Seattle Seahawks: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all time

Patrick Kerney had one great year with the Seahawks in 2007. After that season, injuries marred and cut short Kerney’s career. He played only two more seasons after 2007. 12s might consider Kerney an overall bust with Seattle, as he signed a six-year contract for $39.5 million before the 2007 season. That could also be a fair assessment.

But his 2007 season was special for any player. Kerney made the Pro Bowl and was named First-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press. He had 14.5 sacks and a 26 quarterback hits, to go along with 16 tackles for loss. Kerney also forced five fumbles.

Shoulder and hip issues limited Kerney to just seven games in 2008. However, he still had five sacks in those seven games. In 2009, Kerney was able to play in 15 games, but the injuries were beginning to slow him down and he could not perform near the level he had in 2007.

Kerney spent the first eight years of his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons. He opted out of the last two years with Atlanta to become an unrestricted free agent, which is when Seattle signed him.

The most disappointing aspect of Kerney’s time in Seattle wasn’t how injuries affected his last two seasons, but in what 12s were not able to see.

Kerney would have been in the last few years of his contract with Seattle, but he would have been on a defense that had young players like Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman had he played out the remainder of his six-year deal. That defense would have been immensely impressive.