Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider is fresh off a lengthy negotiation with Russell Wilson and his camp, signing the quarterback this week through the 2023 season.
Schneider is now turning his attention to the NFL draft. After that comes a handful of other potential extensions that could happen in Seattle’s more traditional timeline — around the start of training camp.
One of those conversations will occur with Bobby Wagner directly; the linebacker is set to negotiate his own contract after choosing to represent himself last year.
Schneider has negotiated directly with players a handful of times, including Russell Okung and Richard Sherman — neither of whom was retained by the Seahawks.
“Negotiating — it’s not fun, you know what I mean?” Schneider said Thursday at his Ben’s Fund charity dinner. “And anytime you do them with a player you are going to have those conversations that are very direct, very blunt, and it’s a process you have to go through. I look at it like it’s kind of like a necessary evil. I’ve never been involved with anybody in 27 years of doing this where you come out of a negotiation and everybody feels like it just totally, ‘Boy, that was amazing,’ you know what I mean? It never really happens that way.”
With over $100 million committed to Wilson and the expectation they will try to get a deal done with Frank Clark, the Seahawks are going to need to penny-pinch if they want to keep Wagner as well.
While the conversations may get a little intense, both sides want to keep the relationship going. It looks to be just another touch-and-go situation for Seattle fans to overcome between now and the start of the regular season.
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