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Offseason In Review: Seattle Seahawks

September 2nd, 2024 at 10:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks had been able to keep their operation afloat following the Legion of Boom’s gradual splintering, with Russell Wilson making his best statistical Hall of Fame case between Seattle’s mid-2010s Super Bowl seasons and the 2021 campaign that brought an injury and early decline signs. While Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider did well to cash in on their star quarterback in 2022, the team has not turned those assets into a true contender yet. This ended up costing Carroll his job.

Carroll’s right-hand man for 14 years, Schneider now has the final say. He landed on Mike Macdonald, whose Ravens defense took a leap last season. The Seahawks have gone from the NFL’s oldest HC to its youngest. They will hope Macdonald and his staff can better maximize the resources poured into the team following the Wilson trade.

Coaching/front office:

Carroll piloted the Seahawks to their highest peak — by far — in franchise history. It is difficult to make a strong case against the 2013 Seahawks being that decade’s best team and one of this century’s best squads. The Seahawks became the first team since the 1950s Browns — who obviously played in a much smaller NFL — to lead the league in scoring defense in four straight years. Carroll followed up his successful USC stay by guiding the Hawks to 10 playoff berths in 14 seasons, completing an NFL bounce-back effort after being a Jets one-and-done (1994) and being fired after three Patriots seasons.

Another case can be made the Seahawks were not the same team once they gave Wilson the first of his three extensions. The Seahawks made the playoffs five times from 2015-20. They won three wild-card games in that span, but they partially benefited from Blair Walsh‘s 27-yard missed field goal (2015) and Carson Wentz sustaining an early concussion (2019). The Lions team they topped in 2016 also ranked 27th in DVOA. This is not to say those Seahawk editions were not worthy playoff squads, but the franchise’s post-Super Bowl XLIX period saw regular check-ins as a second-tier contender. No conference championship appearances have followed since the infamous Marshawn Lynch “what if?”

Carroll also had to battle age (73 in September) and a new owner (Jody Allen) being in place from when he was hired. While Schneider stayed on and will control Seattle’s 53-man roster, the 15th-year GM will be on the clock if the Seahawks cannot mount a true charge in the near future. They again went in a defensive direction. After initial rumors connected ex-Carroll assistant Dan Quinn to the job, the three-year Cowboys DC was deemed to have been too close to the Carroll setup for team brass’ comfort. Macdonald, 36, became the pick — after a bidding war against the Commanders.

Washington ended up hiring Quinn, but he may well have been the organization’s third choice. The Commanders appeared to covet Lions OC Ben Johnson, and they then pivoted to Macdonald. After Johnson turned them down, the Commanders offered the job to Macdonald. The two-year Ravens DC also was viewed by some as Washington’s top choice. In competing with Washington, Seattle came in with the winning offer. The Commanders’ Macdonald pursuit led to the Seahawks offering a six-year contract. HC contracts are guaranteed, and while Dan Campbell and Dave Canales were two first-timers who received six-year deals during the 2020s (with Matt Rhule landing a seven-year accord), four- or five-year deals are standard NFL practice. Intent on landing their top choice, the Seahawks paid up.

Carroll had tried to keep the job, but a report also suggested he had made midseason comments about retirement. Carroll’s specialty, Seattle’s defense proved a letdown during the team’s second straight 9-8 season. Struggling in particular against the run, Carroll and Clint Hurtt‘s unit ranked 25th in scoring and 28th in DVOA. Enter Macdonald, who coaxed the Ravens to a No. 1 defensive ranking despite late-summer (Jadeveon Clowney) or in-season (Kyle Van Noy) additions in place as the team’s top edge rushers. Baltimore led the league in defensive DVOA, and the ex-Jim Harbaugh Michigan DC received an early chance at a top NFL job.

The Seahawks did not block contracted assistants from pursuing other gigs during the period between Carroll and Macdonald, and OC Shane Waldron joined the Bears. Waldron perhaps has not received sufficient credit for Geno Smith‘s stunning 2022 turnaround, with Canales — Seattle’s QBs coach in 2022 — seeing more praise. While Hurtt was not on the DC radar — he is back with Vic Fangio coaching the Eagles’ D-line — Waldron interviewed with multiple teams.

Seattle’s offense plummeted from ninth to 17th in scoring from 2022-23, with Smith taking a slight step back. Macdonald, whom the Giants blocked from interviewing Mike Kafka (also a Seahawks HC candidate), went off the board in an effort to shape his first offense.

No other teams were connected to Grubb, a career-long college assistant who only brings two years of Power 5 experience. Formerly Fresno State’s OC from 2019-21, Grubb played a central role in powering Washington to the 2023 CFP national title game. Michael Penix Jr. owes some of his elevated draft stock — after an injury-plagued Indiana tenure — to Grubb, whose offense produced Division I-FBS’ passing and receiving leaders (Penix, Rome Odunze). This combo boosted the Huskies to the brink of a national title, after the then-Pac-12 program had not played for one since 1991. Grubb, 48, had agreed to follow Kalen DeBoer to Alabama but ended up viewing this Seahawks offer as a better opportunity.

Schematic changes will be evident immediately in Seattle, and it will be interesting to see how Smith looks in Grubb’s offense. Macdonald kept the Ravens’ long-running 3-4 scheme in place but hired Durde, who had served as the Cowboys’ D-line coach under Quinn. Durde joined Macdonald as an in-demand candidate. The Falcons, Rams and Packers requested meetings, and the Cowboys interviewed him for their DC post — one that ended up going to Mike Zimmer — after the Commanders poached Joe Whitt. Macdonald also considered ex-Ravens coworker Zach Orr, but he received a Baltimore promotion.

Durde, who is English, coached the sport in London for nearly a decade before landing on Quinn’s Falcons staff. As Micah Parsons has shifted to a full-time pass rusher, Durde coached the star talent in a scheme that kept the All-Pro roving around formations. A former Macdonald Ravens mentor, Frazier is back after a 2023 sabbatical. The Bills employed the former Vikings HC as their defensive coordinator for six seasons, but Sean McDermott separated from his previous play-caller in 2023. Frazier’s presence figures to be important on a staff with a first-time HC and rookie DC.

Re-signings:

The Seahawks sent the Giants second- and fifth-round picks for Williams at the 2023 deadline. Hours after the Giants then sent second- and fifth-rounders for Brian Burns, the Seahawks did not let the asset they had acquired leave. Williams is back in the fold, representing a shift for a Seahawks team that continues to invest along the D-line after previously not devoting substantial resources — at least, not until the 2023 Dre’Mont Jones signing — to interior defensive linemen. Jones has since been working on the edge, even after spending five seasons as an interior rusher. Through that lens, the Seahawks have an inside-outside rush combo each on contracts north of $17MM per year.

After not quite living up to his No. 6 overall draft slot as a Jet, Williams has made a habit of timing his resurgences well. On the franchise tag in 2020, the USC product produced 11.5 sacks — far and away a career high — and commanded one of this era’s most player-friendly deals for a defender shortly after the March 2021 franchise tag application deadline (three years, $63MM, $45MM fully guaranteed). Williams did not come close to those 2020 numbers in 2021 or ’22, but upon being dealt to the Seahawks, he posted four sacks and 11 QB hits in 10 games.

Williams, 30, did not help a Seattle run defense that ranked 30th, but Macdonald will plug him into his defense. This could be a good sign for the 10th-year player, as Macdonald just coaxed a dominant season from Ravens DT Justin Madubuike. Williams has an extensive track record as a quality run defender, though his best work on that front came back in his Jets days.

Fant joined Williams in hitting the market. Early deals for Dalton Schultz and Hunter Henry helped the 2019 first-round pick, but his Seahawks usage did not create an extensive bidding war. Fant drew 93- and 90-target seasons during his final two Broncos years; after seeing 63 looks in his Seahawks debut, the Iowa product commanded a paltry 43 last season. After 670- and 673-yard showings in offenses with sub-average QB play in Denver, Fant has stalled out in Seattle. This contract, however, would appear to show the team agrees a production uptick should be expected.

The former No. 20 overall pick is the only player in Seahawks history to see his fifth-year option exercised, which is interesting due to his status as a Broncos draft choice. While Fant is unlikely to flirt with numbers ex-Iowa teammate T.J. Hockenson has put up as a pro, Grubb unlocking him could prove a gateway to a higher tier for Seattle’s offense.

Free agency additions:

AFC East fans will recognize several players in this year’s Seahawks starting lineup. Most of the main additions come from that division.

Last year’s Seahawks O-line underwhelmed in terms of performance and health, and the team’s 2024 offering is not off to a great start. Abraham Lucas is again set for an injury-driven absence. Offseason knee surgery, after the right tackle starter missed 11 games last season, led to a reserve/PUP list designation. The Seahawks will become the latest team to call on George Fant, who has begun to make a career of RT fill-in duty.

Fant, 32, never worked as a full-time Seahawks starter during his first stint. He still parlayed that tenure into a three-year, $27.3MM Jets deal. After being a three-year Jets starter, Fant subbed for the Texans by playing 874 RT snaps last year. Lucas’ injury history has become a concern, and the Seahawks did well to bring back their one-time basketball convert for key spot duty.

Seattle landed Williams at a discount, finishing a lengthy recruiting process after the seventh-year vet made a Ravens visit. If he plays to his Dolphins form, the team will need to prepare a big raise in order to keep the former second-rounder beyond 2024.

Williams, 27, angled for an adjustment on his two-year, $14MM Miami contract in 2023 but could not secure any upgrade. He suffered a torn ACL months later, crushing his market during a year in which a center with a worse track record — Denver’s Lloyd Cushenberry — scored $26MM guaranteed at signing. PFF rated Williams as the league’s fourth- and second-best center in 2022 and 2023, respectively, lauding the ex-Cowboys guard’s run-game work last year. He stands to be a big upgrade on Evan Brown.

Keeping some ammo for 2025 compensatory picks, the Seahawks added two street free agents — in Jenkins and Baker — to start on defense. Jenkins will join Julian Love as a lower-cost solution compared to Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, while Macdonald started over at linebacker. Dodson is coming off his best season. Jenkins, 30, started every Jaguars game he played (48). After a memorable 2022 that included three INTs, three forced fumbles and a walk-off pick-six on Dak Prescott, Jenkins became expendable for a retooling Jags team. PFF ranked him 70th at safety in 2023.

The Dolphins had extended Baker on a three-year, $37.5MM deal but did so during Brian Flores‘ final season in charge. The Dolphins also encountered significant cap issues this offseason, leading to cap cuts and both Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt moving on. Baker has been an effective blitzer from his off-ball spot, delivering a near-Demario Davis-like 22.5 sacks in six seasons.

PFF graded Dodson incredibly well, slotting him first among all off-ball LBs. His modest contract shows teams did not agree. The advanced metrics website viewed the ex-Bills defender — a former UDFA who did not see much action from 2020-22 — as a strong coverage ‘backer. A number of NFL staffers expected Macdonald to bring Patrick Queen with him to the Pacific Northwest, but the 2023 Pro Bowler headed to Pittsburgh. The result still produced an interesting LB duo, even if Dodson and Baker may well be stopgaps while Macdonald charts a bigger-picture course.

The Jets cut Tomlinson, whom the Seahawks have at a vet-minimum rate (plus incentives). Cody Whitehair, Greg Van Roten and Lucas Patrick also emerged on Seattle’s radar, as they left the draft with a clear guard need. Tomlinson, who started for five straight 49ers teams and back-to-back Jets squads, will head into his age-32 season. A durable blocker who received better reviews under Kyle Shanahan, Tomlinson has missed just one game since the Lions traded him in 2017. PFF was lukewarm on Jets Tomlinson, ranking him 53rd in 2023. He will replace Damien Lewis at left guard, with Anthony Bradford — Phil Haynes‘ 2023 injury replacement — taking over at RG.

Notable losses:

For a second time in three offseasons, Wagner left Seattle. Already solidifying himself as one of the best off-ball linebackers in NFL history, Wagner remained at a high level during his second Seahawks stint. Wagner led the NFL in tackles at age 33, with 183, and strolled to yet another All-Pro accolade. The 2012 second-round pick has earned first- or second-team All-Pro acclaim in 10 straight years. All due respect to Cortez Kennedy, Wagner has made a good claim for being the greatest Seahawks defender. Wagner’s exit (again) separates the franchise from anyone who played for either Super Bowl squad.

The Wagner-Brooks duo had played together as three-down ‘backers in 2021, and while the younger defender had wanted to stay in Seattle, Wagner — who had signed a one-year deal to return — viewed a return as unlikely. Completing a Wagner-Dan Quinn reunion, the Commanders gave Wagner a one-year deal worth $6.5MM. Wagner’s rookie-contract ascent came under Quinn’s guidance as DC.

Brooks joined one of Macdonald’s former Ravens colleagues, agreeing to a three-year, $26.25MM Dolphins deal to work as a three-down player under new Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver. Only $9.5MM of Brooks’ deal is guaranteed at signing, which obviously pales in comparison to what Wagner fetched on his second contract back in 2015. The Seahawks did not pick up Brooks’ fifth-year option in 2023.

The Seahawks cashed out on Wilson at the right time; the move, however, came barely 18 months after the team sent the Jets two first-round picks for a box safety. The Seahawks doubled down on Adams with a contract that at the time made him the NFL’s highest-paid safety by a wide margin. The Seahawks are eating $20.83MM from the Adams cut. Diggs’ release added $10.3MM in dead cap. The team is taking on all of the money this year, opting against a post-June 1 cut for either safety.

Adams is still just 28, but he missed 33 games in four Seahawks seasons. Although Adams set the record for sacks by a DB — with 9.5 in 2021 and parlayed that into his $17.65MM-per-year extension — this was among the Schneider-Carroll era’s top misfires, reminding of the Percy Harvin whiff. The Diggs trade went much better. Seattle only sent Detroit a fifth-round pick for Diggs — during a five-month span that featured the Lions trading the ascending safety and Darius Slay — and Diggs was named a Pro Bowl starter each year from 2020-22. Better equipped to defend modern passing attacks compared to Adams, Diggs intercepted 18 passes as a Seahawk.

The pair reunited in Tennessee, Diggs receiving a one-year, $3MM deal and Adams a one-year, $1.29MM pact. The effective blitzer/coverage liability discussed staying in Seattle on a new contract following his release, but no agreement emerged. Adams said the Seahawks asked him to convert to linebacker.

Included on PFR’s top 50 free agent list, Lewis flew under the radar on a stacked guard market. The four-year Seattle starter commanded a deal well into eight-figure AAV territory, signing a four-year, $52MM Panthers pact. Lewis overlapped with Canales in Seattle. The 2020 third-round pick became a set-it-and-forget-it option at left guard for the Seahawks, missing only six starts in four seasons. As they did at linebacker, the Seahawks opted to let their starters walk and keep costs low at guard.

Despite Lock failing to beat out Smith in 2022, he re-signed last year. The Seahawks needed him to start in 2023, and while he did come off the bench to help key an upset win over the Eagles, that defense’s deterioration gradually minimized that accomplishment. The Seahawks blew a nine-point lead to the Rams after Smith left in the Week 11 matchup’s fourth quarter. Schneider also stirred the pot this offseason, indicating Lock joined the Giants because he would have a chance to compete for a starting job. Giants brass repeatedly pushed back on that, but Daniel Jones‘ 2025 injury guarantee opens the door to Lock seeing time down the stretch.

Trades:

None of Seattle’s five trades involved starters, but the volume in Schneider’s first offseason in charge was notable. Howell comes over after a 17-start season. Both the teams that made questionable decisions in handing the keys to 2022 QB draftees during the ’23 offseason, the Commanders and Falcons traded these players (Howell, Desmond Ridder) on the same day in March. The Cardinals traded wideout Rondale Moore for Ridder; the Seahawks’ Howell trade resembled the Eagles’ Kenny Pickett swap. Both involved a third-round pick, with other selections coming back. One starter has come out of the maligned 2022 QB class — Brock Purdy — while Pickett, Ridder, Howell and Malik Willis have been dealt.

The Seahawks beat out three teams for Howell, however. Only David Carr took more sacks than Howell’s 65 in a season this century, and the embattled starter threw an NFL-high 21 interceptions — the most of any passer this decade. Despite finishing with a league-high 612 attempts, Howell did not reach 4,000 yards. Two years remain on the Drake Maye North Carolina predecessor’s rookie contract.

The Taylor trade occurred hours before Uchenna Nwosu‘s MCL injury. Following the top Seattle edge rusher’s latest injury setback, the team flipped a 2025 sixth-rounder for Gipson after acquiring one from the Bears for Taylor. Seattle had seen flashes from Taylor, who ripped off a 9.5-sack 2022 and totaled 21.5 sacks in three seasons. Gipson’s resume does not match the former second-rounder’s; the ex-Bears draftee has 11 sacks in four seasons. Only four of those have come since 2022.

Nwosu, who missed much of last season with a pec injury, avoided IR and should be back early in the season. Gipson will vie for time in an edge group that includes Jones, Boye Mafe and fellow ex-second-rounder Derick Hall.

Draft:

  • Round 1, No. 16: Byron Murphy (DT, Texas) (signed)
  • Round 3, No. 81 (from Saints through Broncos): Christian Haynes (G, UConn) (signed)
  • Round 4, No. 118: Tyrice Knight (LB, UTEP) (signed)
  • Round 4, No. 121 (from Dolphins through Broncos): AJ Barner (TE, Michigan) (signed)
  • Round 5, No. 136 (from Panthers through Browns and Broncos): Nehemiah Pritchett (CB, Auburn) (signed)
  • Round 6, No. 179 (from Commanders): Sataoa Laumea (G, Utah) (signed)
  • Round 6, No. 192: DJ James (CB, Auburn) (signed)
  • Round 6, No. 207 (from 49ers through Broncos): Michael Jerrell (T, Findlay) (signed)

Joining the Colts as a chief beneficiary of the draft’s quarterback- and tackle-heavy start, the Seahawks landed a top-tier defensive prospect at 16. Seattle had emerged as the Murphy floor weeks before the draft, and a year after Carroll had signed off on Jalen Carter (only to see others in the building express concerns), the team added its D-tackle piece. Murphy is the first interior D-lineman the Seahawks have chosen in Round 1 since well before the Carroll-Schneider era (Marcus Tubbs, 2004).

While stout at just over 6-feet tall, Murphy makes up for a lack of ideal size with impressive leverage and power off the snap. His high motor and determination make him a disruptive menace. Playing alongside Titans second-round pick T’Vondre Sweat on Texas’ D-line, Murphy totaled five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss last season. A number of teams attempted to trade into the Seahawks’ No. 16 slot, but Schneider — a known trade-down buff — passed and added this draft’s top interior D-line prospect.

Jones being set to see time on the edge opens up a spot for Murphy on Seattle’s front, with Williams and Jarran Reed in place alongside the intriguing prospect — who had drawn top-10 buzz at points ahead of the draft. Though, the team may well begin the rookie as a high-ceiling rotational piece due to having signed veteran run stuffer Johnathan Hankins. The Seahawks were also interested in trading up for JC Latham, calling into question this regime’s belief Abraham Lucas can stay healthy, but they stuck at 16 and chose a player they deemed this draft’s best defensive prospect.

Not moving into Seattle’s starting lineup yet, Haynes should be expected to do so at some point. The UConn alum only has stopgaps blocking his path. Despite playing at a mid-major program (UConn’s football team qualifies as such), Haynes earned All-American acclaim in back-to-back years. He started at guard during his final two seasons with the Huskies. For now, Haynes is stationed behind Tomlinson and Bradford; the Seahawks will hope he can move into the lineup soon.

Extensions and restructures:

Seattle restructuring Smith’s deal makes the resurgent quarterback harder to move on from, inflating his 2025 cap hit (to $38.5MM). But the team could still do so fairly easily — for just $13.5MM. The Seahawks guaranteed Smith’s $12.7MM 2024 base salary by keeping him on the team in mid-February, and Macdonald endorsed the 12th-year vet as his starter early in the offseason. But Smith’s pursuit of an extension looks to have failed — to the point Schneider said talks did not occur. Smith, 34 in October, looks to be auditioning for his new coaching staff this season.

An aim at better terms is understandable for Smith, who spent his prime earning years as a backup. The age-32 breakthrough came on a $3.5MM salary, and while it did secure him a three-year, $75MM deal, that contract sits in no-man’s land as a lower-middle-class QB1 deal. The closest players to Smith — the NFL’s 20th-highest-paid QB — are Gardner Minshew ($12.5MM per year) and Baker Mayfield ($33.3MM AAV).

The window is closing for the former Jets draftee to score a deal closer toward at least the upper middle class at his position, but with the Seahawks having him on this team-friendly accord through the 2025 season, it is unsurprising they are taking their time to gauge his fit in Grubb’s offense.

Seattle was linked to Anthony Richardson in 2023 and had a natural tie to Penix this year due to Grubb. The team also met with Bo Nix. The lack of QB investments keeps Smith’s standing secure, and his place in Grubb’s offense intrigues. But the Seahawks have a mid-30-something at quarterback. Smith could buy the team time, as scouts are down on the 2025 QB class, but the Seahawks will likely continue to be tied to college arms.

The Seahawks added Love on a midlevel deal amid Adams’ injury uncertainty, but after cleaning house at the position, the team recommitted to the ex-Giants starter. At 26, Love is five years younger than Diggs and three years Adams’ junior. Love followed his high-usage Giants contract year with a solid Seahawks debut. PFF ranked him as a top-12 safety in coverage and as a blitzer. Love tallied a career-high 10 passes defensed in 2023, and he enters this season as the NFL’s 11th-highest-paid safety. That is well north of his standing on the two-year, $12MM deal he inked last March.

Top 10 cap charges for 2024:

  1. Geno Smith, QB: $26.4MM
  2. D.K. Metcalf, WR: $24.5MM
  3. Tyler Lockett, WR: $18.89MM
  4. Dre’Mont Jones, DL: $10.77MM
  5. Leonard Williams, DL: $10.4MM
  6. Uchenna Nwosu, OLB: $7.81MM
  7. Noah Fant TE: $7.5MM
  8. Devon Witherspoon, CB: $7.24MM
  9. Jerome Baker, LB: $6.77MM
  10. Julian Love, S: $6.5MM

A strong supporting cast still backs Smith, with the Metcalf-Tyler Lockett duo in its sixth season and Jaxon Smith-Njigba gaining steam as his rookie year progressed. Ken Walker also looms as a bounce-back candidate, after running behind PFF’s 28th-ranked O-line in 2023. The pieces seem to be in place for Seattle, though that was deemed the case in 2023 as well.

In terms of rosters inherited, Macdonald probably takes over the best setup among this year’s eight new HCs. He does begin in a strong NFC West, which features a rejuvenated Rams squad and a 49ers outfit that has been this decade’s top NFC club on the whole. Toppling San Francisco in the division will not be easy, but Macdonald’s team should have an opportunity to threaten the NFC’s California teams and hold their own in the conference’s wild-card chase. More will be expected beyond 2024, but the Seahawks have a clear rebound opportunity this season.

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