Three Seattle Seahawks who deserve an extension today

Seahawks extension candidate number 2: Shaquill Griffin, CB

Shaquill Griffin has been a difficult study. His rookie year, he showed a lot of promise. However, when he became the number one cornerback for the team in year 2, he was thoroughly exposed. In year 3, he was a Pro-Bowl cornerback and an incredible talent.

From what I can gather about his sophomore slump: he was thinking too much, he let the spotlight get into his head. He also gained a considerable amount of weight to be able to match up better with bigger wide receivers. This caused him to be slow, indecisive and overall ineffective.

Last season, he went back to the basics. He lost weight, gained agility and made a hell of a lot of plays. He was truly deserving of the Pro Bowl nod. He has shown he has the intellect, athleticism and the savviness to be a very good corner. The question, of course, is Shaquill Griffin an elite corner?

My answer today would be no. It’s simple, he doesn’t make the game-changing plays. He is phenomenal defending passes and getting batted balls. I mean shoot, this play was absolutely sensational.

However, he has only 3 interceptions to his name. Two of which came from one game, against an interior quarterback. He has yet to log a forced fumble. It’s those kinds of game-changing plays that can help turn the tides in crunch time.

At this point, he doesn’t provide that. That is in no way saying he can’t get there. I mean he is only 24 years old and his prime is still firmly ahead of him. If he continues his ascent, the sky is the limit.

Offering a comparison to help explain why the Seahawks should extend Griffin today.

This situation is similar to the Frank Clark debacle a few years back. Seattle was in wait and see mode. Clark had shown a lot of promise. However, he had never been the stand-alone star.

If Seattle would have simply extended Clark before the season, they could have likely reached a deal for $14-16 million per year. Similar to what Danielle Hunter got from the Vikings. However, he produced at a Pro-Bowl rate and the market exploded thanks to Demarcus Lawrence’s monster contract. He priced himself out of Seattle.

Hopefully, Seattle learned from this mistake. Reward Griffin with a seemingly expensive contract now, knowing that players like Jalen Ramsey, Jamal Adams, and Desmond King are likely going to blow this market out of the water. Just like Demarcus Lawrence did with the defensive end market in 2019.

My Proposed Extension:

Terms: 3 years, $42 million

Avg Salary: $14 million

GTD: $18 million

Cap Hits by Year:

• 2020: $5.63 million
• 2021: $11.5 million
• 2022: $12.5 million
• 2023: $14.5 million

The 4th season comes from the last remaining year on his rookie deal worth a value of $2.13 million.

I analyzed the market. I found several other deals that are in line with the type of player Griffin is/ can become. Specifically I am referencing players like Marcus Peters and Trae Waynes. Neither has been consistently a true shutdown cornerback but both have shown flashes, and have produced at a high rate.

In giving Griffin a top 10 CB contract value, they are expecting him to not only keep producing but ascend from his leap last year. He has the potential to be a true shut down cornerback. Fortunately, he has youth on his side.