The Seattle Seahawks aren't wasting time in terms of extending players on rookie contracts that they think will help well into the future.
This is a different approach than previously, when general manager John Schneider didn't lock up running back Kenneth Walker and edge rusher Boye Mafe before they needed to. What Seattle is completely different than what the Los Angeles Rams are doing, too.
At the beginning of June, LA traded Jared Verse, only 25 years old and two years into his rookie deal, for future Pro Football Hall of Famer Myles Garrett, who is now past 30 years old and expensive. Meanwhile, Seattle countered that by extending edge rusher Derick Hall for three more seasons after 2026.
Seattle Seahawks extend Derick Hall, further proving John Schneider's approach
While the Rams are gambling on veteran production, Seattle is looking to stay younger and hopefully remain productive. The gamble by both teams is real.
Los Angeles has to hope that players like Myles Garrett stay healthy as they age and keep the same amount of production. Seattle is hoping that Hall, who was awful as a rookie but has improved every season since, can keep getting better while also staying available to play. Hall is only 25 years old.
There is more to the approaches, too. While the Rams have been happy to trade first-round draft picks in return for established players, John Schneider has decided to stand pat more often recently. Instead of moving back in 2026, for instance, Seattle took running back Jadarian Price to replace the outgoing Kenneth Walker.
Which philosophy pays off more will decide the fate of the NFC West, and maybe who represents the NFC in the Super Bowl, for years to come. Los Angeles is in win-now mode constantly, while the Seahawks are in win-forever mode. Each team has won a Super Bowl this decade.
What is also telling is that the Seattle Seahawks decided to pay Derick Hall for three more years and as much as $42 million instead of Boye Mafe. Mafe left in free agency and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals for three years and as much as $60 million. Maybe if Hall had a breakout season in 2026, he would have exceeded those numbers.
To be sure, Hall is a well-rounded edge rusher who can pressure quarterbacks but is elite against the run. He is the perfect type of edge player for head coach Mike Macdonald. Ultimately, that is what matters most and has already proven to work in Seattle.
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