Seahawk Pre-Draft Notebook: Howell inquiries, more

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Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald (left) and general manager John Schneider speak with reporters ahead of the NFL Draft on April 21, 2025 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, Wash. (Frank Koumaros / FOX 13 Seattle)

RENTON, Wash. - No NFL team is going to give away any of their strategies and plans in the lead up to the NFL Draft and the Seattle Seahawks were no exception on Monday.

General manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald spoke with reporters Monday afternoon for their required media availability ahead of the NFL Draft as they hold 10 selections in the seven-round draft set to begin Thursday night.

It's the second draft together for Schneider and Macdonald and the first to happen with more than just a few weeks to get on the same page philosophically.

"I think everybody just has a better feel for each other naturally. Mike and I are constantly evaluating the evaluators, right? It's coaches, scouts, doctors, trainers. It's everybody. Yeah, just a much stronger comfort level," Schneider said.

Added Macdonald: "I think you have a really strong feel for the cadence, about what happens and when, what those conversations are like. But just like John said, I mean, it's year two, just understanding our process and how we do it, it really helps."

Here's some of the notable items discussed during the availability:

Seahawks have had inquiries for QB Sam Howell

By bringing quarterback Drew Lock back to Seattle this offseason, the Seahawks now have four quarterbacks on the roster in Sam Darnold, Lock, Sam Howell and Jaren Hall.

With a seeming excess in quarterbacks on the roster, Schneider confirmed the team has fielded inquiries for Howell from other teams.

"That's accurate," he said. "We have a great relationship with Bruce (Tollner), his agent. Bruce is very well-known and respected throughout the National Football League. He has a ton of contacts, as well. It's a very open dialogue."

Schneider said "we're not there yet" when asked if they're open to moving Howell.

Macdonald said the plan currently is for Lock and Howell to compete for the backup job behind Darnold.

"It means that those guys are going to be competing," Macdonald said. "Both guys know that. Jaren is part of the mix, too. He's going to be competing with those guys. Any time you're adding competition to a room, that side of the ball on the football team, it's good for us especially when they're great players and great guys. It's going to be fun to see how it shakes out."

Lock met with Schneider and Macdonald in Florida before choosing to return to Seattle.

"Drew is very well-respected in the building," Schneider said. "It's great to get him back here, into the mix. He had other opportunities. We just stayed in touch with his agent. We spent time with him in Florida so Mike could get to know him a little bit when we were down there. He's just a great, great person, great competitor added to this building."

No decision yet on Charles Cross option.

The Seahawks will need to make a decision by May 1 whether to pick up the fifth-year option on left tackle Charles Cross.

If they've made that decision already, Schneider wasn't sharing.

"We'll answer that at a later date," he said.

All drafted rookie contracts are four-year deals with first-round selections having a fifth-year option attached at a greatly increased rate. Cross is set to earn $1.1 million in base salary this year in his fourth season. The option for 2026 would carry a fully guaranteed $17.56 million price tag.

Seahawks offseason program begins on Tuesday.

It's been an offseason of pretty significant change for the Seahawks and the rebuilt roster can reconvene for the start of the offseason program on Tuesday.

"I'm excited to start our process as a team to kind of see how everything is going to kind of come into focus over the next eight to 10 weeks and into camp," Macdonald said. "I'm really excited about our guys. Just today a lot of the guys are starting to trickle in. We start officially tomorrow. Seeing guys we haven't seen in a good bit. Just like their excitement for the off-season program. Feels like spirits are really high, enthusiasm's high. We got a lot of work to do, but I feel like the guys' mentals (are) in the right spot. We have a great opportunity in front of us."

Geno Smith, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett have all been integral pieces of the Seahawks over the last several seasons and all three are no longer with the franchise. In their place are offseason additions such as Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Demarcus Lawrence.

"I'm going off of the conversations I've had with the guys on our roster, and it's not to make a comment about the guys that weren't here and the guys that are here. It's just there's a lot of respect to the guys that are on our football team," Macdonald said.

"A lot of prior relationships, too, that have kind of come back into the mold and so guys are excited about kind of renewing that relationship that they've had with those guys, and in being in this setting here at the VMAC every day. So I'm really encouraged, I'm really excited."

Schneider understands the offensive line concern.

The struggles of the offensive line over the last several seasons have become one of the biggest focal points of the fan base.

It's a tangible problem that fans understandably want to see improved for next season.

Schneider agrees it's an area needing some attention, but adds it's not so simple.

"I think it's an area of need, yeah, absolutely," Schneider said. "I think it's been very well-documented throughout the spring. But it's also a little bit of a lazy narrative because every team is looking for offensive linemen. We're trying to create guys every single year.

"It used to be when I started in the league with Ron Wolf, it was a free agent had to have three redeeming qualities. Now, especially with offensive linemen, you have guys maybe in the fourth round that have two redeeming qualities: tall and long, strong and quick, whatever. It's just happened. It's not anything that anybody in football is happy about, to be honest with you."

While the overall skill of offensive linemen may be lesser now than it has been at different times in the league's past, it's still a game of relativity. The Seahawks don't need to create the best offensive line that's ever existed. They need to create an offensive line that isn't among the worst units in the league in relation to their competitors.

Seattle has belief in their young players on the line, and they think that the changes to the coaching staff will be a significant benefit for the group compared to the last few seasons. But another piece to boost the competition in the draft wouldn't hurt either,

The Source: Original reporting from FOX 13 Seattle.