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4 takeaways from Seahawks GM John Schneider’s radio interview

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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'

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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.

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

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

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.

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

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

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.

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

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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.

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