Seahawks general manager John Schneider talked briefly with reporters in Arizona, where the league’s annual meetings are taking place.
Among the topics Schneider addressed were where the team stands in negotiations with Russell Wilson, whether Greg Hardy was ever a consideration, and if Michael Bennett ever asked for a trade.
The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta was there, and has the full transcript here.
Among the highlights:
—On Wilson, Schneider said the focus thus far has been dealing with unrestricted free agency, not signing current Seahawks like Wilson and Bobby Wagner to extensions, but “things are calming down a big, if you will, on the unrestricted front, so we are hoping to get with those guys and their representatives fairly soon.”
If you’re panicking that nothing is done with Wilson yet, remember that last year Earl Thomas was the team’s No. 1 offseason priority, and that in early April, word from his camp was that there wasn’t any real progress in getting an extension done. By the end of the month, Thomas had signed a new deal. And as another reminder, it’s still March.
—Schneider said the Seahawks have heard nothing from Michael Bennett about wanting a trade. Earlier this month a report surfaced that Bennett was seeking a trade and a new contract: “He’s never asked to be traded… It’s my understanding that Michael is very happy in Seattle and loves playing there, so that’s really about all I can say about it. I’m not exactly sure where all that came from.
—The Seahawks reportedly had some interested in free agent defensive end Greg Hardy, who ended up signing with Dallas. Hardy was a very controversial free agent because of a domestic violence charge that led to a conviction by a North Carolina judge. Hardy appealed to get a jury trial, and the charges were then thrown out when the victim couldn’t be located to testify.
Schneider said they did their due diligence, and said Hardy’s legal history “absolutely” was the “primary thing” in the Seahawks not pursuing him further.
—Schneider confirmed that the Sesahawks will re-sign DT Jesse Williams. Williams, who missed all of his first two seasons with knee injuries, was waived earlier this offseason. Releasing then re-signing Williams will allow the Seahawks to change his contract to a “split contract” that saves them money if he again lands on injured reserve.
—DT Brandon Mebane is under contract for another year, but there has been speculation that he could be a salary-cap casualty—cutting Mebane would save Seattle $5.5 million in cap space. Asked about Mebane’s status, Schneider hardly gave a guarantee that one of Seattle’s longest-tenured players would return, saying, “I hope so, I hope so. We are going to continue to work through the off-season here. As of right now, yes.’’
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