Will Stefen Wisniewski be the Seahawks center of attention?

One year after entertaining signing Stefen Wisniewski, the Seahawks could be an ideal match once again with the young center.

If the Seattle Seahawks decide to dip into the free agent market to upgrade their woeful offensive line, they may find themselves going down a familiar road.

Last summer, Stefen Wisniewski was a free agent after finishing up his rookie contract with Oakland. He was viewed as a solid starting center, and at just 26 years old had yet to reach his prime. There was enough mutual interest that Wisniewski spent two days visiting the city and meeting with team officials, and it was widely reported that a potential signing seemed possible if not imminent. After all, the Seahawks needed someone capable of replacing the traded Max Unger, and Wisniewski was certainly capable. But then days became weeks, which became a month, before Wisniewski eventually signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

We all know what happened next, the Seahawks went to training camp without adding a veteran, and opened the season with defensive line convert Drew Nowak as the starting center. Disaster ensued, and Nowak was waived mid season (and later re-signed to the practice squad). Meanwhile, Wisniewski went on to start every game for the Jags and had another solid season.

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Why didn’t it come together last summer? For one thing, Wisniewski was coming off shoulder surgery and there were concerns about his recovery timetable, but he was also said to be seeking an annual salary in the $5 million dollar range, which would have cost the Seahawks a compensatory pick in this years draft, something the team covets. Ultimately, no one else met his price either, and the one year deal he signed in Jacksonville was for just $2.5 million.

So now he’s a free agent again, and Seattle is still in the market for a center. Patrick Lewis manned the position admirably the rest of the year, but Pete Carroll didn’t exactly give him a ringing endorsement at season’s end. The performance of the entire line leaves everyone’s job in jeopardy, and the center position might just be the biggest priority.

Could the second time around be the right time for Wisniewski and the Hawks? Seattle prefers to invest in younger free agents who’s best years are still ahead of them and he’ll only be 27 when the season starts. He’s a good center but not one to likely become a star. What will his asking price be this year? Could Tampa Bay’s Evan Smith’s deal be a guide? Smith signed his first multi-year deal at the age of 27, paying him $14.25 million over 4 years with $7.25 million guaranteed. Is $3.5 million a year too much for Wisniewski?

Next: Would Richie Incognito fit in Seattle?

This all may be a moot point, as Jacksonville reportedly wants him back and has nearly $70 million in available salary cap space. But if the Seahawks want a good, young, experienced starting center to anchor their offensive line for the next 3 to 4 years at a reasonable cost, they could do a lot worse than going right back to where they started in their free agent search last year.