It would be inaccurate to say the Seahawks were not intrigued with pursuing Micah Parsons.
They have the All-Pro pass rusher’s former defensive line coach from Dallas, Aden Durde. He’s Seattle’s defensive coordinator. They have one of Parsons’ locker-room mentors, 11-year Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. Lawrence is beginning his first season as a Seahawk.
And who wouldn’t want the NFL’s best pass rusher who’s in his prime at just 26 years old?
Yes, the Seahawks talked about pursuing a trade for Parsons, a league source told The News Tribune Thursday afternoon. But those internal discussions never gained enough traction to prompt designing a trade offer to Dallas for him, the source told the TNT.
Certainly not enough to do what the Green Bay Packers just did.
The Seahawks’ internal talks about acquiring Parsons to end his contract stalemate with his Cowboys came before the Packers traded two first-round draft choices plus three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Cowboys for Parsons Thursday afternoon.
The Seahawks inner circle — coach Mike Macdonald, general manager John Schneider and their staffs — considered more than what and whom they would have had to trade to Dallas to acquire Parsons. There was the issue of a new contract for Parsons. He and his agents have been seeking one for a year and half, beyond his rookie deal that ends with the 2025 season.
That latter issue proved to be massive.
Upon trading for him, Green Bay gave Parsons a four-year contract worth $188 million, with $136 million of that guaranteed. That makes him the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback in history, by a lot, past Pittsburgh edge rusher T.J. Watt. Parsons will now earn an average of $47 million per year to chase quarterbacks for the Packers.
Parsons is the only defensive player since 1990 to make the Pro Bowl in every season of his NFL career before getting traded.
Macdonald was asked after practice if cost was an issue for the Seahawks, or were there other reasons the Seahawks didn’t make that move to acquire Parsons. The coach can’t directly comment about players under contract to another team, per NFL tampering rules.
“Look, I mean, our philosophy is always going to be the same. We’re always, John says, we’re in on everything,” Macdonald said. “And I think that gives you a lot of flexibility to do things, and it doesn’t pigeon-hole you into ‘Hey, we only acquire players a certain way.’
“So we’re always going to be looking to make our team better, whether it’s how we develop our guys, how do we acquire people at any point in the season, that’s going to be our philosophy.
“But,” Macdonald said, “interesting news today.”
The Seahawks do not play the Packers or the Cowboys this regular season. Seattle spent last week in Green Bay for a joint practice and a final preseason game. There was talk there around the Packers wondering about their pass rush, and about Clark’s future in Green Bay.
The Seahawks will press on without Parsons. Seattle’s pass rush has the 33-year-old Lawrence (61 1/2 career sacks) joining Pro Bowl defensive end Leonard Williams (11 sacks last season), tackles Jarran Reed (4 1/2 sacks last year) and 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy, plus outside linebackers Derick Hall (eight sacks in 2024) and Boye Mafe (six sacks last year).
Macdonald, the defense’s architect and play caller, is likely to blitz Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon more often this season. Witherspoon rushed 27 times in 1,104 snaps played last season, according to profootballreference.com.
The coach also drafted 220-pound safety Nick Emmanwori in the second round to be a Kyle Hamilton-like everything in Seattle’s defense, including at times as an edge-rushing outside linebacker.
Emmanwori said this month that Macdonald, safeties coach Jeff Howard and defensive backs coach Karl Scott told him of their plan to move him all over Seattle’s defense, “and take it real slow, and I was going to be playing all over the field.”
Schneider was asked Wednesday about his Seahawks roster as is, and how much he thinks Seattle may be improved this season from missing the playoffs the last two years.
“I know it’s hard for these guys, these young offensive linemen, to come in and be going against J-Reed and Leonard and Murph, and that whole group of guys,” the GM said.
“Mr. (Paul) Allen used to ask me, ‘How many games are we going to win this year?’ And I’d be like, ‘I don’t know. We feel good about it.’
“I can’t tell you. Better than in previous years and all that kind of stuff? I can’t. I can’t tell you. I’m excited for both sides of the ball.
“They’re doing a nice job, so far.”
New linebacker, for depth
The Seahawks added to a thin spot and made official news that came out Wednesday: They signed linebacker and NFL special-teams veteran Chazz Surratt to the 53-man roster.
“His special-teams tape is great,” Macdonald said.
The coach said Surratt can play both weakside inside and middle linebacker. He will back up starters Tyrice Knight and Ernest Jones there.
The 49ers released Surratt, a third-round pick by Minnesota in 2021, on Tuesday at the end of his only preseason with San Francisco. He started five games last season for the New York Jets. Those are his only five starts in his four seasons in the league.
Surratt, 28, was a standout quarterback in high school and signed with North Carolina to be a college QB. The Tar Heels converted him to linebacker in 2019, the season former Seahawks backup Sam Howell became UNC’s starting quarterback as a freshman.
Surratt played nine games for the Vikings as an NFL rookie. Minnesota released him at the end of his second training camp there. He spent the past three seasons with the Jets. He played in 32 games. The last two seasons, he played 71% and 63% of the Jets’ special-teams snaps, plus 1% and 12% of New York’s defensive snaps. Last season, Surratt played in all 17 Jets games. He had 28 tackles and two tackles for loss.
Seattle waived safety D’Anthony Bell to make roster room for Surratt. Bell was steady in training-camp practices and preseason games as a backup safety and on special teams. He turned down more money to stay with the Browns this offseason before he signed with Seattle, because he liked what the Seahawks offered in their defense and on special teams.
He is a candidate to join the practice squad Friday or beyond if he clears waivers. But with extensive experience playing both safety and special teams for Cleveland before this season, there’s no guarantee he goes through waivers unclaimed.
Practice-squad moves
The Seahawks signed rookie linebacker Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. and rookie kick returner Courtney Jackson to the practice squad.
They released running back Anthony Tyus and linebacker Jalan Gaines, who was released from the practice squad the team had initially set Wednesday.
The Rams drafted Paul in the fifth round this year. He played three seasons for Arkansas and one for Mississippi in college.
Jackson signed this spring with Denver as an undrafted free agent from Arkansas State. The Broncos released him Tuesday. In played wide receiver and was a primary punt returner in college at Syracuse and Arkansas State. He returned 40 punts for 561 yards and four touchdowns over four college seasons (14.0 yards per return). Last season at Arkansas State, Jackson averaged 18.5 yards per return and ran back two punts for touchdowns.
Tory Horton, punt returner?
Macdonald said special-teams coach Jay Harbaugh and others will have to see Jackson practice next week before they can assess how viable and immediate Jackson may be as an option to return punts early this Seahawks season.
Macdonald said he believed rookie fifth-round pick and wide receiver Tory Horton, a star of training camp, is recovered from his ankle injury this month enough to return punts beginning week one. He was practicing that this week.
Three-day break
The Seahawks are taking Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, coaches and players, for Labor Day weekend. Macdonald called it a chance to “recharge” with families and loved ones before the season begins.
They return Monday to prepare for the opening game Sept. 7 against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field.
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