Seattle PI Sports Seahawks

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks have brought back quarterback Geno Smith to serve as the backup to Russell Wilson.

Smith signed a one-year deal with Seattle on Thursday to stay in the role he’s held for the past two seasons with the Seahawks.

Smith has appeared in just one game with Seattle, completing four of five passes for 33 yards in last year’s blowout win over the New York Jets.

Smith, 30, was a second-round pick by the Jets in 2013 and started 29 of 30 games during his first two seasons in the league. Since 2015, Smith has been mostly a backup, appearing in just 11 games over the six seasons with two starts during that time. His last start came in 2017 with the New York Giants.

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — NFL quarterback and N.C. State University alumnus Russell Wilson will return to the school this spring as a commencement speaker for the 2021 graduation ceremonies.

A news release from the university on Monday said Wilson will attend two in-person ceremonies scheduled on May 14 and 15. Both ceremonies will also be streamed live.

“We are honored to welcome Russell Wilson back to N.C. State to inspire our spring 2021 graduates at these very special commencement ceremonies,” Chancellor Randy Woodson said in a campus message. “Russell has always supported his alma mater well and represented N.C. State with class. We know our students, their families and our entire Wolfpack community will be excited to see Russell back home at Carter-Finley Stadium.”

Graduates will hear remarks from Wilson and university leaders. Woodson will confer two honorary degrees; one on Jeff Williams, chief operating officer at Apple, and one on Ashley Christensen, James Beard Award-winning chef.

Wilson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from the university in 2010. He played baseball and football for the Wolfpack.

At N.C. State, Wilson was a two-time Academic All-ACC selection and was named ACC Rookie of the Year and team MVP in 2008. He led the Wolfpack to two bowl games and became one of the top passers in school history. He also set an NCAA record for career pass attempts without an interception with 379.

Wilson was drafted to the Seattle Seahawks and has started every game since he joined the NFL in 2012. He was recently named the 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

CHALMETTE, La. (AP) — A sheriff's office in Louisiana has issued an arrest warrant for Seattle Seahawks defensive end Aldon Smith.

St. Bernard Parish sheriff's deputies responding to a call for medical assistance in Meraux on Saturday evening found a man who said he had been assaulted by an acquaintance outside a business in Chalmette, Sheriff James Pohlmann said Monday in a post on the agency's Facebook page. Detectives identified the suspect as Smith, 31, and took out a warrant for second-degree battery.

“We are aware of the reports regarding Aldon Smith. Aldon notified us and we are gathering more information. We have no further comment at this time,” the Seahawks said in a statement.

The incident in Louisiana took place just two days after Smith signed a one-year contract with the Seahawks.

Smith's off-field troubles are lengthy and include four full seasons out of the league due to suspensions. Smith was reinstated by the NFL last spring after signing a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys. He had not played in the NFL since 2015.

Smith appeared in 16 games last season for Dallas and had 48 tackles and five sacks.

He attended the University of Missouri and was drafted seventh overall by San Francisco in 2011, recording 14 sacks as a rookie. He was an All-Pro in 2012 when he had 19 1/2 sacks and the 49ers reached the Super Bowl. He had 44 sacks in 50 games during his first four NFL seasons in San Francisco.

Smith had several legal issues as a player with San Francisco and Oakland. He was first suspended with the 49ers in 2014 before receiving a one-year ban in November 2015 with the Raiders. Smith applied for reinstatement to the NFL in 2016, but that decision was initially deferred.

Oakland retained Smith’s contractual rights before releasing him in...

With groups of players from 20 NFL teams saying they will skip in-person attendance, voluntary offseason programs began Monday across the league.

Through the NFL Players Association, players from the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots, Chargers, Raiders, Broncos, Falcons, Saints, Steelers, Browns, Ravens, Giants, Eagles, Vikings, Bears and Lions posted statements that they would not be on hand at team facilities for voluntary work. Those statements did not cover every player from those clubs.

On Monday, for example, some players reported to the Cowboys, Patriots, Raiders and Panthers facilities.

“We’d like to hope that we create a great environment for them,” said Cowboys executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones. "But at the end of the day, this is not a mandatory time of the year for our players. And historically, it’s never been mandatory and historically, though, we still have a large number of players who chose to work out here.

“We have a lot of guys down here, looks like to me. I’m overlooking the field and a lot of guys are out here working out. Just want to provide them a great opportunity here to get better. Every player, every team’s different.

"It’s interesting because we all know OTAs are voluntary. That’s strictly up to the players. They certainly have the right to make those decisions. I’m sure our players have talked at length about it.”

Meanwhile, the league and players' union continue talks about adjustments to the offseason.

“Obviously it’s virtual right now, so we have a little time to think about it and figure out the best plan as a team,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “We're in talks with the NFLPA and figuring out what's best not just for us but the...

Players on five more NFL teams will be skipping in-person voluntary workouts because of the pandemic: the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers.

The players posted through their union that they are joining 11 other groups who previously said they would not be on hand for the sessions.

This weekend players from the other 16 clubs are expected to announce plans. The offseason sessions begin Monday, and on Wednesday the league sent a memo to all 32 teams saying the first four weeks of the voluntary program will be virtual. The plan is to then transition to in-person work at team facilities.

Last year, the offseason programs were all done virtually and training camp was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saying no to in-person workouts earlier this week were players from the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers, Broncos, Seahawks, Giants, Bears, Raiders, Lions, Browns, Steelers and Patriots. The Jets said “many” of their players would skip them.

The 49ers issued a similar statement Saturday, saying “many in our locker room have chosen not to attend some or all phases of the voluntary in-person workouts” because of concerns about COVID-19.

Following the lead of Browns center JC Tretter, the NFL Players Association's president, the Dolphins noted they would “stand in solidarity with players across the league who are making informed decisions to exercise their right to not attend voluntary in-person workouts this offseason.”

Added the Chargers: “We had a virtual offseason last year that protected us and our families from a pandemic, but also showed beneficial to our overall health and safety."

Late last month, Tretter issued a strong statement on the NFLPA website calling for the elimination of such...