Seahawks general manager John Schneider was a guest on 933 KJR radio yesterday. He was naturally asked about veteran quarterback Geno Smith’s contract situation as well as some other pressing business for the franchise.
Here are four takeaways from the interview.
'We know what we need to fix'
First up, Schneider expressed optimism for the Seahawks next season. Seattle is in a rare position, having both made the playoffs this year and secured a top-five pick in the NFL draft – setting them up for more success in 2023.
There is still work to be done, though. Schneider told Ian Furness that the team knows what they need to fix.
#Seahawks GM John Schneider to @IanFurnessSea on the optimism for next season:
"We know what we have to fix and it just showed up there on the field.
Now we just have to go do it."
Live on @933KJR right now.
— Jessamyn McIntyre (@JessamynMcIntyr) January 25, 2023
The most obvious area on this roster that needs to improve is the defensive front seven. The Seahawks finished the season having allowed the league’s third most rushing yards per game (150.2) and on the lower end of most pass-rush metrics.
Seahawks expect to re-sign Geno Smith
When asked about Geno Smith’s contract situation, Schneider echoed the same thing that head coach Pete Carroll has been saying. Specifically, the team wants him back and expects to re-sign him.
Question from @IanFurnessSea to Seahawks GM John Schneider: "Do you expect to get Geno Smith re-signed?”
John: "Yeah, we do."
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) January 25, 2023
Heading into their last game of the year, NFL Network reported that Smith will be returning to the Seahawks in 2023 one way or another. That indicates if Seattle can’t work out a deal they’re willing to use the franchise tag to keep him. This year the tag for quarterbacks is worth a projected $32.445 million.
Seattle wants Drew Lock back, too
Perhaps the most interesting nugget from Schneider’s interview was regarding Seattle’s backup.
When asked if the team wants to bring back Drew Lock as well Schneider answered yes, calling that an ideal situation.
Seahawks GM John Schneider on @IanFurnessSea when asked if team expects to re-sign Geno Smith says "yeah, yeah we do.'' Asked if they also expect to re-sign Drew Lock says "yeah, we'd love to. We think that would be an ideal situation.''
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) January 25, 2023
Lock supposedly was in an open competition with Geno Smith this past summer for the QB1 job. He never really appeared close to overtaking Smith, though. In the end Lock did not play a single snap during the regular season.
If Schneider is telling the truth that he wants Lock back, it makes it far less likely the team will use a draft pick on a quarterback this year.
Kicker jokes
Both Carroll and Schneider tend to be more open with their plans than most NFL coaches and GMs. That said, there are hard limits as to what they’re willing to tell the media.
Asked about the strength of the 2023 draft class, Schneider replied with kicker.
LOL, John Schneider on with @IanFurnessSea is in give-nothing-away mode. Asked about the strength of the 2023 draft, he says kicker.
— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) January 25, 2023
Drafting a kicker is a non-starter for sensible teams and in any case the Seahawks already have theirs. Jason Myer recently agreed to a four-year extension that made him the second-highest paid kicker in the league.
As for the true strength of this draft class, the deepest position group is supposed to be the edge defenders. The Seahawks are expected to draft at least one, but they might be able to wait until Day 3 to find a good one given the depth at this spot.
