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Seattle Seahawks News & Rumors

Seahawks To Sign S K’Von Wallace

March 19th, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Following a half-year stop in Tennessee, K’Von Wallace is back in the NFC. The free agent safety is signing with the Seahawks, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It will be a one-year deal for Wallace.

The former Eagles fourth-round pick spent three years as a backup in Philadelphia before getting waived at the end of the 2023 preseason. He caught on with the Cardinals and proceeded to start five of his seven appearances with the organization, collecting 43 tackles and one interception.

He was waived by Arizona in October and landed with the Titans, where he started seven of his 10 appearances down the stretch. Wallace added another 46 tackles to his resume during his short stint in Tennessee. For his full-season performance, Pro Football Focus graded him 39th among 95 qualifying safeties, with the site being especially high on his coverage ability.

After moving on from Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, the Seahawks have been searching for some safety depth. The team previously brought in former Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins, adding the veteran to holdovers like Julian Love and Coby Bryant.

Seahawks To Sign DT Johnathan Hankins

March 19th, 2024 at 4:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

After playing multiple seasons in Dallas, Johnathan Hankins will relocate again. The well-traveled defensive tackle will commit to the Seahawks, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes.

On a Seattle visit Tuesday, Hankins will agree to head west after spending 1 1/2 seasons in Dallas. Acquired at the 2022 trade deadline, Hankins re-signed with the Cowboys in 2023. He played a key role in Dallas’ run-stopping efforts, and the Seahawks will expect the same on a defensive line already housing Dre’Mont Jones and the recently re-signed Leonard Williams. Hankins will follow former Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde to Seattle, which hired the England-born coach as its defensive coordinator.

Hankins, who will turn 32 next week, has joined Jadeveon Clowney in signing one-year contracts over the past several years. He agreed to four with the Raiders and one with the Cowboys. Given his age and contractual history, it would surprise if this Seahawks pact covered multiple seasons.

The Cowboys’ defense featured Hankins as a key presence at nose tackle; the team used him as a 14-game starter in 2023. It certainly missed Hankins’ presence in late-season losses to the Bills and Dolphins, with the Buffalo defeat bringing a James Cook rampage on the ground. The Seahawks struggled defending the run last season, ranking 31st in yards allowed and 27th in yards per carry yielded. A full season of Williams stands to help on this front, and Hankins will come over to aid the cause as well.

Mike Macdonald‘s first Seattle defense will feature a veteran-heavy front. While the team will lose considerable experience at linebacker due to Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks‘ departures, it will have Williams, Jones, Hankins and Jarran Reed on its D-line. Reed signed a two-year contract last season. The team lost Mario Edwards in free agency; he joined the Texans earlier today. Hankins profiles as more of a base-set player than one used in sub-packages, but the Seahawks are now deep at D-tackle.

Seahawks Interested In Randy Gregory

March 19th, 2024 at 9:30am CST by Adam La Rose

Randy Gregory finds himself in free agency after failing to live up to the big-money deal he signed with the Broncos in 2022. The veteran edge rusher has at least one known suitor for a potential new deal.

The Seahawks have shown “preliminary interest” in Gregory, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reports. The 31-year-old appeared set to extend his Cowboys tenure in 2022 with a five-year, $69.5MM contract being worked out. In the end, though, issues over guarantees led to the deal falling through. He signed with the Broncos under the same terms, leading to substantial expectations for him in Denver.

Gregory played only 10 games with his new team between the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, however. A knee injury left him sidelined for an extended stretch, and when on the field the former second-rounder did not perform as hoped. Gregory totaled three sacks with the Broncos, and early last season he was set to be released. A trade partner was found in the form of the 49ers, though, and he finished the campaign in San Francisco. After serving in a rotational role in the Bay Area, Gregory is now set to move on as a free agent.

Given the nature of his health and performances over the past two years, a ‘prove-it’ deal would be reasonable in Gregory’s case. The Nebraska product would be working with a familiar face if he were to accept a Seattle deal. Aden Durde – now the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator – served as the Cowboys’ defensive line coach when Gregory played in Dallas. A reunion could help the latter regain his previous form, which included six-sack campaigns in 2018 and ’21.

Seattle already has a lucrative investment along the edge in the form of Uchenna Nwosu. The team has also used a second-round pick in consecutive years on outside linebackers (Boye Mafe in 2022, Derick Hall in 2023), meaning a signing amongst the remaining free agents does not need to be high priority. That is especially true given the fact Darrell Taylor was retained on a new pact taking the place of a potential RFA tender. Still, a Gregory deal could allow him to compete for a depth role as he attempts to rebuild his value in another new environment.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/24

March 18th, 2024 at 9:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Sign LB Jerome Baker

March 16th, 2024 at 5:53pm CST by Ely Allen

The Seattle linebacking corps will look completely different on the inside in 2024. With the departures of Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, and Devin Bush in free agency and the release of Nick Bellore, the only returning inside linebackers in 2024 are Jon Rhattigan and Drake Thomas, who combined for 26 defensive snaps last season. After bringing in Tyrel Dodson to fill some of these holes this week, the Seahawks secured another experienced starter in former Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The team has since announced the move.

Funny enough, Brooks and Baker will swap jobs in 2024. The Dolphins released Baker after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a restructured contract that would lower Baker’s salary cap impact. Miami quickly moved to replace the veteran, signing Brooks to a three-year, $30MM deal. Now, Baker heads to the opposite corner of the country to fill the role that Brooks left vacant in Seattle on a one-year, $7MM contract.

Baker’s release wasn’t necessarily a result of any lack of on-field production. While missing four games did keep Baker from reaching the 100-tackle mark for only the second time in the last five years and he didn’t have quite the same impact on the team’s pass rush as he has in the past, he showed an impressive improvement in coverage, nabbing two interceptions and three passes defensed. Teaming Baker up with Dodson, who excelled as the top-graded linebacker in the league in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Seattle will be home of one of the league’s top pass-defending duos at linebacker.

Baker is coming off wrist surgery that placed him on injured reserve for four weeks near the end of the regular season. He was able to return from IR in time for the Dolphins’ regular season finale, but Baker reinjured his wrist in that game and sat out of the playoffs. The offseason should give him plenty of time to recover, allowing him to potentially start alongside Dodson in 2024 at full strength.

Seahawks To Sign S Rayshawn Jenkins, T George Fant

March 15th, 2024 at 3:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 15: The Seahawks are giving Jenkins a two-year, $12MM deal, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets, noting $6.6MM will come the safety’s way in Year 1. Fant will collect up to $14MM on his deal, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who adds the veteran tackle will receive a $3.7MM signing bonus.

Multiple teams pursued Fant, according to Wilson, but John Schneider confirmed (via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta) the Seahawks are not planning a two-Fant starting lineup. While Noah Fant is back at tight end, George Fant will work as a swingman behind starters Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas. Considering the investments the Seahawks made in their young tackles, this is not surprising.

MARCH 13: After moving on from both Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, the Seahawks had a need on the backend. Those veteran safeties will not be in place for 2024, but Rayshawn Jenkins will. The latter has agreed to a deal with Seattle, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

In another free agent deal, the Seahawks will bring back George Fant. The veteran tackle is set to return to where his career began, Pelissero notes in a follow-up. Fant will provide depth at the tackle spot on a team featuring two young starters.

Jenkins was part of Jacksonville’s cost-cutting measures in the lead-in to free agency. He had a three-year run in Duval County, remaining a full-time starter over that span. The 30-year-old racked up five interceptions during the past two seasons, adding 21 pass deflections in that time. To little surprise, Jenkins was quickly on the radar of interested teams after his Jags release went through.

The Seahawks and 49ers had Jenkins visits lined up, and he has elected to head to Seattle. A first-team role should await the Miami alum given the decision to cut Adams and Diggs in cost-shedding moves. Seattle invested in Julian Love last offseason, but he is only under contract through 2024. The ex-Giant could play his way into a new Seattle pact with his play this season, and doing so will come about with a veteran of 109 games alongside him in the form of Jenkins.

Fant spent the first three years of his career in the Emerald City, logging 24 starts across 46 games with the Seahawks. He worked as a full-time starter with the Jets from 2020-22, seeing time at both left and right tackle. He took a one-year Texans deal last offseason, starting 13 contests and playing almost exclusively at the RT spot. That could come in handy with Seattle.

2022 third-rounder Abraham Lucas was limited to six games last season due to injury, and Fant will provide a veteran starting option if necessary. Lucas struggled when on the field in 2023, drawing a PFF grade of 53.1 (a steep decline from that of his rookie season). Fant, 31, earned a much better evaluation last year in a bounce-back from his final Jets season. He could see playing time with Seattle for the second time in his career if needed at either tackle spot.

Commanders To Trade QB Sam Howell To Seahawks

March 14th, 2024 at 10:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Marcus Mariota in place for the Commanders, Sam Howell will indeed be playing elsewhere in 2024. The latter quarterback has been traded to the Seahawks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Washington will send Howell along with a fourth- and sixth-round pick to Seattle. In return, the Seahawks will send a third- and fifth-round pick. All selections are in the upcoming draft. Mariota’s free agent signing suggested the Commanders would pair him with a rookie selected second overall in April. Doing so would have left Howell on the outside looking in, leading to questions about his future in the nation’s capital.

The Seahawks have (in incremental fashion) committed to veteran Geno Smith as their starter for 2024. The former Comeback Player of the Year earned a new deal last offseason as Seattle’s undisputed starter despite the presence of Drew Lock, a piece of the Russell Wilson trade. Smith will hold down first-team duties again this year, but he will have a new backup in place.

Lock took a one-year deal with the Giants, leaving Seattle in need of a QB2. Howell served that role for all but one week of his rookie year in 2022, but his play to close out the regular season informed the decision to release Carson Wentz. Then-head coach Ron Rivera showed confidence in Howell as the Commanders’ starter this past year, but that decision did not yield the desired results. The 23-year-old led the NFL in sacks taken and interceptions, seeing himself lifted mid-game on more than one occasion late in the campaign.

Still, Howell could profile as an option with some upside. The former fifth-rounder led the NFL in passing yards at one point during the 2023 campaign, one in which Washington fielded a less-than-stellar offensive line and posted a 4-13 record amidst struggles on defense. Rivera was fired, as expected, after the end of the season and Dan Quinn has been brought in to replace him. He and new general manager Adam Peters comprise a different regime than the one which drafted Howell, and they will now commit to whichever passer is added with the second overall pick in April.

Drake Maye – who replaced Howell as the starter at North Carolina – is one of the options Washington will likely have at No. 2 (with Caleb Williams presumed to be hear his name called first). LSU’s Jayden Daniels could also be the Commanders’ selection, but in any case the rookie passer will be positioned as a starter for the present and future given Mariota’s status as a backup during much of his post-Titans career. As a result of this deal, the Commanders will now own six of the top 100 picks in the upcoming draft.

Seattle, meanwhile, will have a Lock replacement on the books for at least two more years given the term remaining on Howell’s rookie pact. Smith is also under contract through 2025, but none of his base salary for that season is guaranteed. The Seahawks may have acquired the 33-year-old’s eventual replacement.

Seahawks, Tyler Lockett Agree To Restructure

March 14th, 2024 at 9:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

TODAY, 9:00pm: ESPN’s Brady Henderson has passed along some details on Lockett’s reworked contract. The receiver will receive an $8MM signing bonus for his effort. Lockett will be attached to a $4.66MM base salary in 2024, and he can earn another $4MM via incentives.

In 2025, Lockett will earn a $10MM base salary, and he can earn another $1.7MM via per-game roster bonuses. He’ll also earn a $5.3MM roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2025 league year.

MARCH 9, 8:30pm: Tyler Lockett‘s future has achieved clarity for at least the 2024 season. The veteran Seahawks wideout’s contract has been restructured, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The new deal is two years in length and has a base value of $30MM. That figure includes almost $13MM guaranteed for the 2024 campaign, Garafolo notes. Lockett can reach a maximum of $34MM in earnings over the course of the restructured contract, which will take the place of his previous one.

Lockett had two years remaining on his former deal, but his compensation in 2024 and ’25 ($17MM) was far outweighed by his cap hits for those seasons ($26.9MM). As a result, the 31-year-old could have found himself as a cap casualty (particularly with a post-June 1 designation) as part of the Seahawks’ financial maneuvering. Seattle has cut ties with several veterans recently, but Lockett will not join them for at least this offseason.

Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap predicts this new pact will lower Lockett’s 2024 cap hit by roughly $10MM, something which will be welcomed for Seattle. The team entered Saturday with $42MM in cap space, but added flexibility on the open market could allow for more outside additions in the hopes of rebounding from the 2023 season failing to produce a postseason appearance. The move will also give Lockett at least a 10th campaign in the Emerald City while also providing an opportunity for a personal bounce-back.

The former All-Pro posted 894 yards and five touchdowns in 2023. Both figures marked his lowest since 2018, and the presence of not only D.K. Metcalf and 2023 first-rounder Jaxon Smith-Njigba made a mark on his role. Lockett drew more targets (122) than Smith-Njigba (93), but that balance could shift toward the latter as time goes on. Each member of Seattle’s top receiver trio is under contract through at least 2025, although Lockett could again face questions about his future next offseason. It will be interesting to see the details of his new contract and his ability to earn an extended stay through his play in 2024.

Seahawks To Sign LB Tyrel Dodson

March 14th, 2024 at 7:53pm CST by Ben Levine

Following a career-best season in 2023, Tyrel Dodson is heading west. The former Bills linebacker is signing with the Seahawks, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.

The former UDFA out of Texas A&M had spent his entire five-year career with the Bills. A suspension and a practice-squad stint led to a redshirt rookie campaign, and Dodson mostly played a special teams role in 2020 and 2021. After seeing an uptick in defensive snaps in 2022, the fifth-year player took off in 2023.

Dodson started 10 of his 17 appearances this past season while getting into more than half of the Bills’ defensive snaps. He finished the campaign with 74 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. Pro Football Focus was especially fond of his performance, ranking Dodson as their top linebacker for the 2023 season. The 25-year-old’s PFF grade was brought up by elite scores for run defense and coverage.

The Seahawks have lost some significant linebacker depth in free agency, with both Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner signing elsewhere. Dodson provides the organization with some experience at outside linebacker. The team’s other options include Patrick O’Connell, Jon Rhattigan, and Drake Thomas; that trio has combined for 23 career defensive snaps.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/24

March 13th, 2024 at 9:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are today’s free agent tender decisions:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

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