And you are showing a list of the 4 best available O linemen; this is John Schneider, he will scour the bargain bin once again. ( I really hope I'm wrong.)
The turnover is crazy. Especially on offense and with a new OC. I am very hopeful though, that we will replace these snaps without too many hiccups and with a few big upgrades. I would love to see us put a lot of this cap space towards the trenches, and I don't care which side. Well, kinda. While I'd rather have the #1 DL in football than the #1 OL, I never want to sit through another season of having the #32 OL.
Competence and continuity are so important to good OL play, even OK-not-great players (I'm looking at you Breno Giacomini) can be assets if they know what they're doing and there is high-level talent around them.
Let's hope Kubiak does enough to stick around and build up that foundation.
Didn't expect Seahawk fans to be so bummed out about the offseason so far. I think it's damned exciting, and can't wait until we see what we're taking into training camp.
My take is that they split the team into two......offense and defense. On defense they decided they were right there. Very solid foundation and just needed to lock in EJ, and add a piece or two in FA or the draft to fill out the roster and add depth. If they find a stud in the draft at any position, grab them. On offense they decided there was work to do. The foundation wasn't there. I think money and timeline were the biggest drivers for the Geno move, and money and other stuff was involved with DK. They decided not to pay the asking price, and I'm fine with that. There's no way that Coach Mac didn't weigh in on this. So I'm good. I don't need to know the reasons, but in time, we'll likely know, just like we eventually got the backstory on Russell.
I really wanted Fries too, but a 5 year deal and that much cash for a guard coming off of a broken leg, I see why John backed away. Sounds like he was willing to do the same per year amount, just at 3 years instead of 5. Took a shot, and it didn't work out. Move on.
We now have a lot of draft picks in the sweet spot of a draft with a lot of depth. OT, G/C, TE, and WR depth into the 4th or even 5th rounds. Some DL options as well. Build the foundation and maybe 2026 JS puts his chips on the table......and he'll have a lot of chips if he can roll some cap over from 2025 to 2026.
Like last year on defense, new coach, new scheme, we guessed it might take half the season for it to come together, and it did. But we didn't make the playoffs. On offense, Grubb didn't work out, so now 2025 is to the offense what 2024 was for the defense. It will take time for the new coaching staff to build out the scheme around the talent on the roster. And after the draft there will be a LOT of young talent to work with. It will probably take a while for it all to come together on offense. We'll see.
Really, really looking forward to the draft. Can't wait. Day 2 especially. Four picks in the meat of the draft.
All that's pretty much what I came by to type this morning. To which I will add, stolen from another blogger: Fries had four out of five games last season in which he rated a solid B, up from his usual C-. Four games, a broken tibia, $88-million. Had JS signed that deal it would be fiscal malpractice. Same with the other OG we didn't get, four strong games, leg injury, big contract. We want to see JS do something, I get that. But he's kind of already done the things that needed doing.
A month ago I worried that we didn't have enough draft picks to fill all the holes in the roster. I don't have that worry today, not after quickly and inexpertly running a mock sim over coffee. We're good. Now he just has to get the draft evaluations right. As I said before, this is a youth movement. We're going to start some rookies, and it's going to get rough at times. So be it. I still think this will be a much-improved team over last year. (And he has cap room to extend players like Cross, however the contract magic is done.)
One more thought before I go feed the chickens. Kubiak and MacDonald are the same kind of coaches, best I can tell. They work from base formations and like to identify versatile players who can do atypical things from those formations. They both seem creative and able to maximize the impact of players who might in other systems fail as tweeners. This team needs stability. It needs to settle into the player profiles and philosophies which fit this coaching staff. It needs to draft and go after FAs who fit that profile. And we need to give them that time.
And, yes, I still think we can win 12-14 games next year. I am not known in the real world for my optimism, so maybe I'm just an old fool. But wouldn't we like me to be right?
I would certainly like you to be right, so that's one!
And for those wondering 'who other than JSN do we have to catch actual passes?', Kubiak runs a ton of 12 and 13 personnel, so on a high percentage of plays, there may only be two WR on the field. We do need to add to that spot (one FA, one at least in the draft), but I don't think it's as big a risk as may be perceived. Grabbing someone in round 2 would be perfect with one of those picks. And the TE's will get a lot more balls thrown to them as well.
This was (according to people who know personnel better than me) a mediocre free agent class at best. While Fries might have been the best guard a team didn’t want to resign, it’s not like he was an All Pro or something. I would dare say that none of us had heard of him before free agency. Not that we know many starting guards’ names, but my point is that we don’t need to lament passing up potentially overpaying for a position of need out of desperation.
Similarly, we do need pass-catchers, and while some of those are well known vets; I am fine with passing if the prices aren’t right. We have a lot of draft picks. I would prefer to trade some for better players. Or simply use them.
The NFL is a hard cap league. There is no worry that they might not spend the money. They just need to allocate it toward the best talents and scheme fits. We’re just a few days into free agency. It’s not like we gave Aaron Rodgers a 4 year deal. No moves yet are anything particularly lamentable; we just hate seeing our aging stars leave and not replace them right away. R.E.L.A.X, Seahawks fans! It’s going to be a very different team in the future, but that could be a good thing! We’ve been stuck at slightly better than average for too long. This feels to me like a series of moves that open up our chance at greatness. Time will tell, but this fan is excited and optimistic.
True enough. But Schneider backed into this corner on his own. Considering history, it’s an open question that turning to the draft for the OL will work out better than overpaying a proven if unspectacular starter.
Same with receiver. The current WR room is about as weak as it gets. Schneider’s track record of drafting Day 2 WRs* is encouraging, but we’re still looking at a 50-50 proposition. I can’t see going into the draft with JSN and a bunch of practice squad guys—it’s begging for trouble.
There are certainly a lot of holes to fill. 4 days into free agency I would suspect that's not too unusual. Pretty sure we didn't have a linebacker at all this time last year. I'm not declaring that this is great, only that this is starting in a way that gives us a ton of options.
Absolutely! Seems to me that we tend to forget that these are all people making decisions about their lives, employment, and homes (sometimes). They aren't automatons, Madden bots, or commodities. A player can sign somewhere just because he likes it there or thinks his situation may be better. It's not all about who outbids whom. This is not a fantasy auction.
Just because we didn't sign every "top free agent", whatever that actually is in real-life, doesn't mean we ever had a realistic chance to do so. Nor does it mean JS got out-pokered or outbid.
I say we sign Zeitler to a 1 year deal to push left guard need down the road. We’ll have this year’s draft, next year’s free agency and next year’s draft to find his successor. I hadn’t thought about picking up the Vikings center, but we still have beaucoup cap space to do so.
My hope is best player available at 18 is an edge rusher. If we keep Nwosu and push his cap into next year, he will be terribly expensive in 2026. I’d rather see a rookie edge with 5 years of club control at the position. That will leave money for Mafe to be extended if he can improve his performance this year. Hopefully one of those rookies from last year can step up their game and start at right guard, but 1 of our four 2nd & 3rd round picks should be interior O-line. The other three should be WE, CB and IDL or TE. Maybe go back to WR in round 4 unless we sign a FA WR. Diggs or Elijah Moore. Moore was a 1st round pick, but played with the Jets and horrible QBs, then went to the Browns with even worse QBs. He might be unlocked by Kubiak, has not been signed yet, and will likely be available for peanuts. Unsalted at that!
Nobody left in free agency worth longer than a year or two. Zeitler will provide competence for a year, but not worth a longer contract given his age. JS did take a shot with Fries, but did not want to go 5 years $88 million. I think that was a good decision on his part.
I’m merely pointing out that Schneider has been kicking the OL can down the road for years and the line keeps getting worse. While his “draft and develop” mantra sounds good, it amounts to “we’re going to keep doing the same thing we’ve been doing only this time we’ll get it right. Promise.”
Seahawks were told that Dalman was not interested in them. He wanted to play for Ben Johnson and took a discount to sign with Chicago. The Seahawks were interested in Fries and had an offer he liked, 3 years $52 million, The Vikings went 5 years, $88 million and the Seahawks were told he would sign with them if they bettered that offer. They were willing to go 3 years $54 million, but he wanted 5 years at $18 million per, $50 guaranteed. Who is Will Fries? Someone who had one below average year and two very mediocre years before last season. He had a very good last “season.” It lasted 5 games before he broke his leg. Maybe he wanted a 5 year deal because he recognized he’s already played the best 5 game stretch of his career. I’m thrilled JS said no to 5 years $90 million to someone who had 5 good games. Going after Dalman and Fries and willing to spend $17+ million on fries and $14+ million on Dalman is not “doing the same thing.”
You can’t sign someone who wants to play elsewhere and willing to take less to do so. You can’t write a blank check to someone who is no where near worth the money he’s asking. The Vikings are on the hook for 5 years, and near $50 million guaranteed. Let’s see in they are right. It is more than a big gamble based on 5 games.
Yes, an OLB/EDGE or DB (Emanwori?) would be great. Allows us to stay reasonably priced at the position if they want to extend both Mafe and Hall in the next 2 years. Also I wonder if Emanwori could be MM’s Kyle Hamilton. A DB who can play on the line, in the box or deep.
Yep I can clearly see SCar kid being a perfect fit for Coach Mac. He be better than Spoon. Him and Spoon with Love and Coby an offense wouldn’t know where the gaps would be.
3 things that made the Ravens defense a top unit. ILB Smith and Green, a flexible D-line and the flexibility of Kyle Hamilton at safety to line up just about anywhere and play so many different roles from any formation. The D-line is coming together, we have Knight and Jones at ILB, but no safety that can disrupt from anywhere. If Emanwori is there at 18, I’d bet MM takes him.
So I think we’re in a pretty good position. I’d like to see one interior OL signed in free agency and one drafted. Then we can get WR, maybe edge, CB and ILB depth in the draft. We have 10 picks.
My concern about Becton is he was a tackle prior to this year and I don’t know if he’s agile enough for IOL in a zone blocking scheme. He might be…I’ll leave that up to JS.
Pritchett is probably at best deep backup. So, I would say CB will be targeted in the draft, and it will be interesting to see what kind of player they look for. My sense is that they will be hitters. They want to be the more physical team. That's why I look for Woolens to be in his last year here. So I think they will draft a CB and maybe even high.
The RB room is complete, and doesn't need more than a late round flyer. That's assuming they will re-sign K9, and keep him happy by using him better and getting him some better blockers, too. I agree we will almost certainly use one of our top three picks on a DE/OLB, But one or more picks will be for a OL. I hope so in any case. And maybe a QB. Won't that be exciting?
It will be interesting to see what does come down the pike in the next couple weeks. The re-signings and the Darnold signing were all lower dollars than I expected. This suggests to me that Schneider probably had more offers out there but was outbid (Fries needs to back up a dump truck to haul away his loot) and probably has a few more offers either outstanding or soon to make. Even his big free agent splashes in the past (all the way back to Bennett and Avril) had a sort of budget/steal quality to them.
The more I see this offseason and the post RW, post Pete years play out the more I believe I am understanding who JS is. In the poker playing days, Phil Hellmuth, attributed almost all poker players into 5 animal types based on various playing styles.
JS is the mouse.
A timid player. Someone who folds his hand far too easy and never takes on risk. A weak player, someone that you should bluff at consistently. They don't flame out but their chip stack dwindles over time because they never go for it. They never raise, they never play aggressive.
4 Years ago, RW was traded, and the team had the opportunity to reset their roster and get younger. They did better than that and found a gem at QB. They upgraded the coaching staff, and the defense appears to be going in the right direction. They drafted pretty darn well for the most part. After 2024 season, there were two clear areas to upgrade in the offseason: offensive coordinator and offensive line.
They decided to fold. They decided to kick the can down the road again. They decided to increase cap space when they should be pushing chips in the middle. The Niners are on the decline, the Rams have QB issues, the Cardinals are unproven, it was Seattle's time to step and take control.
What have the Vikings done? They decided to not resign their 14-win QB and let the Hawks fall right into it. Then, they outbid the Hawks for their number 1 target in FA (Fries). JS got beat on that hand of poker like a drum.
What have the Bears done? The Bears have went out and invested in the lines. Taking the opportunities that are out there and I think signed 5 trench players.
In poker, just like football, sometimes it is right to play it conservative and wait for a better opportunity (2022) but sometimes it is time to put the pedal down and go for it.
Will JS ever go for it? Or are we stuck in a permanent rebuild. At a certain point you need to bet on your guys and go out and win a championship. Four years after the RW trade and we should be hitting the gas pedal but instead we are choosing to have a slow bleed. Relying on a chance at QB or drafting a rookie QB with even less of a chance. We could be stuck on the QB Roulette wheel while losing the prime years of your top field players.
Hopefully there is a plan that I am not seeing, but so far it looks like just a lot of getting outplayed. And if people like Darnold's cheap contract so much ... Why not just wait and get Danny Dimes, he's even cheaper.
You went cheap and didn't want Damien Lewis last year because you thought he was overpaid. How good does that contract look now?
At some point you need to attack and win Fries, and win Dahlman, and win Thuney, and bet on your guys to improve like Lewis.
For me, it is so passive that it is looking like a slow bleed.
When was the last time he went aggressive? Went and traded up to get his guy? Went and overpaid for a guy that turned out to be a good call? When was the last time he set the market for his own player?
Most times being prudent, cautious, calculated is right … but sometimes you have to go for it. And I am not sure he has that gear.
I could not disagree more. Trading RW was not “timid”
Trading Geno and Metcalf was not timid. That is the definition of putting your chips in and going for it. It’s been two freaking days of a “weak” free agent class.
In a salary cap league, you need to spend prudently. JS didn’t have the same cap space last year when Damian Lewis left. Talking about how that deal looks now is ridiculous.
JS didn’t know what other teams are offering. Fries was signed for similar money annually but Min gave him teo more years. It is not prudent to throw offers out there way beyond everyone else - you will run out of cap space very quickly.
Wasn’t it like August when we traded for Duane Brown and Javon Clowney? We are MONTHS away from training camp. Draft hasn’t happen yet. Let’s see what the team looks like going into training camp, and even then there may be some movement.
Trading RW was not timid and an A+++ move. I am referring to 4 years after when the team is largely built and ready to take that championship step forward.
I don’t consider not paying your best players to be not timid. He shied away from going for it by letting them walk, IMO
JS had plenty of Cap Space for Noah Fant. JS decided not to sign Lewis. That was his call. He misunderstood the Guard market and miscalculated what was going to happen.
He lost on Fries, anyway it is diced up - he did not win that battle to get him.
I agree a lot can change. This is no death sentence just what I am seeing right now. Hopefully things will change - I just can’t see it now. Maybe they are targeting 2026 free agents? I don’t know
As always, a great read Mike. I don't know the guys you speak of. I'm kind of just hoping JS will recognize the talent in this years' crop of draftable guys. I don't think he has done all that well at it over the years, and he's never gone after the top guys, with the exception of Cross, and Cross was all that was left of the blue chip tackles, but I guess we will give him credit on that one. So he just needs to overdraft, if necessary, to get someone who can plug and play left guard. Right guard, I am hoping with better coaching, and game planning, and play calling, the right guard position will improve. I'm sure we will see gradual improvement at the center position with Olu. All of this doesn't give me hope, but I'm not sure I would be feeling better if JS had spent big for a guard in free agency. I'm still sort of expecting Becton to get a call, but nothing so far.
Thanks Stephen. I also like some of our young guys on the line and think they should get a shot.
I don't understand why they have felt the need to raise all this cap space (and meanwhile keep Fant). Right now, we have more money than we know what to do with. And we also have a ton of draft picks. We seem to be out of balance with roster construction towards building after we won 10 games and were in the division lead for much of the season.
But maybe they are targeting 2026 free agency? I don't know.
Keeping Fant was a foregone conclusion once Schneider figured out that he might have to trade Metcalf. Cutting Noah saves 9M in cap;* whether Schneider could find a player the equal of Fant—even given his limited production—is another open question for an offense beset with open questions.
What am I saying is that the cap space people are touting for swapping Geno to Darnold maybe roughly equivalent to Fant. In other words, there were other ways to open up cap space: the Geno move was an option but not essential.
It probably came down to what percent of the budget the Hawks were prepared to reserve for any QB not named Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, or Burrow (and for how long).
I’m starting to think that this parting was more mutual than most of us suspect. Condotta reports that Seattle offered two years at 40-45M/yr and that Smith then requested a trade. Regardless of the structure, that offer (if made) is a sound basis for negotiation. Geno may have wanted out, for reasons of his own, unless he could get exactly the deal he wanted.
I think when it is claimed “he wanted out” I think that’s probably right.
But here is another way of saying it… Geno wanted to go play for a coach and franchise that believes in him and that will pay him like a top QB that he believes he is.
as an employee, wouldn’t you want to work for someone who supported you and paid you more?
So all this comes back to me to: JS believes that Geno Smith is average and replaceable.
So let’s just say it.
The Hawks are making a bet that Sam Darnold is as good or maybe better than Geno Smith and that Pete and Tim Brady are wrong.
That’s the game right now. Stop all this hedging trying to blame Geno. It is that simple for John: he made his bet and let’s see what happens. I think it was wrong but we will see!
P.S. Thinking about it, I get not taking a two-year deal at 50-60% guaranteed when you could play out your contract and get roughly the same amount in one year. If Geno’s agent was convinced that a third year with a solid guarantee was not in the picture, requesting a trade was the logical next move.
But yeah, that is what I am seeing right now. Vikings gave us their QB who won 14 games, why? And then turned around and outbid us in the market for our top free agent target.
They folded their hand (Darnold) that we now picked up, then raised us out of a pot that we should have won (Fries).
If the Hawks have free agent plans for 2026, that would be great. I hope that is the case. Maybe they are stockpiling all the cap space for next year that I am unaware of. But right now, they have gone cheap and still have been outbid.
Long ways to go still so I don't want to plant my flag in the ground but just saying what I am seeing.
Re Darnold, Randy Mueller said last year—before free agency—that Darnold had turned his game around working with Klint Kubiak. Mueller pointed out that Darnold’s talent is real and that he had been in dysfunctional situations in New York and California. I.e., there’s good reason to believe that Darnold is more than a one season wonder, especially given that his OC is the coach who was instrumental in helping SD right his career. Plus, Darnold is 27. He’s not a finished product by a long shot.
Admittedly this is a best-case scenario. But it’s not outlandish. There’s a widespread assumption that Darnold is a so-called “bridge” and that Seattle should still be in the business of drafting a QB. My inclination is to hold off on that and direct resources to the OL and WR room. If Darnold is The Guy, we’ll know that a year from now. If not, there’s the 2026 draft.
I didn’t mean directing resources to OL and WRs at the expense of the defense. In the 2025, the Hawks have four of the first 100 draft picks. Figuring that they’d like to draft two offensive and two defensive players, there’s no immediate need to use one of them on a QB.
I think Darnold was the best option available. So I like the move from there.
But it is funny, I may post this today, I joked about Danny Dimes yesterday. So I looked up the advanced numbers: him and Darnold are almost identical.
Anyways, excited to see how this all plays out. Could be a great fit, could fail. Always entertaining though.
I feel the Vikings are all in with McCarthy and a serviceable back-up. Darnold was a stop gap that worked out, and they knew he wasn't going to stay around after having a good season. I don't feel they tricked JS into taking him or saw something they didn't like that JS overlooked. I think they like McCarthy and he is a lot cheaper than Darnold. It has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with cash and the future QB they drafted.
But that's just my feeling, and I base it on nothing but watching a lot of football for 50 years.
My take right now is that it is pretty pathetic that the team is leaking that. Trying to paint Geno as the bad guy walking out the door.
1) Geno was under contract, if Seattle wanted him here he would still be here
2) offered him $40-$45M could mean a ton of different things in football. How much was guaranteed is the main thing that matters. Was it $40-$45 after incentives?
At the end of the day right now what is clear to me? Pete wanted and believes in Geno. JS does not.
I think JS needs to accept his fate whether good or bad he made his bet. But don’t paint the player in a negative light as he walks out the door. Similar to Lewis … JS could’ve easily extended Geno last offseason when he asked. Probably for $40M a year or less. He chose not to. Now we have Darnold. No excuses.
Just the way I see it right now. Seems like a bogus report
I would also add. I followed the Vikings a little bit last year. I believe that prior to week 18 they were going to bring Darnold on a relatively big contract. But the Lions game and the Rams game changed their minds into believing that he cannot play in big games.
You can go back and watch the press conferences with KOC. But big change in those final weeks. I think that’s why they let him walk.
I disagree with, “First and foremost, the team needs to run the ball better before worrying about who gets targets after Jaxon Smith-Njigba.”
The team isn’t going to run the ball at all until preseason and we won’t know if there is improvement until the fall. Free agency is now and the draft is next month. We have some big WR shoes to fill. Let’s not make this an either/or. We want great running on early downs and great passing too.
To succeed, we need an OL that isn’t one dimensional and WRs who can get open and catch - as well as run block. Never forget that WRs are part of the run game too.
Oh, and our RBs and TEs need to be able to keep the QB clean.
With play action, the run game is the passing game. We should not think of these phases as mutually exclusive.
If I understand Kubiak's offense (and I don't), and remember what someone on YouTube said [sic], his WR3 doesn't get many targets. Same guy said Bobo'd be fine in that role, not to worry. DK we can replace in the draft. It might not work out, but it's not an unreasonable choice for JS to have made. As with OL, I don't think there's one in FA worth spending for.
I was sorta ok with descending into QB purgatory in exchange for a power running game and a Top 5 defense -- can definitely win with that strategy. So, been waiting for the moves with all our new cap space to strengthen the running game and kick the defense up a couple notches.
It’s much easier to tear something down than it is to build something better, especially when many if not most of the “betters” are already signed with someone else.
And you are showing a list of the 4 best available O linemen; this is John Schneider, he will scour the bargain bin once again. ( I really hope I'm wrong.)
Anybody else have to do some deep breathing exercises when they realised we have 3.5k snaps to fill on offense?
Hopefully some of those snaps go to Juszczyk. Bring back Spider 2 Y Banana!
The turnover is crazy. Especially on offense and with a new OC. I am very hopeful though, that we will replace these snaps without too many hiccups and with a few big upgrades. I would love to see us put a lot of this cap space towards the trenches, and I don't care which side. Well, kinda. While I'd rather have the #1 DL in football than the #1 OL, I never want to sit through another season of having the #32 OL.
Competence and continuity are so important to good OL play, even OK-not-great players (I'm looking at you Breno Giacomini) can be assets if they know what they're doing and there is high-level talent around them.
Let's hope Kubiak does enough to stick around and build up that foundation.
Didn't expect Seahawk fans to be so bummed out about the offseason so far. I think it's damned exciting, and can't wait until we see what we're taking into training camp.
My take is that they split the team into two......offense and defense. On defense they decided they were right there. Very solid foundation and just needed to lock in EJ, and add a piece or two in FA or the draft to fill out the roster and add depth. If they find a stud in the draft at any position, grab them. On offense they decided there was work to do. The foundation wasn't there. I think money and timeline were the biggest drivers for the Geno move, and money and other stuff was involved with DK. They decided not to pay the asking price, and I'm fine with that. There's no way that Coach Mac didn't weigh in on this. So I'm good. I don't need to know the reasons, but in time, we'll likely know, just like we eventually got the backstory on Russell.
I really wanted Fries too, but a 5 year deal and that much cash for a guard coming off of a broken leg, I see why John backed away. Sounds like he was willing to do the same per year amount, just at 3 years instead of 5. Took a shot, and it didn't work out. Move on.
We now have a lot of draft picks in the sweet spot of a draft with a lot of depth. OT, G/C, TE, and WR depth into the 4th or even 5th rounds. Some DL options as well. Build the foundation and maybe 2026 JS puts his chips on the table......and he'll have a lot of chips if he can roll some cap over from 2025 to 2026.
Like last year on defense, new coach, new scheme, we guessed it might take half the season for it to come together, and it did. But we didn't make the playoffs. On offense, Grubb didn't work out, so now 2025 is to the offense what 2024 was for the defense. It will take time for the new coaching staff to build out the scheme around the talent on the roster. And after the draft there will be a LOT of young talent to work with. It will probably take a while for it all to come together on offense. We'll see.
Really, really looking forward to the draft. Can't wait. Day 2 especially. Four picks in the meat of the draft.
Nailed it with this comment, Chris.
All that's pretty much what I came by to type this morning. To which I will add, stolen from another blogger: Fries had four out of five games last season in which he rated a solid B, up from his usual C-. Four games, a broken tibia, $88-million. Had JS signed that deal it would be fiscal malpractice. Same with the other OG we didn't get, four strong games, leg injury, big contract. We want to see JS do something, I get that. But he's kind of already done the things that needed doing.
A month ago I worried that we didn't have enough draft picks to fill all the holes in the roster. I don't have that worry today, not after quickly and inexpertly running a mock sim over coffee. We're good. Now he just has to get the draft evaluations right. As I said before, this is a youth movement. We're going to start some rookies, and it's going to get rough at times. So be it. I still think this will be a much-improved team over last year. (And he has cap room to extend players like Cross, however the contract magic is done.)
One more thought before I go feed the chickens. Kubiak and MacDonald are the same kind of coaches, best I can tell. They work from base formations and like to identify versatile players who can do atypical things from those formations. They both seem creative and able to maximize the impact of players who might in other systems fail as tweeners. This team needs stability. It needs to settle into the player profiles and philosophies which fit this coaching staff. It needs to draft and go after FAs who fit that profile. And we need to give them that time.
And, yes, I still think we can win 12-14 games next year. I am not known in the real world for my optimism, so maybe I'm just an old fool. But wouldn't we like me to be right?
I would certainly like you to be right, so that's one!
And for those wondering 'who other than JSN do we have to catch actual passes?', Kubiak runs a ton of 12 and 13 personnel, so on a high percentage of plays, there may only be two WR on the field. We do need to add to that spot (one FA, one at least in the draft), but I don't think it's as big a risk as may be perceived. Grabbing someone in round 2 would be perfect with one of those picks. And the TE's will get a lot more balls thrown to them as well.
This was (according to people who know personnel better than me) a mediocre free agent class at best. While Fries might have been the best guard a team didn’t want to resign, it’s not like he was an All Pro or something. I would dare say that none of us had heard of him before free agency. Not that we know many starting guards’ names, but my point is that we don’t need to lament passing up potentially overpaying for a position of need out of desperation.
Similarly, we do need pass-catchers, and while some of those are well known vets; I am fine with passing if the prices aren’t right. We have a lot of draft picks. I would prefer to trade some for better players. Or simply use them.
The NFL is a hard cap league. There is no worry that they might not spend the money. They just need to allocate it toward the best talents and scheme fits. We’re just a few days into free agency. It’s not like we gave Aaron Rodgers a 4 year deal. No moves yet are anything particularly lamentable; we just hate seeing our aging stars leave and not replace them right away. R.E.L.A.X, Seahawks fans! It’s going to be a very different team in the future, but that could be a good thing! We’ve been stuck at slightly better than average for too long. This feels to me like a series of moves that open up our chance at greatness. Time will tell, but this fan is excited and optimistic.
True enough. But Schneider backed into this corner on his own. Considering history, it’s an open question that turning to the draft for the OL will work out better than overpaying a proven if unspectacular starter.
Same with receiver. The current WR room is about as weak as it gets. Schneider’s track record of drafting Day 2 WRs* is encouraging, but we’re still looking at a 50-50 proposition. I can’t see going into the draft with JSN and a bunch of practice squad guys—it’s begging for trouble.
* Tate, Richardson, Lockett, Darboh, Metcalf, Eskridge.
There are certainly a lot of holes to fill. 4 days into free agency I would suspect that's not too unusual. Pretty sure we didn't have a linebacker at all this time last year. I'm not declaring that this is great, only that this is starting in a way that gives us a ton of options.
Absolutely! Seems to me that we tend to forget that these are all people making decisions about their lives, employment, and homes (sometimes). They aren't automatons, Madden bots, or commodities. A player can sign somewhere just because he likes it there or thinks his situation may be better. It's not all about who outbids whom. This is not a fantasy auction.
Just because we didn't sign every "top free agent", whatever that actually is in real-life, doesn't mean we ever had a realistic chance to do so. Nor does it mean JS got out-pokered or outbid.
Aaaahhhh Chuck. Ever the voice of reason. Love your work and agree wholeheartedly.
I say we sign Zeitler to a 1 year deal to push left guard need down the road. We’ll have this year’s draft, next year’s free agency and next year’s draft to find his successor. I hadn’t thought about picking up the Vikings center, but we still have beaucoup cap space to do so.
My hope is best player available at 18 is an edge rusher. If we keep Nwosu and push his cap into next year, he will be terribly expensive in 2026. I’d rather see a rookie edge with 5 years of club control at the position. That will leave money for Mafe to be extended if he can improve his performance this year. Hopefully one of those rookies from last year can step up their game and start at right guard, but 1 of our four 2nd & 3rd round picks should be interior O-line. The other three should be WE, CB and IDL or TE. Maybe go back to WR in round 4 unless we sign a FA WR. Diggs or Elijah Moore. Moore was a 1st round pick, but played with the Jets and horrible QBs, then went to the Browns with even worse QBs. He might be unlocked by Kubiak, has not been signed yet, and will likely be available for peanuts. Unsalted at that!
“I say we sign Zeitler to a 1 year deal to push left guard need down the road.”
I say we sign Joeckl to a 1 year deal to push left guard need down the road.
I say we sign Tomlinson to a 1 year deal to push left guard need down the road.
I say we sign Upati to a 1 year deal to push left guard need down the road.
I say we sign Sweezy to a 1 year deal to push left guard need down the road.
At some point, the GM has to take the bull by the tail and face the situation.
Nobody left in free agency worth longer than a year or two. Zeitler will provide competence for a year, but not worth a longer contract given his age. JS did take a shot with Fries, but did not want to go 5 years $88 million. I think that was a good decision on his part.
I’m merely pointing out that Schneider has been kicking the OL can down the road for years and the line keeps getting worse. While his “draft and develop” mantra sounds good, it amounts to “we’re going to keep doing the same thing we’ve been doing only this time we’ll get it right. Promise.”
Wouldn’t it be pretty to think so.
Seahawks were told that Dalman was not interested in them. He wanted to play for Ben Johnson and took a discount to sign with Chicago. The Seahawks were interested in Fries and had an offer he liked, 3 years $52 million, The Vikings went 5 years, $88 million and the Seahawks were told he would sign with them if they bettered that offer. They were willing to go 3 years $54 million, but he wanted 5 years at $18 million per, $50 guaranteed. Who is Will Fries? Someone who had one below average year and two very mediocre years before last season. He had a very good last “season.” It lasted 5 games before he broke his leg. Maybe he wanted a 5 year deal because he recognized he’s already played the best 5 game stretch of his career. I’m thrilled JS said no to 5 years $90 million to someone who had 5 good games. Going after Dalman and Fries and willing to spend $17+ million on fries and $14+ million on Dalman is not “doing the same thing.”
You can’t sign someone who wants to play elsewhere and willing to take less to do so. You can’t write a blank check to someone who is no where near worth the money he’s asking. The Vikings are on the hook for 5 years, and near $50 million guaranteed. Let’s see in they are right. It is more than a big gamble based on 5 games.
Incredible comment.
I would add … had Damien Lewis decided not to pay him $13M a year.
One year later, tries to get Fries for $16.5M a year and fails becuase they were outbid at $17.5… whoops!
Had the cornerstone and let him go. That Lewis contract looks real good right about now.
It feels like despite our needs on offense, the most likely best player available at #18 is going to be a OLB or DB. I'm good with that.
Yes, an OLB/EDGE or DB (Emanwori?) would be great. Allows us to stay reasonably priced at the position if they want to extend both Mafe and Hall in the next 2 years. Also I wonder if Emanwori could be MM’s Kyle Hamilton. A DB who can play on the line, in the box or deep.
Yep I can clearly see SCar kid being a perfect fit for Coach Mac. He be better than Spoon. Him and Spoon with Love and Coby an offense wouldn’t know where the gaps would be.
3 things that made the Ravens defense a top unit. ILB Smith and Green, a flexible D-line and the flexibility of Kyle Hamilton at safety to line up just about anywhere and play so many different roles from any formation. The D-line is coming together, we have Knight and Jones at ILB, but no safety that can disrupt from anywhere. If Emanwori is there at 18, I’d bet MM takes him.
I would love it. I prefer defense. I don’t like 3-4 much but if you can get that, like we did before, I would be ecstatic.
So I think we’re in a pretty good position. I’d like to see one interior OL signed in free agency and one drafted. Then we can get WR, maybe edge, CB and ILB depth in the draft. We have 10 picks.
My concern about Becton is he was a tackle prior to this year and I don’t know if he’s agile enough for IOL in a zone blocking scheme. He might be…I’ll leave that up to JS.
I'd be okay with signing 3 OL and letting the staff develop them along with the young guys we already have and see what that looks like in 1-2 years.
Pritchett is probably at best deep backup. So, I would say CB will be targeted in the draft, and it will be interesting to see what kind of player they look for. My sense is that they will be hitters. They want to be the more physical team. That's why I look for Woolens to be in his last year here. So I think they will draft a CB and maybe even high.
The RB room is complete, and doesn't need more than a late round flyer. That's assuming they will re-sign K9, and keep him happy by using him better and getting him some better blockers, too. I agree we will almost certainly use one of our top three picks on a DE/OLB, But one or more picks will be for a OL. I hope so in any case. And maybe a QB. Won't that be exciting?
It will be interesting to see what does come down the pike in the next couple weeks. The re-signings and the Darnold signing were all lower dollars than I expected. This suggests to me that Schneider probably had more offers out there but was outbid (Fries needs to back up a dump truck to haul away his loot) and probably has a few more offers either outstanding or soon to make. Even his big free agent splashes in the past (all the way back to Bennett and Avril) had a sort of budget/steal quality to them.
The more I see this offseason and the post RW, post Pete years play out the more I believe I am understanding who JS is. In the poker playing days, Phil Hellmuth, attributed almost all poker players into 5 animal types based on various playing styles.
JS is the mouse.
A timid player. Someone who folds his hand far too easy and never takes on risk. A weak player, someone that you should bluff at consistently. They don't flame out but their chip stack dwindles over time because they never go for it. They never raise, they never play aggressive.
4 Years ago, RW was traded, and the team had the opportunity to reset their roster and get younger. They did better than that and found a gem at QB. They upgraded the coaching staff, and the defense appears to be going in the right direction. They drafted pretty darn well for the most part. After 2024 season, there were two clear areas to upgrade in the offseason: offensive coordinator and offensive line.
They decided to fold. They decided to kick the can down the road again. They decided to increase cap space when they should be pushing chips in the middle. The Niners are on the decline, the Rams have QB issues, the Cardinals are unproven, it was Seattle's time to step and take control.
What have the Vikings done? They decided to not resign their 14-win QB and let the Hawks fall right into it. Then, they outbid the Hawks for their number 1 target in FA (Fries). JS got beat on that hand of poker like a drum.
What have the Bears done? The Bears have went out and invested in the lines. Taking the opportunities that are out there and I think signed 5 trench players.
In poker, just like football, sometimes it is right to play it conservative and wait for a better opportunity (2022) but sometimes it is time to put the pedal down and go for it.
Will JS ever go for it? Or are we stuck in a permanent rebuild. At a certain point you need to bet on your guys and go out and win a championship. Four years after the RW trade and we should be hitting the gas pedal but instead we are choosing to have a slow bleed. Relying on a chance at QB or drafting a rookie QB with even less of a chance. We could be stuck on the QB Roulette wheel while losing the prime years of your top field players.
Hopefully there is a plan that I am not seeing, but so far it looks like just a lot of getting outplayed. And if people like Darnold's cheap contract so much ... Why not just wait and get Danny Dimes, he's even cheaper.
You went cheap and didn't want Damien Lewis last year because you thought he was overpaid. How good does that contract look now?
At some point you need to attack and win Fries, and win Dahlman, and win Thuney, and bet on your guys to improve like Lewis.
For me, it is so passive that it is looking like a slow bleed.
Hopefully I am wrong! Go Hawks.
It’s okay to be risk averse if you understand risk. Schneider seems to fear it.
When was the last time he went aggressive? Went and traded up to get his guy? Went and overpaid for a guy that turned out to be a good call? When was the last time he set the market for his own player?
Most times being prudent, cautious, calculated is right … but sometimes you have to go for it. And I am not sure he has that gear.
Schneider traded up for both Metcalf and Lockett. His Day 1 and 2 track record for WRs is good, impressive even.
Perfect examples.
Most of the time, I think playing it conservative is the right choice.
But sometimes, like the two examples above - go and get it.
I agree … you have to find that balance between caution and aggression. Building/investing and going for it.
I think he had an opportunity to go for it. And it appears, as of now, to have chose caution instead.
Time will tell. But that is how I see it right now.
100% correct, great analogy of JS being the mouse in poker!
We have the cap space and there are some really good players available along the interior O-line and yet again we are stuck on the sidelines.
Slow bleed indeed.
Thanks KR!
I was thinking someone out there may agree with this stance!
Hopefully we are wrong … but why build a war chest not to use it? Just not seeing the vision right now 🤷
Sounds extremely pessimistic. Are you not excited?
My expectations have been lowered for the hawks - that is for sure. It could change! But that’s what I am seeing right now.
But I am very excited to see how this all plays out next year across the NFL.
I could not disagree more. Trading RW was not “timid”
Trading Geno and Metcalf was not timid. That is the definition of putting your chips in and going for it. It’s been two freaking days of a “weak” free agent class.
In a salary cap league, you need to spend prudently. JS didn’t have the same cap space last year when Damian Lewis left. Talking about how that deal looks now is ridiculous.
JS didn’t know what other teams are offering. Fries was signed for similar money annually but Min gave him teo more years. It is not prudent to throw offers out there way beyond everyone else - you will run out of cap space very quickly.
Wasn’t it like August when we traded for Duane Brown and Javon Clowney? We are MONTHS away from training camp. Draft hasn’t happen yet. Let’s see what the team looks like going into training camp, and even then there may be some movement.
Trading RW was not timid and an A+++ move. I am referring to 4 years after when the team is largely built and ready to take that championship step forward.
I don’t consider not paying your best players to be not timid. He shied away from going for it by letting them walk, IMO
JS had plenty of Cap Space for Noah Fant. JS decided not to sign Lewis. That was his call. He misunderstood the Guard market and miscalculated what was going to happen.
He lost on Fries, anyway it is diced up - he did not win that battle to get him.
I agree a lot can change. This is no death sentence just what I am seeing right now. Hopefully things will change - I just can’t see it now. Maybe they are targeting 2026 free agents? I don’t know
Plus, apparently Drew Dahlman wanted to play for Ben Johnson AND got the bag there. So no Fries and Dahlman off the bat but can't say lack of trying.
As always, a great read Mike. I don't know the guys you speak of. I'm kind of just hoping JS will recognize the talent in this years' crop of draftable guys. I don't think he has done all that well at it over the years, and he's never gone after the top guys, with the exception of Cross, and Cross was all that was left of the blue chip tackles, but I guess we will give him credit on that one. So he just needs to overdraft, if necessary, to get someone who can plug and play left guard. Right guard, I am hoping with better coaching, and game planning, and play calling, the right guard position will improve. I'm sure we will see gradual improvement at the center position with Olu. All of this doesn't give me hope, but I'm not sure I would be feeling better if JS had spent big for a guard in free agency. I'm still sort of expecting Becton to get a call, but nothing so far.
Witherspoon, too.
Thanks Stephen. I also like some of our young guys on the line and think they should get a shot.
I don't understand why they have felt the need to raise all this cap space (and meanwhile keep Fant). Right now, we have more money than we know what to do with. And we also have a ton of draft picks. We seem to be out of balance with roster construction towards building after we won 10 games and were in the division lead for much of the season.
But maybe they are targeting 2026 free agency? I don't know.
Keeping Fant was a foregone conclusion once Schneider figured out that he might have to trade Metcalf. Cutting Noah saves 9M in cap;* whether Schneider could find a player the equal of Fant—even given his limited production—is another open question for an offense beset with open questions.
* 13.5M cap - 4.5M dead cap = 9M
Right … I’m not saying to cut Fant.
What am I saying is that the cap space people are touting for swapping Geno to Darnold maybe roughly equivalent to Fant. In other words, there were other ways to open up cap space: the Geno move was an option but not essential.
It probably came down to what percent of the budget the Hawks were prepared to reserve for any QB not named Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, or Burrow (and for how long).
I’m starting to think that this parting was more mutual than most of us suspect. Condotta reports that Seattle offered two years at 40-45M/yr and that Smith then requested a trade. Regardless of the structure, that offer (if made) is a sound basis for negotiation. Geno may have wanted out, for reasons of his own, unless he could get exactly the deal he wanted.
He has yet to agree to an extension, correct?
Great discussions today all around.
I think when it is claimed “he wanted out” I think that’s probably right.
But here is another way of saying it… Geno wanted to go play for a coach and franchise that believes in him and that will pay him like a top QB that he believes he is.
as an employee, wouldn’t you want to work for someone who supported you and paid you more?
So all this comes back to me to: JS believes that Geno Smith is average and replaceable.
So let’s just say it.
The Hawks are making a bet that Sam Darnold is as good or maybe better than Geno Smith and that Pete and Tim Brady are wrong.
That’s the game right now. Stop all this hedging trying to blame Geno. It is that simple for John: he made his bet and let’s see what happens. I think it was wrong but we will see!
P.S. Thinking about it, I get not taking a two-year deal at 50-60% guaranteed when you could play out your contract and get roughly the same amount in one year. If Geno’s agent was convinced that a third year with a solid guarantee was not in the picture, requesting a trade was the logical next move.
Maybe we’re working to keep our guys, extending Cross & Co before the price goes up?
I absolutely think that is true and should be done.
But I don’t think extensions prohibit the ability to sign FAs or retain your best players and compete this year for championships.
Outplayed? I think the offseason goes great so far. Its only the Second day, you gotta chill a little bit with your dooming
Yes sir!
I could certainly change my mind.
But yeah, that is what I am seeing right now. Vikings gave us their QB who won 14 games, why? And then turned around and outbid us in the market for our top free agent target.
They folded their hand (Darnold) that we now picked up, then raised us out of a pot that we should have won (Fries).
If the Hawks have free agent plans for 2026, that would be great. I hope that is the case. Maybe they are stockpiling all the cap space for next year that I am unaware of. But right now, they have gone cheap and still have been outbid.
Long ways to go still so I don't want to plant my flag in the ground but just saying what I am seeing.
Re Darnold, Randy Mueller said last year—before free agency—that Darnold had turned his game around working with Klint Kubiak. Mueller pointed out that Darnold’s talent is real and that he had been in dysfunctional situations in New York and California. I.e., there’s good reason to believe that Darnold is more than a one season wonder, especially given that his OC is the coach who was instrumental in helping SD right his career. Plus, Darnold is 27. He’s not a finished product by a long shot.
Admittedly this is a best-case scenario. But it’s not outlandish. There’s a widespread assumption that Darnold is a so-called “bridge” and that Seattle should still be in the business of drafting a QB. My inclination is to hold off on that and direct resources to the OL and WR room. If Darnold is The Guy, we’ll know that a year from now. If not, there’s the 2026 draft.
I am hoping we can use one of our compensatory 5th rounders on Tyler Shough. Low risk, high reward.
I didn’t mean directing resources to OL and WRs at the expense of the defense. In the 2025, the Hawks have four of the first 100 draft picks. Figuring that they’d like to draft two offensive and two defensive players, there’s no immediate need to use one of them on a QB.
This is a great comment. Thanks for sharing.
If we set aside the Geno decision.
I think Darnold was the best option available. So I like the move from there.
But it is funny, I may post this today, I joked about Danny Dimes yesterday. So I looked up the advanced numbers: him and Darnold are almost identical.
Anyways, excited to see how this all plays out. Could be a great fit, could fail. Always entertaining though.
I feel the Vikings are all in with McCarthy and a serviceable back-up. Darnold was a stop gap that worked out, and they knew he wasn't going to stay around after having a good season. I don't feel they tricked JS into taking him or saw something they didn't like that JS overlooked. I think they like McCarthy and he is a lot cheaper than Darnold. It has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with cash and the future QB they drafted.
But that's just my feeling, and I base it on nothing but watching a lot of football for 50 years.
Plus no way Vikes spend all that money if Darnold was still around. Can only do that with a rookie starter @ QB.
The Raiders, the Vikings and the Seahawks have made some bold QB decisions this offseason.
Will be fascinating how those three decisions look in 1 year.
Bob Condotta reports that Geno requested a trade after when Seattle offered him two years at 40-45M/yr. For whatever reason, Geno wanted out.
Yeah … I saw that article.
My take right now is that it is pretty pathetic that the team is leaking that. Trying to paint Geno as the bad guy walking out the door.
1) Geno was under contract, if Seattle wanted him here he would still be here
2) offered him $40-$45M could mean a ton of different things in football. How much was guaranteed is the main thing that matters. Was it $40-$45 after incentives?
At the end of the day right now what is clear to me? Pete wanted and believes in Geno. JS does not.
I think JS needs to accept his fate whether good or bad he made his bet. But don’t paint the player in a negative light as he walks out the door. Similar to Lewis … JS could’ve easily extended Geno last offseason when he asked. Probably for $40M a year or less. He chose not to. Now we have Darnold. No excuses.
Just the way I see it right now. Seems like a bogus report
Maybe because they just drafted "their" QB and didn't want to match 100mio offers? Seems like a wise move
I would also add. I followed the Vikings a little bit last year. I believe that prior to week 18 they were going to bring Darnold on a relatively big contract. But the Lions game and the Rams game changed their minds into believing that he cannot play in big games.
You can go back and watch the press conferences with KOC. But big change in those final weeks. I think that’s why they let him walk.
Yeah … it is an interesting decision to give up on a 14 win QB for one of the lowest Vet QB contracts isn’t it tho?
Will be interesting to see how the QBs in MINNY, Seattle, and Las Vegas play out next year.
We will look back at those GMs and see who was right and who was wrong
I disagree with, “First and foremost, the team needs to run the ball better before worrying about who gets targets after Jaxon Smith-Njigba.”
The team isn’t going to run the ball at all until preseason and we won’t know if there is improvement until the fall. Free agency is now and the draft is next month. We have some big WR shoes to fill. Let’s not make this an either/or. We want great running on early downs and great passing too.
To succeed, we need an OL that isn’t one dimensional and WRs who can get open and catch - as well as run block. Never forget that WRs are part of the run game too.
Oh, and our RBs and TEs need to be able to keep the QB clean.
With play action, the run game is the passing game. We should not think of these phases as mutually exclusive.
The running and passing games are not unrelated. An offense can emphasize one over another but must have both.
If I understand Kubiak's offense (and I don't), and remember what someone on YouTube said [sic], his WR3 doesn't get many targets. Same guy said Bobo'd be fine in that role, not to worry. DK we can replace in the draft. It might not work out, but it's not an unreasonable choice for JS to have made. As with OL, I don't think there's one in FA worth spending for.
A legit #2 WR is an acute need, period. I don’t know why any GM would spend $100M on a QB who had no one to throw to.
I read somewhere that Bechton isn’t a fit for Kubiak’s zone blocking scheme, not sure how true it is. Any of those guards should be an improvement.
I think Hopkins would be a good X for us until we can groom a rookie.
Still time to grab some impact players! All isn’t lost on the first two days of free agency. I do not understand the calls for JS’ head.
Well....
I was sorta ok with descending into QB purgatory in exchange for a power running game and a Top 5 defense -- can definitely win with that strategy. So, been waiting for the moves with all our new cap space to strengthen the running game and kick the defense up a couple notches.
......crickets......
The only comment I’ll make so far is:
It’s much easier to tear something down than it is to build something better, especially when many if not most of the “betters” are already signed with someone else.