Number of Seahawks veterans attend voluntary start of offseason program
RENTON - The buzz at the VMAC Monday wasn't just because the NFL draft is quickly approaching, beginning with the first round on Thursday.
Also bringing the noise to the building were a bevy of players returning for the start of the Seahawks' offseason program.
Monday was the first day that NFL teams with returning head coaches could begin the nine-week program.
It opens with two weeks of meetings, rehab and physical conditioning then segues into three weeks of on-field workouts in which the offense and defense cannot work together, and then the final four weeks when teams may conduct 11-on-11 workouts, commonly referred to as Organized Team Activities, concluding with a one-week minicamp. All of the program is officially voluntary other than minicamp.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said earlier the offseason will be altered some to allow veteran players to get as much rest as needed following the run to a Super Bowl title, which added five weeks to the season.
As part of that tailored schedule, Macdonald said veterans were told they could stay at home for the first two weeks and take part in meetings virtually.
But more than a few vets decided to show up in person on Monday anyway, such as defensive tackle Jarran Reed, cornerback Devon Witherspoon, rush end Derick Hall and left tackle Charles Cross.
Witherspoon is eligible for a contract extension and it has been considered likely he will get a new deal this offseason that could make him among the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL, if not at the top.
"It's great,'' Macdonald said during the team's pre-draft press conference of the beginning of the offseason program. "Today is day one for us and phase one. We talked about this earlier. We tiered our offseason program from having a later finish this season. But I was blown away by some of the guys that showed up today and that we weren't asking to be here at this point in time. The energy is really great. There's still a sense of urgency and spirit to the guys, which is exciting. It's mostly just strength and conditioning at this point and some individual meetings. This is one of the best times of year to see the guys again after the break.''
Macdonald said he wouldn't say he was surprised by the return of some vets. But he was unquestionably pleased. Macdonald said on several occasions last year that the chemistry and camaraderie he felt was pivotal to the Super Bowl run began during last year's offseason program when the team had close to perfect attendance.
"We said, ‘hey, look, if you finished playing the whole season, phase one we would love for you to be here, obviously, but to get more time out of the building so you can come back as fresh as possible,''' Macdonald said. "So guys like 'Spoon, J-Reed were here. Guys that just wanted to be around the guys again. I thought that was really cool.''
Seattle is currently slated to begin OTAs on May 26 with a total of six scheduled from that date through June 4.
The offseason program will conclude with minicamp from June 9-11, after which the team will be off for the summer until the beginning of training camp in late July.
Nothing new on White House visit
Still unclear is if the Seahawks will be fitting a trip to the White House into their offseason schedule.
A source confirmed that as of Monday the Seahawks had yet to receive an invite.
Macdonald said earlier this year that if the team received an invite then it would make a decision on whether to attend.
A source said earlier this year that if the Seahawks did get an invite the team was likely to accept it, following the trend of other recent NFL teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles a year ago.
It was expected that the Seahawks would fit a few other items into trip, such as a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, as the Eagles did.
But with no invite having yet been extended there is as of now nothing for the team to decide or plan.
The Eagles visited the White House last year on April 28 after getting an invitation on Feb. 25 and announcing the team would accept the invite on March 11.
The Seahawks visited the White House following their Super Bowl win over Denver in 2014, making the visit on May 21.
Okada signs ERFA deal
The Seahawks took care of some offseason business when safety Ty Okada signed his exclusive rights free agent tender.
The one-year tender will pay Okada $1.145 million for the 2026 season. The salary is not guaranteed but Okada seems a pretty good bet to get it as he figures to contend for a starting spot in the secondary to take over for the departed Coby Bryant at safety.
Okada started 11 games at safety last season filling in when Bryant and Julian Love were injured, finishing with 65 tackles.
The Seahawks also signed free agent Rodney Thomas II, a former starter for the Colts, and re-signed free agent A.J. Finley to compete for playing time at safety along with Okada. The Seahawks could also add to that position in the draft Thursday-Saturday.
Seattle has 75 players under contract and will fill out its roster by up to 16 more this weekend with draft picks and undrafted free agents (Seattle appears set to again receive an exemption for center Federico Maranges as part of the league's International Player Pathway program).
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