TOP STORIES
Ticking Clock
The Tag Deadline Is Tuesday. The Giants Just Crashed The KW3 Party. Schneider Is Doing Math At The Combine.
Two days. That’s what’s left before the franchise tag window slams shut at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 3. And while ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that the Seahawks are not expected to use the tag on Kenneth Walker III, “not expected” is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a fanbase that just watched this man win Super Bowl MVP.
Here’s what actually moved the needle this week at the Combine: Brady Henderson of ESPN reported that Schneider and Walker’s representatives at Aura Sports had face-to-face contract discussions in Indianapolis. That sounds encouraging until you read the fine print. The talks are described as preliminary and “far from certain” to produce an agreement. Classic NFL Combine energy: everyone meets, everyone smiles, nothing gets signed. Meanwhile, Schneider told reporters his priority is retaining as many players as possible, saying he wants to “maximize everybody’s salary while trying to make everybody happy.” A beautiful sentiment that has never once been true for any GM in salary cap history.
The complication? A new suitor has emerged, and it’s a loud one. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported from the Combine that the New York Giants are “seriously looking at some of the top running backs, both in draft and free agency” — and specifically named Kenneth Walker alongside Travis Etienne and Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love. John Harbaugh wants to build a physical, run-heavy team in New York. Dan Duggan of The Athletic independently confirmed the Giants’ interest. Add them to a list that already includes the Jaguars, Jets, Panthers, Chiefs, and Broncos. That’s seven teams. Seven. For a running back market that supposedly doesn’t exist.
Walker’s own words remain crystal clear: “If it was my choice, though, I’d definitely stay.” Macdonald has said “of course” the team wants him back. But wanting and affording are cousins who don’t speak. As Schneider put it at the Combine: “It’s going to be a challenge to figure this year’s puzzle out.” With $59.6 million in cap space and extensions for JSN and Witherspoon on the horizon, the math is the math. The math doesn’t care about MVP trophies. The math doesn’t care about your feelings. The math is a sociopath.
The negotiating window opens March 9. Free agency officially starts March 11. If Walker reaches the open market, Spotrac projects his value at around $8-9 million per year, though a Super Bowl MVP premium could push that higher. The franchise tag would cost roughly $14.5 million, and the Seahawks clearly don’t want that number on their books with the JSN and Witherspoon extensions looming. Which, fine, but then you’d better close the deal before March 11 or you’re watching the MVP of your championship run hold up a Giants jersey on NFL Network.
Two days until the tag deadline. Ten days until free agency. Buckle up or look away — there’s no in-between.
SOURCES →
Free Agency
Shaheed Wants To Run It Back. The Market Might Have Other Plans.
Keep Reading ↓
The problem, as always, is money, and the gap between what Shaheed did in the regular season and what his market says he’s worth is wide enough to drive a bus through. Spotrac projects his market value at roughly $14.1 million per year, while FOX Sports’ Greg Auman pegs it around $15 million annually. For a player who caught just 15 passes for 188 yards in six regular-season games with Seattle, with zero offensive touchdowns, that’s paying Lamborghini prices for what looked, statistically, like a Camry. He’s an elite return specialist who moonlights as a deep threat, and teams are going to pay him like he’s a WR1.
But oh, what a return specialist. Three kick/punt return touchdowns after arriving at the trade deadline, including the 58-yard punt return TD in the Week 16 Rams comeback and the opening kickoff house call against the 49ers in the Divisional Round. Go rewatch that 49ers return. The stadium wasn’t loud. It was violent. Shaheed didn’t just add a dimension. He changed the electricity of the building. You can’t put a Spotrac number on that.
Except you kind of have to. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz has already predicted Shaheed lands with the Cleveland Browns, which would be a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, all that speed wasted in Lake Erie winds. The Seahawks have the cap space to keep him, but every dollar spent on Shaheed is a dollar not available for KW3, Coby Bryant, or the cornerback market. Schneider’s puzzle has a lot of pieces and not quite enough table. Something’s falling off the edge.
SOURCES →
Combine
Combine Wrap: The Seahawks Are Watching Corners And Edge Rushers From Pick 32
Keep Reading ↓
Mock drafters are already linking Seattle to Arizona State cornerback Keith Abney II, who earned an 85.3 PFF coverage grade with nine pass breakups in 2025, the kind of profile that screams “Seahawk corner.” Others project edge rushers — one analyst has the Seahawks taking a pass rusher whose “slick pass-rushing maneuvers and non-stop motor” would fit Seattle’s deep rotation philosophy. Avieon Terrell (brother of A.J. Terrell Jr.) is another name mocked to Seattle at 32, with the idea that he’d slide in opposite Devon Witherspoon. Imagine being an opposing QB staring at that secondary. Don’t imagine it too long. It’s upsetting.
The Seahawks currently hold just four draft picks: 32, 64, 96, and Cleveland’s sixth-rounder. That’s thin. Uncomfortably thin. But Schneider isn’t sweating it, or at least he’s pretending not to. He noted he already factored the weaker 2026 draft class into his 2025 decisions, which is “why you saw us make some of the decisions we made,” including the Shaheed trade that cost fourth and fifth-round picks. He spent the draft capital on a Lombardi Trophy and would do it again tomorrow. Hard to argue with a man holding the receipts.
SOURCES →
AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
Charbonnet ACL update: Coach Macdonald said Zach Charbonnet’s recovery timeline is “more optimistic than it was initially”, which is the first good injury news this offseason. He’s still expected to begin 2026 on PUP and miss at least the first six weeks, but “being able to come back at an earlier time” is music to everyone’s ears. Especially if KW3 is gone and our running back room is just vibes and a prayer. Heavy.com
Schneider on Darnold: During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, GM John Schneider said he’d like Sam Darnold to be the team’s quarterback “for a long time.” That’s as close to a long-term commitment as Schneider gets before a contract is actually signed. For a guy who speaks fluent GM-ese, “for a long time” is basically a marriage proposal. Sleep well, Sam. Seattle Sports
Cowboys tag Pickens: Dallas placed the franchise tag on WR George Pickens, a move that had been anticipated since before the Super Bowl. One fewer elite receiver on the free agent market, which makes re-signing Shaheed even more critical if Schneider wants to keep the weapons cabinet stocked. The shelves are getting bare out there. NFL.com
Combine star watch: Arkansas QB Taylen Green ran a 4.36 40-yard dash and broke the combine broad jump record for quarterbacks (11’2″). He’s not a Seahawks target, but he is legally required to be mentioned in any combine recap. WR Brenen Thompson posted the fastest 40 at 4.26 seconds. The Underwear Olympics delivered, as they always do when you least expect substance. Yahoo Sports
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
The details of the Rams’ Zachwards Pass rule change proposal have emerged, and it’s even funnier than we imagined. They’re basically asking the NFL to retroactively declare our championship illegitimate, just with better formatting. Per NBC Sports, the Rams submitted two separate proposals. The first would treat a backward pass tipped by a defender as a fumble on conversion attempts, meaning Charbonnet’s end zone recovery wouldn’t count. The second would cap replay review initiation at 40-60 seconds, because apparently 100 seconds of everyone standing around before Terry McAulay called the league office from a broadcast booth was too long. Too long for whom, exactly? Not for us. We enjoyed every second. The vote happens at the league meetings in late March. We have never been more emotionally invested in parliamentary procedure.
NINERS
Where to even begin with this smoldering wreckage. The 49ers’ offseason priorities are: (1) figure out the Trent Williams cap situation ($38.8M cap hit, $34.15M dead money if released, pick your poison, both bottles are expired), (2) figure out what to do with Brandon Aiyuk (trade candidate, per Lynch), and (3) find someone who can get to the quarterback, because John Lynch admitted the defensive front needs help. They also hired Raheem Morris as DC after he was fired from Atlanta. George Kittle tore his Achilles. Christian McCaffrey has 3,218 career touches and the cartilage to prove it. And they lost to us 41-6 in the playoffs. Forty-one to six. Other than that, everything is totally fine in Santa Clara.
CARDINALS
Arizona is reportedly trying to move on from Kyler Murray (via trade or release) and is eyeing… Jimmy Garoppolo as a potential replacement. Yes. That Jimmy Garoppolo. The 35-year-old whose market value Spotrac has at $2 million per year. Two million! New head coach Mike LaFleur coached Jimmy G in San Francisco, so there’s familiarity, the kind where you already know exactly how the movie ends. The Cards also have the No. 3 overall pick and enough cap room to make moves, but when your QB plan involves Jimmy G competing with Jacoby Brissett, you are not exactly threatening the defending Super Bowl champions. You’re not even threatening the Rams.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
Kenneth Walker III averaged 139 scrimmage yards per game in the 2025 postseason. Who was the last Seahawk before Walker to have consecutive playoff games with 100+ scrimmage yards?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
Marshawn Lynch, in the 2014 playoffs (Divisional and NFC Championship rounds).
THIS DAY IN SEAHAWKS HISTORY
2002
Seahawks Unveil New Logo and Uniforms for NFC Era
On March 1, 2002, the Seattle Seahawks unveiled a dramatically redesigned logo and uniform set to coincide with their move from the AFC West to the NFC West and the opening of the brand-new Seahawks Stadium (now Lumen Field). The angular, modernized hawk head replaced the original 1976 design inspired by Pacific Northwest tribal art. Twenty-four years later, we’re still wearing navy and neon green — and we just won a Super Bowl in it.
THE MAILBAG
Will Schneider use any of the cap space on a veteran QB backup or just roll with whoever is behind Geno?
— Cap Space Carl in Capitol Hill
Cap Space Carl, buddy, I love the enthusiasm but we need to get you caught up on about six months of Seahawks news. Geno Smith was traded to the Browns last offseason (we wish him well, sort of). It’s Sam Darnold’s team now, has been since he led us to a Super Bowl title. Schneider told Rich Eisen he wants Sam to be the quarterback “for a long time.” So breathe easy. Or redirect that worry toward something useful, like the KW3 situation.
Now, the backup question, that’s actually a sneaky-important one, and I’m glad you accidentally stumbled into it. The Seahawks will need someone competent behind Darnold, and with a new offensive coordinator in Brian Fleury installing his system, having a backup who can run the same concepts matters more than usual. The team currently doesn’t have an obvious QB2 on the roster. Not ideal for a team with championship expectations.
My guess? Schneider either brings in a low-cost veteran in free agency, think someone in the $2-3M range who’s comfortable holding a clipboard and can win you a game if Darnold’s ankle rolls on the Lumen Field turf we keep complaining about, or he grabs one in the later rounds of the draft. This isn’t a position where he’ll break the bank. Not with KW3, JSN, and Witherspoon all needing their money. But he won’t ignore it either. Championship teams don’t leave QB2 to chance. Even the ones with only four draft picks.
Got a Question for the Mailbag?
We read every submission from the 12s. Got a cap question? A draft take? A theory about the team sale? An emotional outburst about KW3 that you need someone to validate? Send it in. We’ll answer it with the sarcasm and love it deserves.
See you tomorrow. — The Rooster