach.
Their moves in season revealed another facet of their new mindset. Two of their most prominent offseason acquisitions – linebackers Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson – were moved off the roster. Baker was packaged in a trade to bring in Ernest Jones and Dodson was waived. The moves indicated that the leadership felt those two players were not taking the defense in a beneficial direction.
Jones was viewed as a priority acquisition. Mike MacDonald also felt comfortable giving rookie Tyrice Knight more reps and responsibility.
Their instincts proved correct as the two linebackers snapped into place and the defense began to really click as the season wore on.
Baker and Dodson counted another $8 million in dead cap space. But when Schneider and Macdonald determined a change needed to be made, they did not hesitate to eat the dead money. Substantial forward progress and the chance to acquire a potentially long-term piece on defense were a small price to pay for cutting ties with newly acquired players so quickly.
The decisive moves of 2024 were just a warmup for what was to come the following year.
In the offseason, Schneider found himself at odds with Geno Smith and D.K. Metcalf, two of the team’s highest-paid and most visible players. Both were looking for very healthy contract extensions and were disinclined to work with the club on finding mutually beneficial solutions. A stalemate had been reached in early March.
Within a week both were traded to other teams, $34 million in dead cap charges had been absorbed and the Seahawks had signed arguably the best Quarterback in the free agent market to replace Smith.
The organization clearly had spent time in the offseason gaming out scenarios and as a result were able to move very quickly and effectively when they reached a crossroads.
Time will tell if those moves are ultimately successful. Yet the way they made major roster changes in a very short window deserves consideration. Rather than allow two of the team’s biggest pieces to cause distractions with their contract demands and general unhappiness – with all the press and locker room challenges that come with it – the Seahawks moved on and turned those roster assets into draft picks right in the heart of a very deep draft pool.
Look at the Kirk Cousins situation in Atlanta. The Trey Hendrickson situation in Cincinnati. Now imagine the Seahawks having both of those levels of distraction combined on one club. Players and coaches shrug off these types of issues all the time but make no mistake – it can affect the organization from top to bottom.
Schneider does not need to imagine it. He lived it with Russell Wilson. He spent a whole calendar year with that tension around the team in 2021. When the trade was finally was made in 2022, the front office, the players and fans breathed a sigh of relief after the shock wore off.
Lessoned learned. No more drama than is necessary.
Bigger moves of this nature are evidence of a broader trend they have employed in the last two seasons.
They Are More Comfortable Taking on Dead Cap Charges
Last season the Seahawks carried $58 million of dead cap on their books. So far this year? $67 million and counting. That is a whopping $125 million over the last two seasons, which includes $65 million between Adams, Diggs, Smith and Metcalf alone. It accounts for about 23% of their salary cap in that time frame.
Obviously that is less than ideal. Dead cap space limits your flexibility and forces teams to take chances on cheaper (meaning less experienced and proven) talent to build roster depth.
Collecting dead cap charges does have its merits though and the Seahawks seem far more interested in tapping into them to improve both their short and long-term outlook.
What are some of those merits?
In the case of the two safeties, the issues were clear. Both had been banged up and were in the most expensive years of their contracts. The Seahawks were proven correct to release them when they did, as Diggs only managed to play eight games for Tennessee before succumbing to another injury and Adams only managed 43 snaps between two teams.
The cost to carry both of those players on the roster would have been an astounding $48 million. By releasing both in a pre-June 1 manner, the Seahawks picked up over $17 million in cap room in 2024. By not spreading out the dead cap on Adams, they cleared another $17 million in 2025 cap room.
Given a choice of spending $17 million to improve the team or keeping both and watch as they became comatose cap space the Seahawks made the best call they could and lived with a big dead cap hit.
The merits of collecting $34 million of dead cap space for D.K. Metcalf and Geno Smith are more easily discernable: Almost $42 million in cap space gained and picks #52 and #92 in this year’s draft. Jalen Milroe and the ability to go up and get Nick Emmanwori are the direct results of taking those hits, and it could be argued the Seahawks opened enough cap space to cover the 2025 costs for the bulk of their free agent class. You could also argue that in theory, they opened future cap space that would have been earmarked for Metcalf and Smith extensions. That money could be spent to bring in, say, a major piece to elevate their defense.
And therein lies the rub of dead cap money: if, for instance, those newly acquired players become centerpieces in a new renaissance in Seattle, no one will look back at 2025 and say ‘I really am glad the Seahawks ate $34 million of dead money to make this happen.’ That money fades from memory into history books. It is just part of the business, a tool used to get from here to there. Not that collecting dead cap guarantees future success but it opens more opportunities to strengthen and shape the team in a more productive fashion. Moving on from two very productive and very popular (but unhappy) players gave them that opportunity.
Another area in which the Seahawks have shown some aggression is in their use of void years. Void year money becomes dead cap money when the salaried years of the contract are finished. In essence, teams ‘weaponize’ dead money by using void years to push the cap hits into future seasons. This allows teams much more flexibility in their roster choices. They can add more players in free agency, make an in season trade (a Schneider specialty), or roll over that cap surplus into the following season.
The Sam Darnold contract is an interesting example of this technique. The Seahawks added two void years to lower the cap hits for the active years by $4.26 million each year. In 2028 they will have a dead cap hit of $12.8 million.
They also restructured Leonard Williams’ contract and added two void years to free up $14 million. In 2027 they will have a dead cap hit of $9.37 million on the books.
The goal here is obvious: to push cap hits down the road to acquire flexibility now. With the ever-expanding salary cap, using void years in this way is better than an interest-free loan. For instance: $10 million is 3.58% of the current salary cap. In 2026, it will only be a projected 3.38% of the cap. In 2027, 3.21%, and so on. You gain room just by pushing out money.
It also provides a unique option: you could pay down your dead money in the future if you roll those savings forward instead of spending it. Let me explain. In August of 2023, the Seahawks restructured Jamal Adams’ contract to pick up $6.6 million in cap room. They ended the season with $4.67 million in space, so they rolled that over to 2024. If you want to consider that $4.67 million as money solely gained from Adams’ restructuring, they had a little more cap room to handle the $20 million in dead cap they accrued when they cut Adams loose.
Same with D.K. Metcalf. In 2024, they restructured his contract to pick up $9.5 million but they ended the year with a surplus of $8.4 million and rolled that into 2025. You could consider that a paydown of the $21 million in dead cap they took when they traded Metcalf.
Void years in contracts are becoming increasingly popular in the NFL. Per OTC the league currently has over $2.2 billion in void year money on the books. It is here to stay until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is forged in 2030. Void years are now so ubiquitous that they are like having a quarterback who can use his legs to gain yards rushing or keep plays alive. Years ago? A novelty. Now? They are practically a necessity to remain competitive in the league.
If I had to guess, I would say that Schneider and the Seahawks will never go to the credit-card maxing lengths that teams like Philadelphia and New Orleans go to. But it does appear the team will regularly utilize void years and the resulting dead cap money when they deem it necessary.
New Contract Structures
The team has not revamped every single new contract they have signed but they have made several moves that signal a change in the way they want to proceed.
Sam Darnold’s contract is very interesting. The Seahawks put void years into the contract right at the outset. Normally they have added void years well into the contract when restructuring to gain cap room. On Darnold’s deal, they worked it into the original contract. As we discussed above, this allowed them some room in the near term to keep adding talent. The $4.2 million in room they ‘picked up’ by using the void years could easily justify the $4 million contract they gave swing tackle Josh Jones or contribute the bulk of Jarran Reed’s $5 million contract.
I doubt they will regularly add void years at the outset very often. Darnold’s contract was $100.5 million and he is a good age (28) so there is justification for massaging the numbers a bit to gain some flexibility.
The most intriguing part of the contract is the way it is structured in 2026. Darnold has a base salary of $12.3 million and a roster bonus of $15 million. Neither of those are fully guaranteed at this point. But if Darnold is on the roster on February 15th, $2.5 million of his base salary guarantees and the roster bonus guarantees. The bottom line is, if Darnold is on the roster on that date, he will be a Seahawk in 2026. The consequences of cutting him after that vesting date would be ugly – a $43.1 million dead cap hit and it would cost an extra $9.2 million against the cap.
In past years the Seahawks have used this provision of fully guaranteeing salary five days into the waiver period to allow them a way to manage their cash flow – the salary that guarantees will be placed into escrow in the year it vests. For all intents and purposes, the salary has been fully guaranteed even if the contract language states otherwise. We have seen them practice this with just about every big contract they have signed over the years. Even ones that fans have found distasteful have had their vesting dates pass and the team has been content to eat that guaranteed salary. This year was no different, as Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Lawrence, Jarran Reed and Ernest Jones all have this provision built into their contracts:
The salary guaranteeing five days into the waiver period is nothing new. The roster bonus is. My guess is that having the vesting date be earlier was a negotiating concession made by the team that recognized they were getting the top free agent quarterback locked down very quickly.
The Seahawks usually have roster bonuses due the fifth day of the new league year – about mid-March. My guess is that Darnold’s team thinks five days into the league year (really seven when you count the legal tampering period) is too late to get back on the market and pick his next team if the Seahawks want to move on. Getting cut in February would be an advantage, as he could survey the market, take meetings and negotiate without any major competition. Unrestricted free agents cannot legally do any of those things until March.
So now we have a fascinating decision date. February 15th, 2026, will lock $17.5 million on Darnold’s contract.
Does that mean that Darnold’s $17.5 million is essentially guaranteed and he and the Seahawks are destined to be together in 2026? Probably.
It is also possible that moving the roster bonus vesting date from March back to February simply means the Seahawks agreed to make their decision sooner rather than later. It is very possible that the amount of money is not ‘handshake guaranteed’ and the team could very well decide to move on. Darnold would surely know this was the case before he signed the contract.
We saw the Seahawks take a slightly different approach to the five-day vesting date earlier this year with Uchenna Nwosu. He had a $6 million salary guarantee that would vest in February but the Seahawks approached him about reworking his contract after two injury-filled seasons and he was receptive. The vesting date passed on the calendar and Brady Henderson confirmed that they had moved it back and that Nwosu was still under contract. In the end, both sides got what they were seeking. Nwosu got a new guarantee of $6.98 million and the Seahawks got some cap relief.
Could the Seahawks be demonstrating that the vesting date is not arbitrary in this one case signal a wholesale change in focus? One contract renegotiation is not conclusive proof but it is possible.
If they decided to move on from Darnold before the vesting date, they would incur a $25.6 million dead cap charge and save $8.3 million on the cap. As we discussed above, if they decide to move on, that dead cap number would not prevent doing what they think is best for the team.
Either way, I think it is safe to say that there will be a lot of eyes on the Seahawks in the days following the Super Bowl to see what they do.
The best-case scenario for everyone involved is for Darnold to have a terrific season and render this discussion moot. He has another $5 million in incentives and earning a good chunk of those would make the decision easy.
Another fascinating change the Seahawks have made is the way they pursue Undrafted Free Agents.
In years past, the Seahawks guaranteed very little money when they signed players after the draft. But in 2024 they guaranteed over $700,000 to their Undrafted Free Agent class, a huge change from the previous season. They got even more aggressive this year, guaranteeing $1.3 million to their newest class.
Here are the top figures, courtesy of Spotrac:
A word on the guarantees for UDFA’s: they are all subject to an offset of sorts. If these players are cut by the Seahawks and catch on with other teams – whether on the 53-man roster or their Practice Squad – the Seahawks’ liability is reduced by an equivalent amount.
Otherwise, these players staying on the Practice Squad for the bulk of the season will cover these guarantees.
In essence, the Seahawks have been able to attract better undrafted players without really overcommitting themselves financially. They are just agreeing to spend money they have already budgeted. It is a smart tactic that might produce some fruitage in time.
To be fair, these players went undrafted for a reason. Last year the Seahawks guaranteed Garrett Greenfield $175,000 and he did not make the team and has bounced around the league a bit. George Holani got a $100,000 guarantee and appeared in five games mostly on special teams.
One area their efforts could be rewarded is at the Cornerback spot. They skipped tendering Restricted Free Agent Josh Jobe (another new strategy) and instead signed him to a contract with some up-front bonus money and incentives. Yet in the draft they did not pick any corners to provide more depth. Zy Alexander and Isas Waxter were two of the first players to be reported as signing with the Seahawks. It is possible that one or both of those could see some action this season and reward the Seahawks’ commitment to them.
The financial approach the Seahawks are using is likely to evolve even further over time. They currently have about $30 million in raw cap space and if they make no further moves but sign the balance of their rookie class and a practice squad, would start the season with about $20-22 million or so. There will be opportunities to make trades or pick up other players as the season wears on. There always are.
We will keep a watchful eye on how they manage the cap and contracts as they enter the second season of this new regime.
This is a guest article written by Curtis Allen…
With one of the NFL’s premier pass-rushers currently locked in a stalemate with his organization, I wanted to discuss the financial side of a possible Trey Hendrickson acquisition by the Seahawks. Most likely any trade would need to have an extension commensurate with his value included.`
Rob wrote some thoughts down last week and this quote helps make the case that John Schneider should be making inquiries about a trade package for Hendrickson:
It’s hard to shake the thought of what a truly outstanding ‘EDGE’ could do for this team though. He could be the kind of acquisition that takes you over the top, as we saw with the moves the Rams and 49ers made in the trade market to reach Super Bowls. The NFC is still somewhat open in terms of who can really push to make the Championship game. This could be a rare opportunity.
I want to chime in a bit as well. From my perspective, if the Seahawks are figuring a ceiling of 11-13 wins this year and/or the next year with the roster they have right now, adding a piece like Hendrickson would put them firmly in the NFC discussion to go very deep into the playoffs.
Why?
Hendrickson can win you games.
Last season in Week Nine vs Las Vegas Hendrickson recorded this ridiculous stat package:
- Four sacks and nine pressures
- Four tackles for loss
- Seven QB hits, including three QB knockdowns
- A pass defensed and a sack/fumble that Cincinnati recovered
It was a tour de force performance that earned him an historic 95.9 PFF grade. The Raiders had eleven drives and by my count Hendrickson killed at least four of them himself with an impact play.
Remember that insane two-game stretch Leonard Williams had last year in back-to-back games? Hendrickson matched that in this game alone.
Ah, but that was against a lowly Raiders team. How do we know Hendrickson can turn it on against the best in the NFL?
Glad you asked. Have a look at his stat line for the Bengals’ breakthrough win against the Chiefs in the 2021 AFC Championship game. About 90% of Hendrickson’s snaps that day were against Pro Bowl Left Tackle Orlando Brown.
How did he do?
- 1.5 sacks and four pressures
- One TFL and two QB hits
Granted, it was not as impressive as his Raider game but consider this — the Bengals were getting shredded by Patrick Mahomes. At halftime he had 220 yards passing on 18/21 attempts and three touchdowns. The Bengals were down 21-10 in Kansas City and everyone was booking the Chiefs for their third straight Super Bowl appearance.
The change Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo made at halftime was inspired. For most of the second half, in passing situations, he only rushed three players – mixing in the occasional fourth as a blitzer – and dropped eight into coverage. Mahomes and the Chiefs could not adapt and were kept out of the end zone for the second half and overtime. Hendrickson was one of the three rushing and was a terror. Every time Mahomes looked over his shoulder, Hendrickson was there. He got his sack-and-a-half in the fourth quarter, twice killing Kansas City drives. The Chiefs drove to the Bengals’ seven-yard line late in the game but back-to-back sacks of Mahomes forced them to settle for a Field Goal and go to Overtime.
Imagine your Defensive Coordinator coming to you at halftime and telling you they are going to flood coverage and not only will you have no help rushing the passer but you will also probably be regularly double-teamed. Plus, you need to find a way to be just as effective, if not more so, if the team was going to beat this dynasty of a franchise on their turf and advance to the Super Bowl. Hendrickson understood the assignment and delivered. That is clutch.
It is not hard to envision Mike Macdonald asking Hendrickson to do just that in a critical game. To provide pressure while allowing Macdonald to deploy versatile weapons like Coby Bryant, Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori.
This has been a shameless plug to warm you up to the idea of paying Hendrickson a lot of money. Because that is what it is going to take to get him to Seattle.
However, the Seahawks can bring Hendrickson into the fold without severely crippling their ability to make other important financial moves. How?
A Mutually Beneficial Contract Proposal
Let’s establish the facts: Hendrickson is 30 years old and will be 31 in December. He is set for a $16 million cap hit this year and is out of contract in 2026. He was the NFL’s sack and pressure leader last season and came in second place in voting for Defensive Player of the Year to Patrick Surtain.
He has rightly earned a new contract with a huge raise in pay. It is fair to say that this will be his best bite at the apple.
The top-five edge rushers’ contracts in the league average $34.67 million per season with Myles Garrett leading the way at $40 million annually.
What I am proposing for Hendrickson is this: A two-year, $74 million extension with $52.25 million guaranteed. Hendrickson takes his spot as the second-best paid pass rusher behind Garrett and the Seahawks get their game-changing defensive player.
Actually no, that is not the contract I would have the Seahawks sign. But that is how the initial details on my proposal would be reported by the Adam Schefters and Ian Rappports. It would be celebrated by the NFL community as an underrated player getting his just rewards, the Seahawks making a bold statement to get them where they want to go and by fans of other teams as the Seahawks losing their minds and desperately unloading dump trucks of money on a player in his 30’s.
The real details of the contract would be this: The two years added would be an extension that absorbs the $16 million 2025 cap number into the contract to make it a three-year $90 million contract. The amount fully guaranteed at signing would be $36.25 million, made up of a $35 million signing bonus and $1.25 million of guaranteed salary. It also includes a 2026 Roster Bonus of $10 million and $6 million of salary that are both guaranteed for injury, with a February or March 2026 vesting date.
I added two void years to defer $14 million of the signing bonus.
Have a look at how the cap hits laid out in this scenario:
It is structured somewhat similarly to the Sam Darnold contract — two void years to manage the early cap hits, a nuclear option to escape the contract after one year and flexibility to restructure and push cap hits out if they desire.
Hendrickson gets $36.25 million in the first year and a strong shot at another $22 million in the second year of the deal and has his great work rewarded.
Essentially, this contract is a two-year, $58.25 million deal that is financed over three seasons.
The Seahawks cap $37.25 million in Hendrickson’s age 31-32 years and have $21 million of dead money if they want to move on in the third year. Two full years of Hendrickson would cost them $58.25 million but the dead cap would hit in the third year of the deal. They could even post-June1 cut him in 2027 to spread the contract over four years.
The 2026 cap hit of $29 million is workable and at this point something the Seahawks could afford. They currently have $58 million in cap room per OTC and could nearly double that with some obvious cuts, restructurings and extensions.
However, if the Seahawks felt the need to pick up some more cap room, the team could restructure Hendrickson’s 2026 compensation to take his cap hit down to $13.475 million. It would clear up $15.25 million of cap room in 2026.
The $58.25 million then becomes split as $21.725 million for the first two seasons and a $36.525 million dead cap hit in 2027.
Here is how it would look on paper:
I get that nobody would be excited about the Seahawks socking themselves with $36 million in dead cap money in 2027. If Hendrickson does not live up to expectations, it would hang around the team’s neck like a millstone in fan’s minds.
However, the cap is increasing so rapidly now, pushing out some money into future years is almost a necessity to stay competitive. Last year, the cap increased by over 13%. This year it increased by over 9%. $36 million in 2025 cap dollars will be the equivalent of about $43 million in 2027 cap dollars – except the money stays at $36 million. It is better than an interest-free loan – teams will gain cap money by financing their expenditures in this manner. The trick is to get maximum value in those cheap seasons and keep drafting well.
Furthermore, 2027 will still see the 2024 and 2025 draft classes (Byron Murphy, AJ Barner, Christian Haynes, Tyrice Knight, Grey Zabel, Nick Emmanwori, Elijah Arrojo, Jalen Milroe, etc) plus two more classes on rookie contracts, and any players from the 2023 rookie class the Seahawks extend (Devon Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Derick Hall, Zach Charbonnet) will have relatively low cap hits in the first year of their extensions.
I said it before and I’ll say it again: the best way to manage your salary cap is to draft well. Adding Hendrickson would be reaping some of the rewards for doing just that in the last three years.
It is a very healthy price the Seahawks will have to put on their salary cap if they want to add Trey Hendrickson. We have not discussed what they would need to send in trade to acquire him, which also needs to be factored.
Yet as we have been talking about for years and years, winning starts in the trenches. A fearsome defensive line can keep the team’s head above water as they adjust to a new Offensive Coordinator, Quarterback and integrate the impact rookies into the lineup. They also can give the ball back to the offense with a short field – something that Russell Wilson and Geno Smith rarely had the last few seasons. Add in a new approach to the running game and suddenly the Seahawks become a lot harder to play against.
They might not make significant gains in the wins column but they will be much harder to beat and that is what matters in the playoffs.
The opportunity to acquire a field-tilting piece should be carefully examined as a real opportunity. The Seahawks have the ability to fit Hendrickson into their plans.
The San Francisco 49ers hit the jackpot in 2022. With the final pick in the draft they added a starting quarterback. It’s always more luck than judgement when you find a player in that range (if the Niners thought he would be what he’s become they would’ve taken him earlier) but Kyle Shanahan and co. deserve credit for their part in developing Brock Purdy.
The Trey Lance trade could’ve been a career-ender for Shanahan and GM John Lynch. Instead that gaffe was more or less brushed aside. They found a player to fill the void of the top-five bust they spent so much to acquire.
Purdy cost the Niners $7.9m over the entirety of his rookie contract. It undoubtedly enabled them to add and retain a number of blue-chip players. Their loaded roster took them to a Super Bowl and a NFC Championship in Purdy’s first two seasons in the league.
It was one of the most inspired draft-and-develop moves in recent NFL history.
And now, Purdy could cost them their future.
He’s reportedly agreed a contract worth $53m-a-year with $181m guaranteed. He’s on a deal worth only $2m-a-year less than Josh Allen and Joe Burrow. We’ll need to see the full details and the 49ers might have team-friendly outs attached. However, Purdy has gone from one of the best bargains in football to potentially one of the biggest white elephants.
The problem is that he’s a good not great player. He’s very effective within Shanahan’s scheme, he’s more athletic and elusive than most initially realised and he’s a decent player. He had the 10th best PFF grade in 2024 (82.4) sandwiched between Geno Smith and Kyler Murray in the rankings.
Purdy isn’t a difference maker though. He isn’t someone you’d fancy to win you a big game or a playoff matchup on his own with his arm. You can well imagine Burrow doing that, or Allen. Not Purdy. Not based on what we’ve seen.
He’s a player who you’d imagine is going to need a great supporting cast. Yet the 49ers have made it harder to build a great supporting cast by committing so much to their non-elite quarterback.
This isn’t a new phenomena. The other highest paid quarterbacks include Dak Prescott ($60m), Jordan Love ($55m), Trevor Lawrence ($55m), Tua Tagovailoa ($53.1m) and Jared Goff ($53m). None of these players have enjoyed any playoff success. They’re not necessarily players you’d expect to be in the MVP mix or even winning quarterbacks. Some have been pretty average.
The league is so dependant on the quarterback position though that teams panic. They’re unwilling to enter the world of the unknown. If they have a player with some potential, reputation or has shown at least a moderate amount of talent, they’d rather pay them a massive salary than risk moving on.
The Seahawks in fairness took a different path. They could’ve paid Geno Smith a major new deal but chose the unknown. I think they deserve credit for that. I don’t think their situation with Sam Darnold, on less money than the players named above, is less attractive.
However, if Jalen Milroe turns into Seattle’s starter over the next 2-3 years, I hope they’ll show restraint if he doesn’t emerge into an elite starter. Paying brilliant money for OK play is a sure-fire way to get absolutely nowhere. You’re better off, in my opinion, taking cheaper shots at quarterback and continuing to search for greatness.
The 49ers made their bed. They do have a joker in the pack with Shanahan — he’s capable of coaxing a lot out of limited quarterbacks. I still think it’ll be interesting to see how they handle paying Purdy a fortune though. Trent Williams is coming to the end. Christian McCaffrey isn’t far away. George Kittle is 32 in October. Their once fearsome D-line is now Nick Bosa and a collection of rookies.
They’re putting a lot of pressure on their ability to draft well. They’ve had some high moments during Shanahan and Lynch’s tenure but they’ve also blown a lot of stock. For example, in 2022 their top three picks were Drake Jackson, Tyrion Davis-Price and Danny Gray. None of them remain on the San Francisco roster. In 2021 their top three picks were Trey Lance, Aaron Banks and Trey Sermon. Again, none remain on the roster. In 2020 they had two first round picks and then nothing until round five. Javon Kinlaw is long gone and Brandon Aiyuk might be a huge financial black-hole for them coming off a major injury.
The 49ers have been the cream of the NFC West for several years. Last season it felt like they were on the decline. This contract for Purdy might accelerate that fall. It might be time for someone else to lead the division.
On the possibility of the Seahawks trading for Trey Hendrickson
It was interesting to hear Hendrickson speak with quite a lot of emotion this week, reflecting on the damaged relationship he has with the Bengals. It still felt like Cincinnati would eventually get a deal done here. The way he’s speaking, I think that’s less of a formality than I did a few days ago.
There are a few problems if you’re thinking the Seahawks or any other franchise might make a move. The Bengals are notoriously difficult trading partners because they’re run in a unique way by Mike Brown. They’re even more inclined to dig their heels in because the draft has come and gone.
Right now all they can do is weaken their team significantly by trading Hendrickson, at a time when they’re in ‘win-now’ mode. A better run franchise would’ve got this done pre-draft or completed a trade and moved on. Not Cincinnati. They’ve created a mess, pissed off one of their best players and it’s hard to know where they go from here other than paying him, probably at a higher rate than if they’d simply addressed this sooner.
They’ve got form with this, of course. Their two star receivers had their contract situations dragged out far longer than necessary but ultimately reached agreement.
The only way a trade scenario becomes likely, I think, is if tensions between the two parties get even stronger and you get to camp and then the start of the season and no resolution is forthcoming. At that point the Bengals will be staring down the possibility of losing Hendrickson for nothing in free agency, a prospect even they are unlikely to entertain.
At that point a team like the Seahawks would appear viable bidders. They are one of the few franchises who can take on his salary in 2025. They’ve also got history of acquiring players at about his age on an expiring contract, as they did with Leonard Williams most recently and Duane Brown in the past.
Personally I would entertain it. Hendrickson might not have the flashy name value, for whatever reason, of some of his peers — but he is legitimately one of the elite pass-rushers in the game. His production is off the charts. Even just three years of top-tier production could push the Seahawks to contention in the NFC, provided the offense can take a step forward under Klint Kubiak.
For a team that has struggled to draft and develop a pass-rusher of his quality, it could be a solution. Hendrickson is also a strong character fit and someone you’d welcome into your locker room.
The sticking point will be compensation. How much are the Bengals prepared to take for a player who turns 31 in December, who would require an immediate contract extension? Is a team like the Seahawks prepared to pay a second round pick, if they’d even accept that (it is the Bengals) for the opportunity to give Hendrickson +$30m a year in his age 31-34 seasons?
He has been a durable player, featuring in 17 games for the last two seasons while stacking 35 sacks in that period. I get the sense he might be able to play on and make this a calculated gamble and one that’d probably be worth taking in order to add the final piece to a blossoming defense.
Yet the Seahawks might also believe schematically they are equipped to create pressure tactically and that their current collection of players can get the job done. There was no lack of pressure in the final few games of last season, for example. Is there a belief within the VMAC that Boye Mafe and/or Derick Hall can emerge to become this kind of player? I’m sceptical but they might want to exhaust that thought after spending second round picks on the duo.
It’s hard to shake the thought of what a truly outstanding ‘EDGE’ could do for this team though. He could be the kind of acquisition that takes you over the top, as we saw with the moves the Rams and 49ers made in the trade market to reach Super Bowls. The NFC is still somewhat open in terms of who can really push to make the Championship game. This could be a rare opportunity.
That said, it’s hard to imagine anything happens soon. It would probably be later in the year, even despite the fact Cincinnati drafted Shemar Stewart in round one. The most likely outcome is the Bengals do find a way to tie Hendrickson down and if they don’t, negotiating with them could be a pain in the arse. If there is an opportunity to do something, however, it should be considered. The Seahawks don’t lack for young talent or depth but they don’t have enough game-changing blue-chippers.
Why I prefer Rasul Douglas over Shaq Griffin
I’ve got to be honest, I was never a big Griffin fan when he was in Seattle. I thought he was OK as a starter and I didn’t want the Seahawks to give him big money in free agency to stay. He’s since played for five teams in four years and recorded only three interceptions in that period. He’s just bouncing around the league at this point as his career winds down.
Douglas is a year older and might’ve had a down-year by his standards in 2024. However, he’s only a year removed from a tremendous 2023 campaign with the Bills where he had four interceptions in nine games (plus another for Green Bay before heading to Buffalo) and had a PFF grade of 82.2. In the time since Griffin left Seattle, Douglas has 14 interceptions compared to Griffin’s three.
There might be reasons why such a well known, productive player is still a free agent in mid-May. The Seahawks might be doing due-diligence for that very reason. I just think Douglas is a better player and the kind of veteran who can realistically play at a level that is beyond average. At this stage in his career, ‘average’ might be Griffin’s generous ceiling.
