Ranking Seahawks top-four free agents in order of who must be re-signed
By Lee Vowell
Number 1: Rashaad Penny
Rashaad Penny? Really. Well, yes. He went from “please never re-sign him” to number one must re-sign in five games. There are several reasons for this.
One is that a good run game transforms a Rams-style offense and this is what Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron is trying to do. Perhaps the biggest reason Seattle finished 4-2 in the final six games was that Rashaad Penny ran for 137 yards or more in three of those victories. He made Russell Wilson’s job easier. He allowed the offense to reach its full potential.
In the final three games of the 2021 season, the Seahawks averaged 38 points a game. This wasn’t because of Wilson or D.K. Metcalf or Tyler Lockett suddenly being better; It was because Rashaad Penny was the best back in the NFL over the final five games of the season.
Another reason to re-sign Penny is that the running back position doesn’t make what it used to. Even a Penny that had been healthy for a full season and run for 1,400 yards wouldn’t get more than $5-6 million. Re-signing him (and hoping he stays healthy) gives the Seahawks a very good player who transforms one side of the ball but at a rate that allows money to be spent on other positions too.
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Lastly, while we all know Penny has been injured a ton, he is also still just 26 years old and signing him to an incentive-laden deal for three years would mean he is only 29 at the end of the contract. He is still young enough to be very good for several years and help Seattle win lots of games.