TOP STORIES
Roster
Rookie Minicamp Starts Today. Six Draft Picks Are Signed. The VMAC Just Got a Lot Younger.
The defending champs’ 2026 draft class arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Wednesday, got fitted for equipment, and six of eight already have ink on paper. Cornerback Julian Neal, guard Beau Stephens, receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr., cornerback Andre Fuller, nose tackle Deven Eastern, and cornerback Michael Dansby all signed their rookie deals before the weekend’s practices begin.
6 of 8
Seahawks draft picks who signed their rookie contracts before minicamp opened.
That leaves first-round running back Jadarian Price and second-round safety Bud Clark as the only unsigned picks. Price’s four-year deal is projected at roughly $16.8 million with a fifth-year option. Clark’s is estimated at $7.9 million. Neither figure is controversial, just the usual top-pick posturing before the signatures land.
The more interesting move came buried in the jersey number announcements: Tyrone Broden, a practice-squad wide receiver from Arkansas, is switching to cornerback. He’s 6-foot-5. He ran a 4.37 forty. There has never been a cornerback that tall in NFL history. If he plays a regular-season snap at the position, he’d make the record books. It’s almost certainly a long-shot experiment, but it’s also the kind of thing Macdonald’s defense was built to try.
Rookie minicamp runs today and tomorrow. Price wears number 8. Clark wears 9. Neal wears 1. The next wave of Seahawks football starts on the practice fields in Renton this morning.
SOURCES →
Analysis
Shanahan Went on National TV and Said the 49ers Had Their Third-Round RB Rated Higher Than Seattle’s First-Round Pick
Keep Reading ↓
It’s a fun quote. It’s also a bet. If Price hits, this becomes the soundbite that follows Shanahan around the division for years. If Black becomes a weapon in San Francisco, it’s a receipt that lives in the Seahawks’ pocket. Either way, the NFC West rivalry just added a layer that starts in the film room and ends on Twitter.
“
Shanahan went on national TV and told the world he had a third-round pick rated above the Seahawks’ first-rounder. In this division, the trash talk starts before the helmets go on.
For what it’s worth, Shanahan also admitted his entire draft class faces an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster. So maybe worry about that first.
SOURCES →
League
Replacement Ref Training Starts Today. The NFL Is Simultaneously Assigning Crews and Preparing to Replace Them.
Keep Reading ↓
May 31
The date the NFL Referees Association’s CBA expires. No deal means replacement officials for the 2026 season.
Kevin Seifert of ESPN reported the crew assignments came with “indications of continued progress” toward a deal. But the assignments pointedly did not include any of the replacement officials the league has already onboarded. The NFL is playing both sides of the table with a straight face. Seven new officials were hired for 2026 to fill five vacancies left by retirements. If the union walks, the replacements are ready. If they don’t, the new hires slide into their assigned crews like nothing happened.
For Seattle fans, the math is personal. Fourteen years after the Fail Mary, the league is back in the same standoff. At least this time they have replay assist.
SOURCES →
AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
Dante Fowler remains a “top option” for Seattle, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. The comp pick deadline has passed. Your phone is in your pocket, Dante. NBC Sports
The Seahawks quietly moved Rylie Mills from DT to DE on the official roster. He had a Super Bowl sack in five snaps. Year Two with a position change and full health could get interesting. SI on Seahawks
The 2026 NFL schedule release is expected the week of May 11, per PFT. The Wednesday night opener opponent reveal is coming. Place your bets now. NBC Sports
The Seahawks invited HBCU rushing leader Curtis Allen of Virginia Union to rookie minicamp. A Harlon Hill Trophy winner getting a look from the defending Super Bowl champions. Heavy
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
Stafford hasn’t publicly addressed the Ty Simpson pick. He’s been coaching his daughters’ flag football team instead. Meanwhile, Snead confirmed on The Pat McAfee Show that McVay had “secret meetings” with Simpson before the draft. The rookie QB will compete with Stetson Bennett for the backup job. Somewhere, a whiteboard full of flag football plays is the most meaningful coaching work happening in the Rams’ orbit.
NINERS
Shanahan admitted post-draft that it would be “tough for all eight picks to make the roster.” He then went on The Rich Eisen Show and took a passive-aggressive shot at the Seahawks’ first-round running back. That’s peak 49ers energy: can’t beat us in January, so they chirp about our draft board in April. Their offensive line got pushed around by Seattle three times last year, and they responded by drafting the same type of linemen.
CARDINALS
Jacoby Brissett skipped the voluntary offseason program and is demanding an extension that pays him as a starter, per Rapoport. The Cardinals won’t name a QB1. Brissett went 1-11 as a starter last year. He wants job security. They drafted Carson Beck in the third round. LaFleur told reporters he feels “really good” about the quarterback room. Nobody believes him.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
The Seahawks retired the number 12 in 1984 in honor of their fans, the 12th Man. Only one player in franchise history ever wore that number on the field. Who was he, and what position did he play?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
Sam Adkins, a backup quarterback drafted in the 10th round of the 1977 NFL Draft out of Wichita State. He wore No. 12 from 1977 to 1981 and threw exactly two career touchdown passes before the number was retired for the fans in 1984.
Got a question? Got a bad take? Got a theory about Dante Fowler’s phone being broken?
Drop it in the mailbag. The Rooster reads every single one and answers the best (or most unhinged) in a future issue. Hit reply or use the form below.
Rookie minicamp starts in Renton today. Eight draft picks, a pile of UDFAs, and one 6-foot-5 wide receiver trying to learn how to play cornerback. The offseason is supposed to be boring. Nobody told the VMAC. Go Hawks. — The Rooster