Seattle Seahawks GM Schneider talks about injuries and Genos situation

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider felt like the offseason had flown by.

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Hiring Mike Macdonald as the new head coach, overseeing the hiring of the coaching staff around Macdonald, and his usual offseason player moves left Seattle's general manager somewhat astonished that the regular season had already begun.

“It was a whirlwind. It really feels like Arizona missed the field goal and we won the game down there, and we were just focused on ourselves the whole time,” Schneider said Wednesday. “You look up and we're already getting ready to play Denver. It was a tough battle every day, but it was fun.”

Schneider now has more control over the franchise than he ever had in his 14 previous seasons as general manager after Pete Carroll was fired as head coach after last season. Carroll always had final say over the coaching staff and personnel; that all falls under Schneider's purview now.

This added responsibility and the opportunity to get to know a new head coach who, at 37, is the youngest coach in the league, left little free time in the offseason.

“Everyone is still getting to know each other. Seven months feels like one month. The time has gone by really quickly,” Schneider said. “I'm just really impressed with the teaching that's going on here.”

Injury Updates

Schneider went over some of the injuries the Seahawks are dealing with ahead of their opening game. Most notable is outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who Schneider said the team believes will not need to be placed on the injured list and could be back sometime in the first couple of weeks. Nwosu suffered a sprained medial ligament in his left knee on a cut block in the final preseason game against Cleveland.

Schneider did not rule out Nwosu playing in Week 1, but suggested that might be overkill.

“Anyone who has spent time with (Uchenna) knows he's a professional. The guy approaches every day the way you would expect any professional football player to,” Schneider said. “He's a man and will do whatever it takes to get back.”

Schneider also said it remains to be seen whether center Connor Williams will be fit enough to start the opening game against Denver. Williams signed a one-year contract with Seattle during training camp after suffering a torn ACL last December. He has participated fully in practice in recent weeks, but Schneider said they will consult with the medical staff on whether Williams should play in the opening game.

Schneider was also unsure about the Week 1 participation of safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who suffered a calf injury during practice last week.

Then there is the situation with right tackle Abraham Lucas, who will begin the season on the physically unable to perform list. Lucas only played in six games last season due to lingering knee problems and has not yet participated in any on-field activities during the offseason program and training camp.

Schneider said the team believes Lucas will play this season. The bigger question is when.

“We're going to work with him long-term and make sure we do things right,” Schneider said. “It's about his career, not just the 2024 season. We want to make sure we do what's right for Abe, which is also right for the Seattle Seahawks. We have to be careful.”

QB contract

Schneider briefly addressed a report that representatives for quarterback Geno Smith were discussing the idea of ​​a new contract. Smith is under contract through the 2025 season and is worth an average of $25 million per season.

When asked directly whether there were talks about a new contract, Schneider said no.

“I'll leave the contract stuff aside for a moment. There are a lot of people who want a contract extension and I won't go into detail about who they are and so on,” Schneider said. “But that's part of the job. It happens every year, all the time.”

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