The beginning of another NFL season also means it’s time to open the Seahawks mailbag.
Let’s get to it:
Q: @ news_bling asked: Given that media had said there was a need for WRs for many teams, and the minimal amount that MVS (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) was due, how could the Seahawks not even get a conditional 7th round pick for him?
A: Without being snarky, the obvious answer is that no one thought he was worth that, and they were willing to gamble that the Seahawks were going to release him and they could sign him without giving up any compensation.
Also a factor is that Valdes-Scantling has a $1.5 million guaranteed salary for this season. If a team traded for him then they had to take that on.
Once the Seahawks released him they remained on the hook for it until he signed with another team.
For the moment, that means the Seahawks have a $3 million dead cap hit for releasing Valdes-Scantling — $1.5 million for the signing bonus he received (which won’t change) and $1.5 million for the salary.
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Christian McCaffrey has nowhere to go, gaining just one yard on this fourth quarter rush, down to the Seahawks 19. McCaffrey had just 79 yards and no touchdowns on his return. Defendng are Tyrice Knight (18), Julian Love (20) and Devon Witherspoon (21). The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in NFL Football Sunday, November 17, 2024 at Levi’s Stadium, in Santa Clara, CA. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
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Valdes-Scantling signed with the 49ers’ practice squad, which for now means a $315,000 salary for the season. There is offset language in Valdes-Scantling’s contract which means as he is paid that money, it is subtracted from what the Seahawks owe him. But that only happens as he gets paid each week.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Valdes-Scantling will be promoted to the 49ers’ 53-man roster. He’s likely getting the minimum or $1.255 million. But again, he’ll get paid that as the season goes on. The 49ers could release him at any time and would not have to pay him any more. The Seahawks will make up the difference of whatever the 49ers end up paying him and $1.5 million.
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If he plays the full season, that still saves the 49ers $245,000.
That’s why no one traded for him.
Q: @tiedeman23 asked: Narrative about RBs is K9 (Kenneth Walker III) is 1, (Zach) Charbonnet is 2. What do you think will be the split? 60/40 or more lopsided (barring injury of course)?
A: This may be the most intriguing question regarding personnel facing the Seahawks as the season begins and not just for fantasy football reasons.
When healthy, Walker appeared to be the No. 1 tailback. But Charbonnet had a strong camp, and I think the Seahawks are equally comfortable with him back there. Depending on which formation the Seahawks open games with, he could be the de facto starter at times, maybe even Week 1.
The view here is Walker has an explosiveness to him that sets him apart from Charbonnet, and everything being equal means he’d get the ball a little more.
A not-insignificant X factor is the new outside zone blocking scheme implemented by first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
There’s some thought it could be a better fit for Charbonnet, who has tended to be more of a one-cut-and-go back in his career than Walker, who has had more of a habit for trying to bounce runs outside.
I don’t think the Seahawks have anything predetermined on this. I think each back will get some carries early Sunday and they’ll ride the hot hand. If both are hot, all the better.
Q: 21duhon21 asked: Q: Given how dangerous George Holani is in space (extremely twitchy), should he be the dedicated third down RB to help keep K9 fresh and healthy?
A: This question raises another aspect of the above question — who will be the primary third-down back?
Last year, that was Charbonnet when Walker was healthy, and it could be again. Charbonnet could get his first snaps Sunday in the third-down role and get a series or two later, if the assumption is Walker starts.
Holani is the third tailback and the Seahawks figure to try to find ways to use him and that could be as a third-down back.
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Another factor is the role the fullback and H-backs could play in the offense this season and if that impacts the third-down job.
The Seahawks may be more varied in how they uses their backfield personnel under Kubiak, which could make it harder to make exact projections on running back/receiver usage, especially early on as we see how it unfolds.
Q: @Tray4o asked: Are you surprised that Schneider hasn’t given contract extensions from the 2022 draft class yet?
A: At first glance, maybe yes.
I think reviewing each member of that class will make more sense why either the team or player could be waiting and either hedging their bets or gambling on their futures.
That was exactly the answer general manager John Schneider gave last week when he was asked about extensions for members of the class of 2022, saying there was no overriding philosophy at play, just a bunch of individual decisions that has led to none of them getting done.
The first pick in that class at ninth overall, left tackle Charles Cross, is under contract for 2026 at $17.56 million.
He’s eligible for an extension at any time. But if he has a big year, he might want something close to the $28 million average of the top left tackles on his next deal.
The Seahawks may not want to commit to that yet as they have had a long policy of not giving extensions to players with more than a year remaining on their deal.
Boye Mafe is next in that class at 40th overall and is coming off a season when his sacks dropped to six in 2024 from nine the year before because in part to the emergence of 2023 draftee Derick Hall, who went from zero as a rookie to eight. They might want to commit big money to only one of those two.
Walker is the next pick in that draft (41st), and as discussed above, it’s unclear if he’ll be the true No. 1 running back this year or in a timeshare with Charbonnet. Especially given Walker’s injury history, it makes sense to want to play that one out.
Then comes right tackle Abraham Lucas, who has played only 13 games the past two seasons while dealing with a knee issue. He looks healthy now, but the Seahawks probably want to see if he can make it through a 17-game season before heavily committing
As for safety Coby Bryant, they have Julian Love under contract through 2027 and drafted Nick Emmanwori 35th overall this year.
Both sides may want to wait this one out to see what Bryant’s long-term future would look like in Seattle and how much the Seahawks want to pay for it.
Then there’s cornerback Riq Woolen.
The uncertainty with his future has been well documented. At times he looks like one of the best corners in the NFL. The last two years there have been some head-scratching lapses.
The Seahawks seem willing to wait this one out, knowing they’ll also have to pay big to Devon Witherspoon after this season.
The Seahawks have just over $24 million in effective cap space so depending on how things play out, they could theoretically still make a signing or two before this season ends, though that isn’t something they’ve done often.
Could just be a lot of hanging-on-tight for both sides this year.
Practice squad moves
The Seahawks announced a few changes to their practice squad Tuesday, re-signing guard Sataoa Laumea, defensive end Jalan Gaines and defensive tackle Anthony Campbell and releasing running back Damien Martinez, offensive tackle Amari Kight and cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles to make room.
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times who primarily covers the Seahawks but also dabbles in other sports. He has worked at The Times since 2002, reporting on University of Washington Husky football and basketball for his first 10 years at the paper before switching to the Seahawks in 2013.