Ranking the top 4 free agents the Seahawks should sign next offseason
By Lee Vowell
Seahawks need defensive tackle Javon Hargrave
Hargrave is one step ahead of Ford. While both Hargrave and Ford are true defensive tackles, Hargrave has proven he can chase down opposing quarterbacks too. Plus, in 2023 he will still be just 30 years so should have several good years left. And he has gotten better every season.
In 2021, Hargrave had 7.5 sacks, his career-best. But this wasn’t such an outlier that Hargrave can’t be expected to get to 6 sacks again. In 2018, he had 6.5 sacks. In both 2019 and 2020, he had at least 4 sacks. An interior pass rush is a complete must-have in a 3-4 base and Hargrave would give the Seahawks the kind of interior pass rush they don’t have currently on the roster.
Hargrave also had 18 quarterback hits in 2021 and 9 tackles for loss, both career-highs. If he can replicate these numbers in 2022, Hargrave is going to demand a long-term pay increase beginning next year and the Seahawks are one of the few teams that can actually give that to him. Yes, he does have a cap hit of $17,802,000 in 2022 but this was mostly based on a pro-rated cap number through 2025.
Hargrave is a free agent in 2023. He stays healthy – he has missed three games in six seasons – and he is getting more and more productive throughout his career. Seattle should sign him to a three-year deal in 2023 and enhance a pass rush that should be very productive over the next few years.