Seattle

Seahawks

Walker has been bandied about as a possible target for the tag, though Adam Schefter reported it was unlikely last week. This could perhaps be another space for the transition tag, as Breece Hall is learning. That tag would simply allow the Seahawks to match any offer Walker signs in free agency. Regardless of what they do, with Zach Charbonnet likely out well into the season, the Seahawks are heavily incentivized to keep Walker.

Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards en route to Offensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors this season. He turned 24 years old earlier this month and believes he deserves to be the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. Smith-Njigba’s teammate, and fellow 2023 first-round draftee, Witherspoon also took home Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors this year. Witherspoon should end up being handsomely paid as well, though it is unclear whether he is a candidate to reset the positional market. ESPN’s Brady Henderson notes that the Seahawks can exercise a fifth-year option on both contracts by May 1, giving all involved extra time to negotiate long-term deals if need be. Were the Seahawks to make Smith-Njigba the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver, the contract would average more than $40 million per year in new money.

Fleury’s theoretical ability to run a similar offensive system is ostensibly one reason that the Seahawks hired him. Fleury served as the 49ers’ run game coordinator and tight ends coach last season. Former Seahawks OC and new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak served as the 49ers’ pass game coordinator in 2023. We can expect to see the Seahawks again feature shifts, motion and play action. Although Fleury has called plays defensively and for special teams, he has never done so offensively. He will do so this season, and he told reporters that he has already begun preparing to execute that assignment.

Shaheed is set to enter free agency this offseason after spending a half-season with the Seahawks. The 27-year-old was traded from the Saints to Seattle at the trade deadline and tallied 15 receptions for 188 yards in nine games for the Seahawks, adding three receptions for 78 yards in the playoffs. He most notably was a return specialist for the team, returning a kick for a touchdown to open the Seahawks’ Divisional Round win over the 49ers. When asked if he would consider a return, Shaheed said, “I kind of want to run it back. We just won the Super Bowl, so, you know, why not?” Though his offensive role was minimalized in Seattle’s offense, Shaheed has value as deep threat and return specialist. Expect him to generate much interest during free agency in March.

It’s another Seahawks assistant taking the plane to Vegas to join Klint Kubiak. Dennison has been on Kubiak staffs since the dawn of the internet, so this is no real surprise. The 67-year-old will look to help revitalize Ashton Jeanty’s fantasy stock after a rough rookie season behind a bad offensive line.

Retaining other free agents and signing Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a new mega-deal are the Seattle’s priorities this offseason. They’ll likely let Walker, Super Bowl MVP who propelled the Seahawks to a championship this season, explore free agency in the coming months. Walker will have a range of suitors, including teams that will surely be willing to make him a clearcut lead back after Walker shared the workload with the ultra-inefficient Zach Charbonnet in 2024 and 2025. Look for Walker to get a huge deal — as far as running back contracts go — from a team ready to make him the centerpiece of their offense. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said the Seahawks front office might “believe that Walker won’t get what he’s looking for on the open market” and make a run at bringing him back to Seattle on a short-term deal.

Pelissero adds that Janocko is in Las Vegas right now and a deal “should get done as soon as today.” This hiring makes sense. Janocko is close with new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak, having served as quarterbacks coach with the Vikings, Saints and Seahawks while Kubiak was simultaneously employed as each team’s offensive coordinator. Kubiak will continue calling plays offensively, though this is still a step up for Janocko.

This has the feel of a heat-check hire for the Seahawks, who bring on someone who has never called offensive plays before and only has a single season as a run game coordinator with San Francisco in 2025. The process didn’t exactly yield a ton of “easy” candidates — it was a down year for offensive coaches and many of them had been picked over while Seattle was busy winning a championship. Still, we have very little that says Fleury is qualified for this job from the outside beyond “was a close Kyle Shanahan personal circle friend.” Despite winning Super Bowl LX, the Seahawks’ run game struggled at times last season. Fleury’s hiring may bode positively for the run game’s outlook in 2026. ESPN’s Brady Henderson previously reported that the Seahawks’ new offensive coordinator will call plays this season.

Fleury has an interesting background, having held diverse coaching and operational roles after playing quarterback in college. Fleury coached at Maryland, Sacred Heart and Towson from 2003-2012, serving as a graduate assistant, secondary coach, outside linebackers coach, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. He entered the NFL coaching ranks with the Bills in 2013, serving as a quality control coach. The Browns then employed him as an assistant linebackers coach (2014) and outside linebackers coach (2015), where he notably coached alongside 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Fleury signed on with the Dolphins as a football research analyst in 2016 before being promoted to director of football research in 2017. He became the 49ers’ defensive quality control coach in 2019 before switching to the offensive side of the ball in 2020. He has since served as the 49ers’ offensive quality control coach, tight ends coach and run game coordinator.

Howard has coached in the NFL since 2013 and has been in his current role with the Seahawks for the past two seasons, He worked as the Chargers’ linebackers coach for one year before that. He spent 2020-2022 with the Browns as their defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator after a seven-year stint as a defensive assistant with the Vikings.