#seattle-seahawks

#seattle-seahawks

It was Week 10 of the 2024 season, and Macdonald, a first-time head coach after two years as the defensive mastermind in Baltimore, scheduled a meeting with all three of his coordinators and assistant head coach Leslie Frazier. This was early in the first bye week of Macdonald's tenure, and he made clear the Seahawks were about to "self-scout everything we're doing," as one source with direct knowledge of the meeting recalled.

Leading 24-17 with less than seven minutes to go, Darnold and the Seahawks faced a third-and-9 from their own 28, needing to move the chains if they didn't want to give Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers solid field position for a potential tying drive. Seattle got the shotgun snap off with one second left on the play clock but failed to pick up blitzing linebacker Patrick Queen.

After Seattle took a 17-14 lead early in the quarter on a 54-yard Jason Myers field goal, Pittsburgh's Kaleb Johnson allowed Myers' kickoff to bounce over his head and into the end zone. As Johnson ran toward the Steelers sideline, apparently believing the play would be called dead, Seattle continued to cover the kick, and backup George Holani fell on the ball before it rolled out of the back of the end zone for a touchdown and 24-14 Seattle lead.

By giving Lucas a new deal, the Seahawks are making a bet on the health of his surgically repaired knee and a rare reinvestment in one of the key pieces of their offensive line. Lucas, 26, flashed dominance as a rookie in 2022 after the Seahawks drafted him in the third round. But he's been limited to 13 games over the past two seasons

Noah Fant's release from the Seahawks saves the team $9 million in cash and $8.91 million in cap space, with $4.5 million in dead money incurred.

"This guy can run an extensive route tree," Macdonald said. "To have to account for a tight end body on the field and him also to be able to split out wide, do X receiver type of things..."

Lockett's departure from Seattle marks the end of a decade-long tenure with the franchise, during which he became one of its most prolific pass catchers.