There are still almost three weeks until the new NFL year begins, but the Seahawks’ offseason is clearly underway.

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Seattle made a pair of moves this week, agreeing to a two-year extension with fullback/linebacker/special teams standout Nick Bellore and re-signing right guard Phil Haynes on a one-year deal. Seahawks general manager John Schneider gave the backstory on both moves when he joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Thursday for Week 2 of The John Schneider Show.

Bellore, who will turn 34 in May, made the Pro Bowl for his special teams efforts in 2020, and Schneider expressed that it was important to the team to take care of him with a new contract.

“Nick’s a core guy for us,” Schneider said. “You know, we had run out of cash during the season – cash and cap (salary cap room) – to be extending guys towards the end of the season. Nick’s special teams captain; I mean, everybody in this building loves the guy. He’s an organizational dream, stud person, leader of this team. You guys know he’s real funny, got a great sense of humor… great guy, so obviously he was a guy that we really wanted to get done early to let other people know in our team-building process, whether it’s our own guys or guys around the league, because he’s so well respected that, ‘Hey, yeah, you know, this is our core guy, we got him back.'”

Bellore played 16 games in the regular season in 2022, making 15 tackles and getting one touch on offense for a 3-yard rush. He also added a tackle in Seattle’s lone playoff game. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported that Bellore’s contract is worth $6.6 million, with $3.75 million coming to him in 2023, an increase from the $2.15 million he earned last season.

.@NBELLORE54 really said 💥🤯

📺: #TENvsSEA on CBS pic.twitter.com/aXAY82UrNt

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 19, 2021

As for Haynes, the 27 year old appeared in 15 games for the Seahawks in 2022, and Schneider said he makes sense for the team after a promising campaign where he split time at right guard with Gabe Jackson.

“The way the landscape looked when we got done with our free agency meetings is like, ‘You know what, he’s doing a great job, and how he compares to other free agents around the league right now is quality.’ So we’re like, ‘Let’s get him in here, get it knocked out, have a strong foundation on the offensive line and check that off the box.'”

Schneider appreciated the enthusiasm and professionalism that Haynes showed when the deal was agreed upon.

“He was so excited, too. He flew in here all the way from Texas with his suit on,” Schneider noted.

Here to stay. ✍️#GoHawks x @Toyota pic.twitter.com/rDS81GzJBy

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) February 21, 2023

The John Schneider Show airs live at 4 p.m. every Thursday on Seattle Sports leading up to (and including) Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft on April 27. You can listen to this week’s edition in the podcast at this link or in the player below.

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