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Genuinely Unknown
Brady Henderson: D-Law’s Retirement Is “a Very Real Question.” People in Lawrence’s Own Camp Don’t Know. Neither Does Anyone Else. Cool!
Here is the situation with DeMarcus Lawrence, laid out as plainly as possible. He is 33 years old and will turn 34 in April. He has two years left on the three-year, up-to-$42-million contract he signed with Seattle last March. His wife just gave birth to their sixth child. And approximately two weeks ago, he was shirtless on a parade float, holding a Lombardi Trophy, having just accomplished the singular goal he came to Seattle to accomplish. If you were designing a scenario where a man might look in the mirror and say “I think I’m done here,” congratulations, you just described DeMarcus Lawrence’s current life.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson, who covers this team and generally knows things, said Monday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy that retirement is “a very real question,” and critically, that people in Lawrence’s own camp were still unsure when Henderson checked in a few days ago. Brock Huard added that while there was initial positive momentum toward a return in the glow of the Super Bowl, after the euphoria settled, Lawrence may well be asking himself if he can bring the same intensity for another season. The NFL’s free agency negotiating window opens March 9. The Seahawks need an answer before then, because if Lawrence retires, the edge rusher room goes from “Mafe possibly leaving + D-Law possibly leaving” to “Derick Hall and prayers.” That is the math. We do not love this math.
Lawrence was extraordinary in 2025: 6.0 regular-season sacks, 11 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumble return touchdowns, and the No. 2 edge rusher in the NFL in run defense per Pro Football Focus. Replacing that is not a quick-fix errand. If he comes back, the Seahawks are a Super Bowl favorite. If he retires, John Schneider has a very busy March. Either way, we find out soon.
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6 Days
Schneider on KW3 at the Combine: “We’d Love to Have Ken Back.” On Whether He’ll Use the Tag: [Strategic Silence]
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That is a masterclass in saying something that sounds warm while communicating absolutely nothing about your intentions. To be fair to Schneider, briefly, the cap situation is genuinely complicated. Zach Charbonnet just had ACL surgery and is on the PUP track, meaning the backfield behind KW3 is currently vibes. Not tagging KW3 when there’s no healthy backup is a choice. But the tag cost for running backs is approximately $14.5 million, which is real money on a team that also needs to extend JSN and Witherspoon and maybe sign an edge rusher. Schneider told the AP he’d have a better feel by end of the week. So: check back Friday.
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The Brinks Truck, Continued
JSN Says Cooper Kupp “Changed My Life.” He Also Says He Should Be the Highest-Paid Offensive Player in Football. Both of These Things Are True.
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On his upcoming contract, JSN was asked whether he should be the highest-paid offensive player in football. Ja’Marr Chase currently holds that distinction at $40.25 million per year. JSN’s answer: “I would say so.” If you are surprised by this, you have not been paying attention. The man scored the go-ahead touchdown in the NFC Championship, won the offensive player of the year award, and thinks about getting better the way most people think about breakfast. The Brinks Truck is coming. The only question is the number.
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AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
No team submitted a proposal to ban the tush push before this year’s rule change deadline, per NFL exec Troy Vincent at the Combine. The Packers tried to ban it last year and lost 22-10. The Rams tried to ban the Zachwards Pass. Both efforts failed. The NFL’s official stance, apparently, is “do whatever you want.” The Seahawks have noted this and will absolutely use it against you. AP / Seattle Sports AP / Seattle Sports
The Las Vegas Raiders’ new GM John Spytek said Tuesday that Maxx Crosby is not available, tamping down trade speculation around the five-time Pro Bowler. Seahawks fans who were briefly excited: you may stand down. The Raiders would like to keep the one player people are watching their games to see. Reasonable. AP / Seattle Sports AP / Seattle Sports
JSN’s 1,793 receiving yards in 2025 were the eighth-most in a single NFL season in history, per Pro Football Reference. He had 628 yards as a rookie and 1,130 in year two. For those keeping score at home, the trajectory is: fine, good, historically great. Year four is going to be interesting. Seattle Sports Seattle Sports
The Jets plan to use either the franchise or transition tag on Breece Hall if they can’t get a new deal done before March 3. The franchise tag for RBs is ~$14.5M. The Jets are doing what Seattle is conspicuously not committing to doing with KW3. The Jets and the Seahawks are, famously, different franchises making different decisions with different amounts of Super Bowl hardware. Just noting that. AP / Seattle Sports AP / Seattle Sports
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
A brief update on the Rams’ campaign to legislate Seattle’s trick plays out of existence: the Zachwards Pass ban proposal is still sitting in the NFL’s rule change queue, and the broader anti-shenanigans movement has now completely collapsed, with zero teams submitting a tush push ban this year either. The Rams tried to outlaw one play. The Packers tried to outlaw another. Both failed. The NFL has looked at all available evidence and determined that chaos is fine, actually. Sean McVay builds beautiful offenses. He is also, somehow, playing defense against two-point conversions through committee rulemaking. Not a great look.
NINERS
The 49ers lost offensive coordinator Brian Fleury to the team that beat them for the Super Bowl. They are now at the Combine looking at receivers and trying to explain to each other why last year happened. Kyle Shanahan is an elite coach navigating an extremely awkward offseason. Somewhere in Santa Clara, a whiteboard contains a very long list of things that need to go right. We wish them continued difficulty with that list.
CARDINALS
The Cardinals are in Indianapolis, watching 300-pound men run 40-yard dashes, hoping one of them fixes the offensive line. Same as every year. At some point Kyler Murray will either become the guy or he won’t, and the Cardinals will either get it figured out or they won’t, and we will continue to observe this process with detached sympathy from our perch atop the NFC West. Super Bowl champions, if you were wondering. We were.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
JSN’s 1,793 receiving yards in 2025 were the eighth-most in a single NFL season ever. Name the player who holds the all-time record for receiving yards in a season.
Tap to Reveal the Answer
Calvin Johnson, with 1,964 receiving yards for the Detroit Lions in 2012. For reference, Cooper Kupp — JSN’s mentor — holds second place at 1,947 yards (2021). JSN at 1,793 is in very good company, and he’s 23 years old.
THE MAILBAG
Will Schneider use any cap space on a veteran QB backup, or just roll with whoever is behind Geno?
— Cap Space Carl in Capitol Hill
Carl, this is a fair question that the Seahawks are absolutely thinking about and publicly saying nothing about, which is their preferred mode of operation. Here is the honest answer: a capable backup quarterback matters a lot more when your starter is 34 and your offense relies heavily on a read-option running game, and it matters a little less when your starter is coming off a Super Bowl season and your defense is historically great. The Seahawks have enough cap needs right now, KW3, JSN, Witherspoon, edge rush, that splashing on a premium backup feels unlikely. The more probable outcome is a serviceable veteran on a mid-range deal, the kind of signing that happens quietly in week two of free agency and that nobody thinks about until the starter gets hurt. Geno Smith is still Geno Smith, which is good, and the team is built to absorb some chaos, which is also good. But “roll with whoever” as a strategy requires “whoever” to be an actual competent NFL quarterback, not a guy who was released in August. Schneider knows this. We’ll watch.
The mailbag needs your best KW3 takes, D-Law retirement theories, and JSN contract proposals.
We are accepting all opinions. We are especially interested in “Is D-Law coming back?” hot takes, your personal math on the JSN extension, and anyone who wants to explain what “our 70, our collective” means in plain English.
See you tomorrow. — The Rooster