A detailed plan for the Seahawks offseason post-Geno Smith extension

Seahawks should approach free agency differently

While history would hint at Seattle being quiet during free agency, I think there’s definitely a route to being aggressive, thanks to Geno’s cap hit. While some star defensive tackles like Javon Hargrave or Dre’Mont Jones would be great, the Seahawks will likely be outbid for their services, and I think they can get more bang for their buck. Here are the three moves to make when the legal tampering window for free agency opens on Monday morning.

Move 1: Seahawks should sign defensive lineman Zach Allen

If I’m running the free agency decisions, I’m hunting for ascending players, guys that will be good in 2023 but could be great over the length of a contract. Zach Allen fits the profile. The 26-year-old defensive lineman has been a well-kept secret on some bad Arizona teams, and he’s primed for a major breakout heading into free agency. In 13 games last season, Allen produced 5.5 sacks, 47 tackles, and 8 passes deflected.

That passes-deflected statistic ranked in the top five of all defensive tackles and could be extremely valuable for a Seahawks team that may be seeing a lot of Kyler Murray and Brock Purdy over the length of his contract. A versatile defender that can immediately bring a level of talent the interior defensive line hasn’t seen in years, Allen is a must-have to a team that basically just cleared the deck at the defensive tackle position.

Contract: 3 years, $30 million ($10 mil cap hit)