TOP STORIES
Draft Week
Schneider Said the Quiet Part Loud: Trade Back From 32 Is the Plan
John Schneider held his pre-draft press conference Monday and did something unusual for a general manager two days before the draft: he told the truth. “It’s the pick that everybody wants,” Schneider said of the 32nd overall selection. “It’s no secret with us, guys.” Four picks. League-low. And the GM isn’t pretending he wants to use the first one.
4
Total picks the Seahawks hold entering the draft. League-low.
The logic is clean. Winning the Super Bowl gives you the last pick in every round, plus the fifth-year option that makes No. 32 uniquely valuable to a trade partner. Schneider also confirmed what the scouting staff identified months ago: this isn’t a deep class. “I think there’s a lack of depth in this draft,” he said, noting that assessment is what made him comfortable trading away Day 3 picks for Rashid Shaheed last November.
The last time Schneider completely traded out of Round 1 was 2017. Finding a partner isn’t automatic. Brady Henderson floated a secondary avenue: dealing backup center Olu Oluwatimi for a Day 3 pick, comparing it to the Sam Howell swap. Henderson cautioned listeners against assuming the trade-back at 32 is a certainty. “I would caution people against assuming they’re going to be able to find a trade partner at 32.”
“
Henderson cautioned against assuming the trade-back is a certainty. Wanting to move and actually moving are different sports.
Schneider wants more picks. He’s not being coy about it. The question is whether anyone picks up the phone Thursday night with an offer worth taking. Two days.
SOURCES →
Trade Watch
The Thibodeaux Phone Line Just Went to Voicemail
Keep Reading ↓
$14.75M
Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option. Cheap for an edge rusher. Irrelevant if the Giants won’t deal.
The math changed Saturday night. New York traded its best interior defender for the 10th overall pick. Losing Lawrence and Thibodeaux in the same week would gut a defensive front that new coach John Harbaugh is trying to build around. Harbaugh told reporters he’s “fired up” to coach Thibodeaux. GM Joe Schoen said he expects “big things” from him in Year 5.
Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option sits at $14.75 million, still cheaper than any veteran edge rusher on the market. But the asking price only matters if the seller wants to sell. Right now, the Giants sound like a team that wants to keep what it has.
Schneider may still get his edge rusher. It just probably won’t be this one.
SOURCES →
AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
The Oluwatimi-for-a-pick idea is gaining steam. Henderson floated Minnesota as a potential partner after Ryan Kelly retired. A center-needy team with a spare Day 3 pick is the Seahawks’ dream scenario. Schneider loves turning depth into darts. Seattle Sports
NBC Sports’ Chris Simms mocked Texas A&M guard Chase Bisontis to Seattle at 32. Bisontis allowed one sack all season. The O-line community is thrilled. Everyone else is checking if they misread the pick number. Yahoo Sports
Seattle Sports ran a full mock draft simulator with a trade back to Las Vegas: picks 36, 134, and 185 for No. 32. They took UCF edge Malachi Lawrence at 36. The dream scenario keeps getting dreamier. Reality arrives Thursday. Seattle Sports
SI on Seahawks floated trading for Tony Pollard if Tennessee drafts Jeremiyah Love at No. 4. Pollard has rushed for 1,000+ yards in four straight seasons. The price? Maybe a sixth-rounder and a handshake. SI on Seahawks
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
The Rams and Matthew Stafford are making “significant progress” on a new extension, per Ian Rapoport, which would commit LA to a quarterback who turns 39 in February. Stafford’s current cap hit is $48.26 million. Rob Havenstein retired. Nacua’s extension remains unsigned. And now the Rams are being linked to Ty Simpson at 13, because apparently Sean McVay watched one Kirk Cousins comp reel and said “more of that, please.” The succession plan is to not have one.
NINERS
The 49ers gave Trent Williams a two-year, $50 million extension on Monday, making him the first non-QB to surpass $400 million in career earnings. He turns 38 in July. Lynch said the team feels “great confidence that Trent’s going to be here for a couple of years.” Meanwhile, they still can’t trade Brandon Aiyuk. Lynch admitted the probability of a deal is “likely no.” San Francisco’s 2025 pass rush generated a league-worst 20 sacks, and their solution entering draft week is to hope Nick Bosa’s ACL cooperates. The precipice has arrived.
CARDINALS
Adam Schefter reports the Cardinals could take Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 if they don’t trade down. A running back in the top five. Arizona went 3-14 last season, placed four running backs on injured reserve, released Kyler Murray, and now the franchise-altering pick might be a halfback. The front office has fielded “exploratory” calls about trading back, but finding a buyer for the third pick in a weak class is like trying to sell a boat in December. Good luck, Monti.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
Dave Krieg remains one of the most improbable success stories in Seahawks history. Undrafted out of Milton College, a now-defunct NAIA school in Wisconsin, Krieg made the roster as a third-string quarterback in 1980 and eventually became the franchise’s all-time leader in career passing touchdowns during his 12 seasons in Seattle. Krieg was inducted into the Seahawks Ring of Honor in 2004. How many career passing touchdowns did Krieg throw as a Seahawk, a franchise record that stood for decades?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
195. Dave Krieg threw 195 career touchdown passes with the Seahawks, a record he set during 12 seasons in Seattle (1980–1991). Krieg finished his 19-year NFL career with 261 total touchdowns across six teams, but the bulk of his legacy was built in the Kingdome. He also holds the franchise record for most games with 400+ passing yards (4) and most games with 5+ touchdown passes.
Got a question for The Rooster?
Draft takes, cap math complaints, or just a theory about what Schneider whispered to Macdonald at the presser. Send it to the mailbag. I read everything. I answer what makes me laugh.
Two days to Pittsburgh. The board is locked, the phones are charged, and Schneider just told the entire league he's open for business. Sometimes the truth is the best smokescreen. Go Hawks. — The Rooster