Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have a unique strategy usually when it comes to drafting during the Pete Carroll/John Schneider-era. They usually go for the best athletes rather than great football players, guys who stand out in one specific athletic trait. They also look for something they call grit, referring to players who have had to overcome hardships and other unnecessary stresses in life to make it to where they are today about to be drafted into the NFL. This season’s draft may be a little different than years’ past though. Seattle has more holes on their roster than usual with the departure of some former key franchise players like cornerback Richard Sherman, defensive end Michael Bennett, and tight end Jimmy Graham. This draft will need to be used to fill some of these holes and replace some of the old stars that help the Legion of Boom Seahawks appear in two straight Super Bowls. They would also like to find some new weapons for star quarterback Russell Wilson including a back-up to him and some new faces on

The Cowboys have long been connected with Earl Thomas, but they’re not about to sell out to land the Seahawks safety. A trade for Thomas is not a draft priority for Dallas, a source tells veteran NFL reporter Ed Werder (on Twitter). However, they remain interested in him as a player and they are willing to engage in trade talks if Seattle lowers its asking price.In March, it was reported that the Seahawks were asking teams for a first-round pick and a third-round pick to part ways with the six-time Pro Bowler. Seahawks GM John Schneider recently went on the record to say that he expects Thomas to be a part of the team in 2018, but his contractual situation complicates things. Thomas is entering the final year of his four-year, $40M accord and is pushing for an extension. The safety was absent from the start of Seattle’s offseason program and he has threatened to hold out if he does not get a new deal before the start of the season.The Seahawks parted ways with stars Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman this of

The Seattle Seahawks have drafted only one quarterback in the eight years the front office has been led by head coach Pete Carroll and G.M. John Schneider. That selection was a massive success as it gave Seattle Russell Wilson in the third round of the

Newly-signed Saints wide receiver Cameron Meredith may be able to partially participate in the team’s minicamp, Sean Payton said to Joel A. Erickson of The Advocate.The Saints signed Meredith to a two-year offer sheet worth $9.6 million ($5.4 million in guarantees) earlier this month after spending the first three seasons of his career with the Bears. The 25-year-old former undrafted free agent missed the entire 2017 regular season due to a torn ACL. There were indications that his knee injury might take longer to heal than expected, which played into the Bears’ decision to not match the Saints’ offer sheet.Saints coach Sean Payton seemed content with the team’s decision to pick up Meridith and his rehab from the injury.“We feel like he’s a guy that’s on pace with his rehab, we feel comfortable with the diagnosis,” Payton said, via Erickson. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see him getting some work in our minicamp, based on our report.”Meridith was set to enter the 2017 season as a starter in the Bears’ receiving

A couple of weeks ago, the Seattle Seahawks would postpone a workout previously arranged for Colin Kaepernick. And now, we have the completely unsurprising reason.After arranging for Colin Kaepernick to work out for the Seahawks this week, Seattle postponed the trip when the quarterback declined to stop kneeling during the national anthem next season, league sources tell ESPN.Then the very next day, the Seahawks would go out and sign a quarterback with no NFL regular-season experience.The Seahawks are signing free-agent signal-caller Stephen Morris, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, according to a source informed of the situation.This is definitely a football decision. Not at all because of protesting. In the meantime, Eric Reid is still a free agent. Not only that, but Reuben Foster still has a job. The hypocrisy of this league is astounding, but unsurprising. And yet, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll says Kaepernick could still find his place on this team. No, really, he’s still suggesting that.Car

Don’t let the door hit you in the behind on the way out, seems to be the overall message sent to Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman by Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.On Monday, Carroll opened up a bit about his departed former stars, one of which was outright released (Sherman) while the other (Bennett) was traded for a ham sandwich to the Philadelphia Eagles.Initially, Carroll was responding to a question about Bennett, who had reportedly been reading books during team meetings last year because he’s heard everything coach had to say.Carroll shot that rumor down, saying, “Mike never brought a book to a meeting, I’ll tell you that,” per Gregg Bell of the News Tribune. Then, he elaborated on how things ended between the organization and its former stars.“The thing I would tell you about that is that we’ve been through a lot around here, we’ve grown tremendously together and all of that, and changes are inevitable,” Carroll said. “Sometimes, guys can’t hang with what’s expected, for one reason or another

There are any number of ways to sort out Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll's latest public flirtation with the concept (as opposed to the actual presence) of Colin Kaepernick on his roster, but they all end the same. It is a measure of our industrial inability to let go of a seemingly dead storyline that the question was even raised in Carroll's pre-draft press conference Monday, and even more bizarre that he dangled it as a possibility when all it did was remind people yet again that the National Football League is run by narrow-minded, inflexible and even socially thuggish billionaires. What it did not to do is make anyone think that (a) this is a football decision upon which Carroll has final say, or that (b) this is an employment decision upon which owner Paul Allen has the only vote that matters.

Carroll said that Seattle is still evaluating the position, even after signing backups Stephen Morris and Austin Davis this offseason. There are still free agents we're looking at and in that the process just continues," Carroll said.

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Pete Carroll said Monday the Seattle Seahawks have not closed the door on the possibility of adding Colin Kaepernick to their roster, but how much further they pursue it may depend on the upcoming NFL draft. "We're still battling on all fronts, on all guys. We're still looking at guys and evaluating. There are still free agents we're looking at and in that the process just continues," Carroll said. "We've gone through the information gathering and we have a pretty good feel for where we are. It's ongoing. We're not done with that decision at all." Reports surfaced earlier this month that Seattle pulled out of a planned workout for Kaepernick, who has been without an NFL team since the end of the 2016 season.

Veteran defensive back Will Blackmon worked out for the Seahawks, Browns, Colts, and Falcons recently, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Blackmon will turn 34 in October, but he impressed in his workouts and Garafolo gets the sense that he’ll land with a team after the draft. Blackmon appeared in 30 out of 32 possible appearances for the Redskins between 2015 and 2016, including 16 starts, but missed Washington’s final cut in 2017. Blackmon auditioned for the Colts in November, but did not sign with a team last season.The veteran offers experience at both safety and cornerback. Blackmon played almost exclusively at corner between 2013 and 2015, but shifted to safety in ’16 when the Redskins added Josh Norman. The move to safety suited him well as he earned his best marks ever from Pro Football Focus. PFF placed him as the 32nd in the league at the position in that season, ahead of notables like Shawn Williams, Bradley McDougald, and T.J. Ward.

There have been plenty of rumors about Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas and his future with the organization, but general manager John Schneider seems to have gotten some assurances.Schneider said that he has been given indications by Thomas’s representatives that a threatened holdout will not come to pass.“No, I don’t. I don’t,” Schneider said when asked if he believes Thomas would hold out, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “He has not said he would hold out. His representatives told me that.”Schneider also said the plan is to have Thomas on the team at the start of the season.“He is right now. He’s on our roster,” Schneider said. “I hope so. I hope he is. He’s under contract.”Pete Carroll has also been pretty clear that he believes Thomas will be on the team despite plenty of rumors. The Seahawks’ braintrust seem to know something.

The Seahawks are one of the teams that has been linked to Colin Kaepernick over the past year or so, and Pete Carroll insists there have been no decisions made about whether or not the free agent quarterback will wind up on Seattle’s roster.Kaepernick was reportedly set to meet with the Seahawks last week, but the workout was postponed after he supposedly would not commit to ending his national anthem protests. Seattle then signed quarterbacks Stephen Morris and Austin Davis, but Carroll says that does not mean Kaepernick has been ruled out.“We’re still looking at all of our options,” Carroll said in an interview on Sports Radio KJR Thursday, via an audio clip shared by TMZ. “We’re trying to figure it out. We just want to work to be as competitive as we can. Whether that factors in or not, we’ll find out. The discussion and the opportunity is still open as (GM John Schneider) stated earlier.”Carroll was asked specifically if Kaepernick’s history with anthem protests will factor into whether or not the 30-year

Since Marshawn Lynch’s time had ended in Seattle, the Seahawks have been desperately searching for an identity in the backfield. Rawls, Prosise, Lacy, and Carson are just some of the names that have rolled through the backfield since Beast Mode left. With the draft coming up, fans hope that the Hawks select a running back [...]

The NFL regular season schedule has just been announced. We finally have a better sense of what this year will look like. And with that knowledge comes predictions. So here they are, my pre-draft 2018 Seattle Seahawks predictions. Week 1- Denver Broncos W The Seahawks pull out the win against the team they beat for [...]

Pete Carroll dismissed all the trade talk and other rumors surrounding Earl Thomas in a radio interview on Thursday.The Seattle Seahawks coach joined Dave “Softy” Mahler on KJR in Seattle on Thursday and was asked about Thomas. Carroll said the team is counting on Thomas and that he “better be there” for camp in July. There have been questions about Thomas’ status with the team all offseason. The safety has been the subject of trade rumors and has threatened to hold out. Thomas did not show up for the team’s voluntary workouts on Monday, either.Thomas is due to make $8.5 million in what will be the final year of his contract. The 28-year-old only played 11 games in 2016 and 14 last year due to injuries.

The possibility of Earl Thomas being traded (especially to the Dallas Cowboys) has been a persistent rumor of the NFL offseason. But when training camp starts in July, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll expects the All-Pro safety to be there. In all fairness, it’s not exactly as though the rumors are coming out of nowhere. Thomas’ name was mentioned in rumors along with Richard Sherman shortly before the latter was cut. Additionally, the Seahawks have undergone some significant roster turnover with Sherman, Michael Bennett, Paul Richardson and Jimmy Graham having all departed since the end of the 2017 season.Certainly, we can understand why Carroll would want Thomas around. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler (including 2017), two-time First-team All-Pro, and two-time Second-team All-Pro (including 2017). Additionally, the defense took a major hit in 2016 when Thomas was injured.We could absolutely see a trade happening. But if Thomas is moved, it doesn’t seem as though Carroll will be too pleased.

There have been reports that the Seattle Seahawks decided to trade Michael Bennett this offseason in part because the star defensive lineman had become a headache for the team, and we now have one example of how Bennett may have irritated his coaches.In an interview with 710 ESPN Seattle this week, Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated said Bennett admitted to him that he read books during team meetings last season and basically tuned Pete Carroll out. Richard Sherman, who is also no longer with the Seahawks, made some similar remarks earlier this offseason when he said veteran players have “kind of head every funny story, every funny anecdote” from Carroll and start tuning him out during team-building exercises after a few years.Albert Breer of The MMQB previously reported that Bennett had become a pain for his coaches in Seattle, and reading books during meetings that also include younger players would probably be enough to aggravate the guys running said meetings. Of course, Bennett has much bigger issues to w

LONDON (AP) — The NFL has confirmed the times and dates for the three regular-season games to be played in London this year. The Tennessee Titans will take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 21, and the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Jacksonville Jaguars a week later. Both games will be at Wembley Stadium. The first game, between the Seattle Seahawks and the Oakland Raiders, was already set to be played on Oct. 14 at Tottenham's new stadium in north London. The Seahawks-Raiders game will be at 1 p.m. Eastern time, while the later games will be at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time. ___ For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

We’ve already seen a ton more trade action around the NFL this offseason than in previous years. Based on whispers and rumors around the water cooler, that’s not going to change during the annual draft in Dallas next week.Sure a lot of the focus is going to be on teams potentially looking to trade up for quarterbacks. But there’s more than two handfuls of players who could be moved, including an All-Pro safety in Seattle as well as a generational tight end talent in New England. Here’s a look at a dozen players who could be traded during the 2018 NFL Draft.Earl Thomas, safety, Seattle Seahawks It’s not a secret that the Dallas Cowboys are interested in Thomas, especially after clearing cap room by releasing Dez Bryant. It’s also not a secret that Seattle has been listening to trade offers for the six-time Pro Bowl safety. With Thomas deciding not to show up to organized team activities in the week leading up to the draft, one has to wonder if his threat of a holdout is real.All of this leads us to believe tha

The Seahawks have expressed interest in former Falcons defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). Hageman is a former second-round pick and is still just 27 years old, but he hasn’t been heard from since being cut by Atlanta last September. After being arrested on domestic violence charges in 2016, Hageman was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list prior to the 2017 campaign. The Falcons subsequently waived Hageman, and he was then handed a six-week suspension by the NFL, a ban which he fulfilled as a free agent.Based on talent alone, it’s perhaps not surprising that Hageman would be given a second chance. The Falcons clearly had high hopes for Hageman after using the 37th overall selection in the 2014 draft on the ex-Minnesota standout, and the club’s coaching staff was reportedly enamored with his progress as recently as last offseason.All told, Hageman appeared in 44 of Atlanta’s 48 regular-season games and combined for 15 starts during his three-year tenu

When the Seattle Seahawks gave up defensive end Michael Bennett for relative peanuts in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, many wondered why. Now, thanks to an interesting nugget from Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated, we have some insight into why the Seahawks pulled off the move. Well, we know Bennett likes books. He recently released his own, which raised more than a few eyebrows, to say the least.This also sheds a bit more light on a report that indicated Bennett was “a problem” for Seattle coaches last season.Seattle barely saved any money and got hardly anything in return for one of the team's best defensive players. Obviously not all was well between the two sides.Reading a book during team meetings because you think you know what coach is going to say anyway isn’t the best way to maintain a good relationship. If anything, it’s disrespectful and a horrible example for young players who need to hear what’s being said.Since being traded to Philly, Bennett believes the Eagles can feature the best defen

After an aggressive offseason, many are wondering how the Rams will afford to hold on to their best players, including running back Todd Gurley, in the long run. Apparently, Gurley doesn’t share that same concern.“Obviously, we know Aaron Donald is the guy to get paid,” Gurley told Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio. “That’s the last thing we want to worry about is trying to get ours done when we need our best player to get paid. That’s not even really the focus right now. Once you win that Super Bowl, they don’t have a choice but to pay you whether it’s the Rams or any other team. Once we try to put that together and do that, everything will take care of itself. Just focus on what’s next.”Gurley, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2015 draft, has one year remaining on his original rookie deal and is expected to be retained this offseason via the fifth-year option. While he says that he’s not thinking about his next deal, it would behoove him and his reps to get a dialogue going with Los Angeles brass. Given the l

If a player wanted to add even more fuel to the fire relating to a potential trade, he would decide against showing up for voluntary offseason workouts. Said player wouldn’t face a fine for being a no-show. And really, the move itself would be seen as a statement.That’s apparently what Seattle Seahawks All-Pro safety Earl Thomas did on Monday. At the center of myriad trade rumors, Thomas decided against showing up for the start of Seattle’s offseason workouts on Monday. Primarily linked to the Dallas Cowboys, trade rumors are only going to heat up between now and the 2018 NFL Draft in Dallas next week. It’s clear that Thomas isn’t happy with his current contract. We also know that the Cowboys have renewed interest in the elite safety after saving money by releasing Dez Bryant last week.Thomas is surely making a statement by staying way from OTAs this week. That could very well force the brass in Seattle to make a move here soon.After all, GM John Schneider and Co. have already moved on from two core members o

The Seattle Seahawks are reportedly ready to move on, less than one year after making Malik McDowell their first selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.McDowell got into an ATV accident last season before ever hitting the field. He spent his entire rookie season out of commission, and now he’s expected to be released. There were multiple reports that McDowell’s injuries could be career-threatening, and so far there’s no evidence to suggest otherwise.In addition to the ATV accident, McDowell also was arrested last year for disorderly conduct.

The Seattle Seahawks are expected to release Malik McDowell soon, according to a report.NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport says the Seahawks have not cleared McDowell, and they will likely release him. McDowell was the No. 35 overall pick last year out of Michigan State. He was in an ATV accident over the summer and missed the entire season due to injuries from that crash. As if that weren’t enough, he was then arrested for disorderly conduct in December.

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks have brought back another arm for the beginning of their offseason program, re-signing quarterback Austin Davis. The Seahawks also signed free agent linebacker Paul Dawson, while exclusive rights free agents center Joey Hunt, defensive end Branden Jackson and long snapper Tyler Ott signed their tenders. Seattle made the moves at the beginning of its offseason workout program Monday. Davis will enter his second season as a presumptive backup to Russell Wilson. Davis was a one-time starter with the Rams. He appeared in three games with Seattle last season, but did not throw a pass. He hasn't thrown a pass in a game since 2015.

The Seahawks are re-signing quarterback Austin Davis on a minimum-salary deal, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, Garafolo hears this will not end the team’s talks with Colin Kaepernick. Davis spent last season as Russell Wilson’s backup, though he did not throw a pass in the regular season. His last attempted throw came in 2015 with the Browns as he appeared in three games with two starts. Davis is perhaps best known for his time with the Rams, which included eight starts (3-5 record) in 2014.Last week, the Seahawks postponed a scheduled workout with Kaepernick as they look to get a read on the quarterback’s future plans, including whether he’ll kneel for the anthem in the coming season. Reportedly, the team “asked for his plan moving forward on how to handle everything and there was not a firm plan.” The Seahawks are also said to have concerns about Kaepernick’s overall commitment to football as he continues to push social justice initiatives.

The Seattle Seahawks were set to host free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick for a visit this week, but they reportedly postponed the meeting because Kaepernick will not commit to standing during the national anthem in 2018.According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Kaepernick refused to assure the Seahawks that his days of political demonstrations during the anthem are behind him. When he was looking for a team to sign him last year, Kaepernick said that he would no longer be kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” A lot has obviously changed since then, including Kaepernick filing a collusion claim against the NFL.We have already heard a report this week that at least one NFL team owner plans to ban anthem protests next season, and it sounds as if he is not alone. If the Seahawks truly cancelled Kaepernick’s workout because he didn’t guarantee them he’s done protesting, that would support his case that the anthem protests are the only reason he remains unemployed.