SEATTLE -- With the NFL schedule out, the voluntary offseason program in full swing and mandatory minicamp approaching, a look at what's happening with the Seattle Seahawks:
1. Witherspoon present sans extension. When the Seahawks and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba agreed to a four-year, $168.6 million extension in March, it wasn't just the record size of the deal that stood out. The largest contract in franchise history came together quickly and without a whiff of drama, the news breaking before any reports emerged that the two sides had even begun talking.
The Seahawks then turned their attention to an extension for star cornerback Devon Witherspoon, a three-time Pro Bowl selection and standout of their Super Bowl LX victory. But the other big-ticket item on their offseason to-do list has not progressed nearly as easily. Seattle made an initial offer several weeks ago, according to a league source, but the two sides do not yet appear to be close to an agreement.
Some in league circles have wondered if the relatively slow pace could be related to the fact that Witherspoon is represented by the same agency -- WIN Sports Group -- as another star cornerback, Christian Gonzalez, whom the New England Patriots are currently trying to extend.
There's still plenty of time for Seattle to get a deal done this offseason with Witherspoon, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract. The start of training camp -- which is when the Seahawks often finalize extensions for veteran players - isn't for another two months.
In the meantime, photo galleries posted to the Seahawks' website have included several pictures of a smiling Witherspoon taking part in the voluntary portion of the offseason program (none of Seattle's practices or workouts have been open to reporters yet). He was among the veteran players who showed up earlier than anticipated.
Three of Seattle's remaining organized team activities will be open to reporters -- May 26, June 3 and June 4. Mandatory minicamp, also open to reporters, is scheduled for June 9-11.
2. Will Seattle lose a top exec? Nolan Teasley is one of five candidates for the Minnesota Vikings' general manager vacancy who has been requested for an in-person second interview, a source confirmed to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. Teasley has been with the Seahawks since 2013, rising from an intern to the team's assistant GM, with three different roles on the pro scouting side in between.
Teasley is a minority candidate and, per the NFL's Rooney Rule, the Seahawks would receive third-round compensatory picks in each of the next two drafts if he's hired as another team's primary decision-maker. That would be a nice consolation prize for general manager John Schneider if he were to lose one of his most trusted personnel executives.
3. OTA roll call. Last year, every player showed up for at least one of the team's voluntary OTAs, with almost everyone attending all of them. Players and coaches later viewed the strong attendance as a springboard for their championship season, including its culture-building impact. So it's noteworthy that there appears to be something similar happening in 2026.
To account for having played well into February, Macdonald opted for a staggered start to the offseason program, encouraging veterans and young players who played extensively to take part remotely for the first two weeks and then join in-person for the start of Phase 2. He was pleasantly surprised when several of those players -- including Witherspoon, outside linebacker Derick Hall and defensive tackle Jarran Reed -- showed up for the start of Phase 1 on April 20.
Almost every player on Seattle's 91-man offseason roster has been shown multiple times in photo galleries from Seahawks OTAs and workouts. Among the exceptions is outside linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence, whose wife gave birth to their family's sixth child right after the Super Bowl. Macdonald reiterated at the league meetings in March that Lawrence was planning to play in 2026.
Also yet to be seen in the team's photo galleries is running back Zach Charbonnet, who is rehabbing from February knee surgery.
4. Bradford's offseason. After an up-and-down first three seasons, right guard Anthony Bradford is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the 2023 fourth-round pick will have to hold off a challenge from rookie Beau Stephens in order to hold onto his starting job.
The early returns are encouraging. Bradford went to Frisco, Texas, after the Super Bowl to train with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather, and the word from inside the Virginia Mason Athletic Center is that he showed up for the start of the offseason program in good shape.
In one of the four trades the Seahawks made during the draft, they moved into the fifth round to take Stephens, surprised he was still available that late. He should push for the starting job, but Bradford still looks like the favorite.
5. Another trade up Schneider's sleeve? One potential trade candidate to watch this summer will be center Olu Oluwatimi. The 2023 fifth-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is slated to again back up Jalen Sundell, who beat him out for the job last summer.
The Seahawks don't seem determined to move Oluwatimi, who has obvious value to them as an experienced depth piece with 13 starts in three seasons. But if they believe Sundell is their long-term center, trading Oluwatimi would guarantee they get something for him -- someone to fill an immediate depth need this summer or a later draft pick, whereas they wouldn't be assured of getting a compensatory pick for him in 2028 if he leaves as a free agent next offseason.
It would also be doing right by a starting-caliber player who isn't going to start in Seattle barring an injury to Sundell.
The Baltimore Ravens could make sense as a trade partner. They lost Tyler Linderbaum in free agency and did not add a center in the draft. Also, Oluwatimi is from Maryland, and new Ravens coach Jesse Minter was on Michigan's staff (as was Macdonald) when he finished his college career with the Wolverines in 2022.
6. A UDFA name to know. The Seahawks signed seven undrafted free agents. According to contract figures obtained by ESPN, Northwestern outside linebacker Aidan Hubbard got by far the largest guarantee of that group at $267,500.
That hardly assures him a spot on the 53-man roster -- thanks to offset language, the Seahawks could recoup that money if Hubbard doesn't make the team and lands elsewhere -- but it is indicative of the strong market he had after the draft, and what Seattle thinks of him.
Hubbard (6-foot-4, 269 pounds) recorded 7.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 11 games last season.
"He probably should [have] got drafted," a scout from another team that had a draftable grade on Hubbard told ESPN.
7. Options for joint practices. Unlike his predecessor Pete Carroll, Macdonald is a firm believer in the benefits of joint practices. He's done them in each of his first two seasons with Seattle -- against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville in 2024 and last year against the Packers in Green Bay -- and he'd like to do them again this summer.
The Seahawks will open their preseason schedule against the Dallas Cowboys at Lumen Field on Aug. 15, then play road games against the Titans on Aug. 23 and the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 28. Chiefs coach Andy Reid does not do joint practices, but the Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer and the Titans' Robert Saleh both do.