Seahawks GM John Schneider Provides Latest on Ernest Jones, Geno Smith Contract Negotiations
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The Seattle Seahawks hope to lock up two franchise cornerstones in Ernest Jones and Geno Smith during or shortly after the NFL combine. [/caption]
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Moments after speaking with reporters in his annual NFL combine press conference, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider wicked perspiration away from his forehead with a towel as he went off podium for a second session with local media.
Thankfully for Seahawks fans, with the start of free agency rapidly approaching and extensive work going on behind the scenes in preparation, Schneider was simply dealing with unseasonably warm temperatures in the Circle City and isn’t sweating out the negotiations process with linebacker Ernest Jones and quarterback Geno Smith, who the organization hopes to sign to new contracts this offseason.
In terms of prioritization, Jones’ contract situation will take first precedent with him set to become an unrestricted free agent on March 14. As Schneider indicated on Tuesday, Seattle has been actively engaged in discussions with the veteran linebacker dating back to when he arrived from Tennessee in a midseason trade, joking with reporters about looking at his phone while acknowledging the player’s representatives had “buzzed him” an hour earlier.
“We've had positive talks with this group ever since we traded for him,” Schneider said. “And we'll continue that this week.”
Coming over from the Titans in exchange for a fourth round pick and veteran Jerome Baker, Jones proved to be a catalyst for a remarkable defensive turnaround from the Seahawks. Prior to his arrival, the team had allowed 23.4 points per game and surrendered 146 rushing yards per game on the ground, ranking near the bottom of the NFL in both categories.
But once Jones was plugged into the starting lineup, following a crash course debut where Seattle once again struggled in a 31-10 home loss to Buffalo, the unit transformed into a top-10 unit seemingly overnight. Over the team’s final nine games, they posted a 6-3 record while allowing 17.6 points per game and just 96 rushing yards per game, which would have ranked first and third in the league if extrapolated to an entire 17-game season.
Racking up stops in bunches while also contributing as a blitzer and in coverage, Jones tallied 94 tackles in 10 starts for the Seahawks and added an interception and a partial sack. Turning 25 years old in November and coming off his third straight season with 100-plus tackles, he could potentially command top-five linebacker money north of $14 million per season entering the prime of his career.
But based on Schneider’s comments about the value of the linebacker position and ongoing negotiations continuing this week, the team seems motivated to get a deal done for a player who they view as a foundational piece for coach Mike Macdonald’s defense.
Jones won’t be the only player whose agent will have correspondence with Schneider and members of the front office in Indianapolis this week, however.
Heading into the final year of his contract, while the Seahawks don’t have a deadline to extend Smith, Schneider echoed past comments from Macdonald and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak stating he hopes to see the veteran signal caller back under center for the foreseeable future and negotiations will resume this week during the combine.
“We’re going to meet with him this week, meet with his agent, see where it goes,’’ Schneider said, later adding, “He’s got another year but we expect him to be our guy but we want to do what’s right too.”
Clinching three contract escalators for completion percentage, passing yardage, and team wins in Seattle’s season finale, Smith earned an additional $6 million that will paid out as part of a $16.5 million roster bonus on March 16. With those added bonuses, his cap hit ballooned to $44.5 million for 2025, the eighth-highest among quarterbacks, which has created no shortage of speculation about his future after he endured an inconsistent 2025 season.
Hindered by subpar pass protection and the lack of a complementary run game at times, Smith threw 15 interceptions, the second-most in the NFL last season, including four of those picks coming in the red zone. However, he still finished in the top five in completion percentage and passing yards while also engineering four game-winning drives and four fourth quarter comebacks, remaining among the best in the business at coming through in the clutch.
Through an extension, the Seahawks could open up as much as $23 million in immediate salary cap relief by converting those non-prorated bonuses into pro-rated bonuses spread out over the life of the new deal while also providing security at the most important position in sports for at least two more seasons with Smith at the controls, as the organization has high expectations pairing him with Kubiak.
Signing Smith through 2026 or even 2027 would also extend the window for Schneider to land a quarterback of the future, as he hinted at potentially using a draft pick at the position in April for the first time since 2018 and only the third time in his 15 seasons as general manager. Of course, for that to happen, the board will have to fall the right away to pick the desired signal caller, which frustratingly hasn’t happened in recent drafts.
“Hopefully the board talks to us, right?” Schneider laughed. “And maybe we draft a quarterback. It just hasn’t gone that way.”
Over the next several days, Schneider will be working diligently to hammer out deals with pending free agents such as Jones, keeping those at the front of his agenda list. The pro scouting department will also be weighing in on free agents from other teams, comparing them to players currently on Seattle’s roster as they explore every avenue to improve the football team.
But keeping Smith happy and finding the right deal to lock him up beyond this season should also be at the forefront, and if two years ago was any indication when the Seahawks extended him days after the combine concluded, history repeating itself would open the door to get deals done for Jones and potentially a couple impactful free agent additions when the league year kicks off in less than three weeks.
