Rost: The Seahawks storylines everyone should be talking about

The single most important question for the Seattle Seahawks this offseason will be whether they can agree to a number on a new deal for Geno Smith. John Schneider and Mike Macdonald know that, but they’re undoubtedly tired of talking about it.

What Seattle Seahawks GM expects to hear about Geno Smith extension

“I’d love to announce it right now, that we’re rolling and Geno’s extended, and we can stop getting the question,” Macdonald told reporters at the NFL Scouting combine Wednesday.

What’s that contract look like? Fair question. But “Is Geno the guy?” has apparently been the wrong one all along. And by dominating headlines, the topic left little room for some other important questions facing this Seattle team.

Everyone’s talking about Geno Smith, but they should be talking about…

Ernest Jones

My co-host Michael Bumpus predicts a deal for linebacker Ernest Jones IV soon. After all, how could the Seahawks not get one done? But Seattle’s midseason trade acquisition has taken a backseat to conversations about extensions for teammates Smith and DK Metcalf.

General manager John Schneider called re-signing Jones “really important” and said conversations with Jones’ agents have been positive.

Acquired via midseason trade, Jones had a massive impact on Macdonald’s first-year defense. The Seahawks went from allowing 148 rush yards per game across the first eight weeks of the season to 99 over the last eight. Keeping Jones in Seattle feels like an obvious answer, but it’ll cost them about $12 to $15 million per year.

Extensions for the Seattle Seahawks draft class of 2022

The Seahawks have gotten more bang for their buck in recent classes. From 2022-24, they drafted eight regular starters and a number of other key contributors. That’s the good news.

The bad news, at least when it comes to cap management, is the cost of keeping that talent. In addition to figuring out finances around their top veteran cap hits like Smith, Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks will be considering extensions for Charles Cross, Kenneth Walker III, Boye Mafe, Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen.

They can pick up Cross’ fifth-year option for 2026 (about $18 million) and could still decide to sign him to a long-term extension. The deadline for exercising a fifth-year option for the class of 2022 is May 1.

Walker and Woolen are more interesting. Both feel like obvious candidates, but face unique context: Walker made a career-low 11 starts in 2024 and finished with 573 yards and seven touchdowns (both also career lows). The emergence of fellow second-rounder Zach Charbonnet and a running back class that Schneider seems especially intrigued by make you wonder if they’d be willing to risk going without a new deal; however, Walker’s the only running back on this roster with a 1,000-yard season under his belt, and both Macdonald and Schneider have reiterated the importance of becoming a better, more consistent run team.

Woolen is exceptionally talented but has been up and down after a Pro Bowl rookie year. Will the Hawks lock him down based on a ton of remaining potential, or risk losing him to free agency in 2026?

What happens your front 7 or TE room if Noah Fant or Dre’mont Jones are cap casualties?

Along with Lockett, outside linebacker Dre Jones and tight end Noah Fant are potential cap casualties for a team that needs more wiggle room.

Seattle would save $11.5 million releasing Jones and $8.9 million releasing Fant, both of whom carry notable cap hits but are coming off quieter seasons.

The idea of saving money feels tempting and perhaps Seattle does make the move. But don’t forget the second half of that equation: replacing that production with a cheaper option to avoid depth issues. Would it make outside linebacker or tight end a potential option in this spring’s draft?

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Report: Seattle Seahawks give veteran permission to seek trade
• Why NFL insider questions idea of Seahawks trading DK Metcalf
• Seattle Seahawks GM’s status updates on Geno, DK, Ernest Jones IV
• What we learned about Seattle Seahawks from their NFLPA report card
• Bump says Seattle Seahawks move with Jones needs to happen ASAP

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