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Roster Building
D-Law’s Recruiting Pitch: ‘If You Want to Win a Super Bowl, You Should Come Here’
Dante Fowler Jr. is officially a Seahawk, and the reason why boils down to a 30-minute FaceTime call with a man who proved the pitch. DeMarcus Lawrence left Dallas last year saying he knew he’d never win a Super Bowl there. Eleven months later, he was holding the trophy. That kind of pitch doesn’t come with a PowerPoint.
Fowler relayed the message plainly after signing his one-year, $5 million deal on Monday: Lawrence told him, “If you want to win a Super Bowl, you should come here.” Fowler also spent time under Seahawks DC Aden Durde in both Atlanta and Dallas, calling Durde “a general” who “makes guys want to run through a wall for him.”
The numbers don’t scream elite. Fowler managed just 3.0 sacks in Dallas last season. But ESPN’s Brady Henderson framed it clearly: Fowler is the Boye Mafe replacement. Schneider brought him in for a pre-draft visit, skipped edge rusher with all eight draft picks, then signed him once the comp pick deadline passed. It was always the plan.
58.5
Career sacks for Fowler across 10 NFL seasons and six teams.
Fowler has 58.5 career sacks and has appeared in all 17 games in each of the past four seasons. He joins Lawrence, Nwosu, and Hall in a rotation that trades ceiling for availability. The edge room isn’t fixed. But it has a pulse again.
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Schedule Watch
Schefter and Garafolo Both Point to Bears for Week 1. The Schedule Drops in 48 Hours.
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The math has been doing the NFL’s work. The Cowboys and Giants are playing each other on Sunday Night Football. The Rams and 49ers open in Melbourne. That leaves the Bears, Patriots, Chargers, Chiefs, and Cardinals. Arizona is a non-starter for a national broadcast. Kansas City might not have Mahomes. A Super Bowl rematch burns the Patriots card too early. Chicago gives the NFL Caleb Williams versus the defending champs, a rising NFC team, and Coby Bryant walking back into Lumen Field for the first time since winning a ring there.
The international games reveal tomorrow morning on Good Morning Football. The full schedule drops Thursday at 5 p.m. PT. Forty-eight hours.
48 hrs
Until the full 2026 NFL schedule is revealed on Thursday, May 14.
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AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
The Seahawks’ rookies and veterans worked out together for the first time on Monday at the VMAC. Witherspoon, Nwosu, Stephens, and the full draft class were all on the field. The voluntary program keeps looking involuntary. Seahawks.com
The NFL will reveal the full international games slate tomorrow at 6 a.m. PT on Good Morning Football. Nine games, four continents, seven countries. Seattle could still appear as a road team in London or Mexico City. NFL.com
The Broncos-Chiefs kicks off the first Monday Night Football on Sept. 14. Denver’s schedule prediction puts the Seahawks at Denver for a Thursday Night game in Week 16. More to confirm Thursday. ESPN
Ricky Pearsall is on the 49ers’ breakout candidates list again after playing just 20 games across two injury-riddled seasons and never eclipsing 600 receiving yards. Breaking out implies you were ever in. That’s generous. Niners Nation
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
Turf Show Times is now running historical comparison pieces arguing the Ty Simpson pick at 13 is the Rodgers-Favre blueprint, which is a bold flex for a franchise that lost three straight conference championship rounds. Meanwhile, one anonymous GM told ESPN’s Mike Sando that Stafford has “already had doubts about playing,” and the extension that was reportedly close three weeks ago still doesn’t exist. The Rams called Stafford before the pick to tell him they were drafting his replacement, and McVay’s initial reaction was so muted the team had to release a second video to prove he was excited. Dynasty planning is supposed to be quieter than this.
NINERS
San Francisco opens the season on a 17-hour flight to Melbourne to play the Rams, then hosts a game in Mexico City, then returns to Santa Clara for a normal home schedule. Three countries, one season, zero Super Bowls since 1994. Their big offseason breakout candidate? Ricky Pearsall, a second-year receiver who has played 20 games in two years and hasn’t cracked 600 yards in either season. Niners Nation called him a breakout candidate for the second straight year, which at this point is less a prediction and more a prayer.
CARDINALS
The Cardinals told Jacoby Brissett he’s the starter. Brissett responded by not showing up. He wants a raise from his $4.88 million salary, and honestly, the math is embarrassing: backup Gardner Minshew has $5.14 million guaranteed while the guy Arizona named QB1 has $1.5 million. ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reported that the Cardinals don’t expect Brissett back before mandatory minicamp in June. Meanwhile, third-round pick Carson Beck hasn’t spoken to any of Arizona’s quarterbacks. LaFleur called the dialogue “ongoing” and “good,” which is coach-speak for “we are losing this negotiation.”
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
Marcus Trufant spent all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Seahawks after being drafted 11th overall out of Washington State in 2003. In his best individual season, he intercepted a career-high number of passes, including three in a single game against Arizona. How many interceptions did Trufant record in that 2007 Pro Bowl campaign?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
Seven. Trufant picked off seven passes in 2007, returning one 84 yards for a touchdown, and earned his only Pro Bowl selection. He finished his career with 21 interceptions, seventh-most in franchise history.
Got a question for The Rooster?
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The international games drop tomorrow morning. The full schedule drops Thursday night. The season starts September 9. Somewhere in Renton, a 31-year-old pass rusher is learning a new playbook because a former teammate told him the truth. Go Hawks. — The Rooster