The Seahawks’ entire 2024 NFL draft class is under contract.
Seahawks sixth-round tackle Michael Jerrell signed his contract on Friday, and that means all eight players the Seahawks drafted are now under contract.
Since the adoption of the Collective Bargaining Agreement with a rookie wage scale in 2011, rookie holdouts are rare and rookies are almost always signed before training camp. But it’s still a relief for the Seahawks to have it official that their full class is signed and there will be no issues.
Jerrell was a little-known prospect out of Division II Findlay, but the Seahawks think he has tremendous talent and the potential to develop into an NFL starter, even if his learning curve will be steeper than most. Jerrell was the only Division II player drafted this year.
The Seahawks’ other draft picks are first-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy, third-round guard Christian Haynes, fourth-round linebacker Tyrice Knight, fourth-round tight end A.J. Barner, fifth-round cornerback Neheimaih Pritchett, sixth-round guard Sataoa Laumea and sixth-round cornerback D.J. James.
The Seahawks have signed another one of their 2024 draft picks.
Seattle announced on Friday that third-round guard Christian Haynes has put pen to paper on his four-year rookie contract.
Haynes, 24, was the No. 81 overall pick out of UConn. He started 49 consecutive games in college and is expected to compete to start at right guard.
The Seahawks have now signed seven of their eight draft picks. Offensive tackle Michael Jerrell, a sixth-round pick, is the remaining unsigned draftee.
For years, the NFL required teams to play only once per year with a four-day turnaround. Last year, the NFL got rid of that rule.
Now, multiple teams play multiple games with only three days off between games. This year, thirteen teams do it twice.
They are: the Jets, the 49ers, the Seahawks, the Rams, the Bengals, the Browns, the Dolphins, the Cowboys, the Giants, the Bears, the Steelers, the Ravens, and the Texans.
For Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Houston, one short week happens between Sunday an Thursday, and the other lands on Saturday to Wednesday, for Christmas.
The Chiefs also have a five-day turnaround to Black Friday and a four-day turnaround between Saturday, December 21 and Wednesday, December 25.
Although the league justifies short-week football by claiming that the injury rate is no different for games played with six days in between and games played with three days in between, that position overlooks the cumulative wear and tear on a human body by playing games on short rest. Along with the overall disruption to routine and limited time to plan and prepare for a game.
Doing it twice in a season definitely creates a disadvantage for the teams that get the short-week short straw. Nothing the NFL says to justify the maneuver changes that.
UPDATE 9:10 p.m. ET: The prior version of this item incorrectly pegged the number at nine. I forgot to include the Thanksgiving games. Four teams that play on Thanksgiving — Bears, Giants, Cowboys, and Dolphins — have one other short-week game.
Last season’s Wild Card game between the Rams and the Lions was a thriller and the two teams will square off again on the first Sunday night of the NFL season.
The Lions won that game 24-23 to begin a trip that ended in the NFC Championship Game and the matchup on Sunday Night Football will be an early gauge of two teams with aspirations of postseason success.
Both teams will make other appearances on Sunday night. The Lions will visit the Texans in Week 10 while the Rams will be at home against the Eagles in Week 12. The Texans and Eagles are also scheduled for multiple appearances and those four teams are joined by the Chiefs, Bills, Cowboys, Jets, and 49ers. The Cowboys are scheduled for three Sunday night games.
The schedule is not set in stone. NFL flexible scheduling procedures allow for up to two changes to the schedule from Week Five to Week 10 and the league can change any games from Week 11 to Week 17, although the moves must be made no later than 12 days in advance and after consultation with broadcasters. The Week 18 matchup is determined after Week 17’s games have been played.
The full Sunday Night Football schedule for the 2024 season is:
Week One: Rams at Lions
Week Two: Bears at Texans
Week Three: Chiefs at Falcons
Week Four: Bills at Ravens
Week Five: Cowboys at Steelers
Week Six: Bengals at Giants
Week Seven: Jets at Steelers
Week Eight: Cowboys at 49ers
Week Nine: Jaguars at Eagles
Week 10: Lions at Texans
Week 11: Colts at Jets
Week 12: Eagles at Rams
Week 13: 49ers at Bills
Week 14: Chargers at Chiefs
Week 15: Packers at Seahawks
Week 16: Buccaneers at Cowboys
Week 17: Dolphins at Browns
Week 18: TBD
The Seahawks signed rookie linebacker Tyrice Knight on Tuesday, the team announced.
The fourth-round pick becomes the sixth of the team’s eight 2024 draftees to sign. Only third-round guard Christian Haynes and sixth-round offensive tackle Michael Jerrell remain unsigned.
Knight will join the competition at inside linebacker with free agent additions Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker. In the past three seasons at UTEP, Knight started 37 games and totaled 337 tackles and 31 tackles for loss.
Last season, Knight made 140 tackles, including an FBS-leading 84 solo tackles. He also added 15.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, seven passes defensed and a forced fumble on his way to first-team All-Conference USA honors.