Khalil Mack is expected to test the free agent market this offseason, and even at age 34, he's projected to be the top pass rusher available. He'd certainly be a welcome addition to the Seattle Seahawks, but they have options who are much better fits for the team.
Before you go off on me 12s, I get it. Mack is one of the premium pass rushers in the game, so how could the Hawks want anyone instead of him? Yes, he "only" had seven sacks last season, but he had 49 pressures in all and added 23 stops to his resume. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him at 90.4 overall, with grades of 79.9 as a pass rusher and 88.8 in run defense.
The problem is that he's projected to get the biggest contract of any edge rusher for 2025. One site, spotrac.com, sees him as signing a three-year deal for $70.1 million. Pro Football Focus projects him signing for two years for $45 million. Either way, our good friends at boltbeat.com expect the pass rush master to stay with the Chargers.
The Seahawks should target any of these great alternatives to Mack
Before I dive into my choices, I'd like to add that I don't see how adding Mack could ever be a realistic prospect for the Hawks. The Sporting News ran an article predicting that he would sign with Seattle, but it simply doesn't make sense. To be fair, this article expanded on one here on Fansided which projected landing spots for 30 free agents.
But as the first article cited, the Seahawks are still over the cap and have a lot of roster changes to make. The Chargers already have $65 million in cap space. For that reason alone, it's ludicrous to expect to see the Hawks land such a pricey free agent.
One more thing before we look over the alternatives. It's worth taking a look at one player the Seahawks should definitely trade or release to help clear some of that cap space they desperately need. The deadline this season is March 12th. The Hawks already made one big move by renegotiating the Big Cat's' contract. The move dropped the Hawks cap deficit from $29 million to $14 million, according to overthecap.com. But there's still a lot of work to be done.
Dre'Mont Jones
Seattle can start here. Dre'Mont Jones has a current cap hit of $25.6 million. The Hawks would save $10.6 million by releasing him before the deadline. For comparison's sake with my prospective replacements, let's check his stats. He earned a PFF grade of 54.3, 65.9 pass rush, 45.5 vs the run, with 45 pressures, and three sacks in 617 snaps. Not to make a direct comparison - *ahem* - but that's exactly the same number of snaps as Mack had last season.
Derek Barnett
My first candidate would be a much cheaper alternative than either Jones or Mack. Derek Barnett is projected to get a one-year deal for $7.1 million. 74.6 PFF grade, 68.5 pass, 72.6 run. 18 pressures, and five sacks in 390 snaps. Age 29. Barnett had 18 pressures and 3 sacks in 2023, and 33 pressures and two sacks in 2021 in 718 snaps. He missed almost all of 2023 due to injury. No, he's not Khalil Mack, but he'd be an upgrade over Jones for much less money, and that's the point.
Charles Omenihu
Charles Omenihui is expected to get a contract for four years, $47.3 million, an average of $11.8 million. PFF grade of 64.7, 60.1 pass, 63.5 run. 12 pressures, and one sack in 225 snaps. Age 28. Omenihu racked up 7 sacks and 29 pressures in 2023, and 54 pressures with five sacks in 2022. At 6'5" and 280 pounds, he's much more similar to Jones than Barnett.
Preston Smith
Preston Smith is a late entry here, as Pittsburgh just released the 10-year vet Friday evening. PFF grade of 64.2, 59.3 pass, 64.3 run. 18 pressures and five sacks in 469 snaps. Age 32. Smith began the season with the Packers and was traded to the Steelers after Week 9. He was more effective against the run in Green Bay - at least according to PFF - with a grade of 67.6, as opposed to only 56.5 in Pittsburgh.
In 2023, Smith was far more effective, with grades of 73.9, 68.1 pass, and 74.3 run. He totaled 45 pressures and 9 sacks. As he was just released, neither spotrac.com nor overthecap.com has projected contract numbers for him. Based on the projection for Barnett and my final selection, I expect him to get offers in the range of $6 to $7 million for one year.
Jarran Reed
Surprise surprise! I think 12s are a bit more familiar with this guy. Jarran Reed is projected to get a deal for one year and $5.7 million. PFF grade of 70.6, 73.7 pass, 58.2 run. 48 pressures, and four sacks in 679 snaps. Age 32. Reed totaled 43 pressures and seven sacks in 2023, and 33 pressures and four sacks in 2022 for Green Bay.
Reed is 6'3" and was listed at 307 last season. He played mostly in the B gap last season; that is, between the opposing guard and tackle. Reed has spent the majority of his career playing inside, but in 2020, he did get over 400 snaps lining up across from the tackle.
I'm not suggesting that the Hawks move the big fella to defensive end, but he's an undisputed team leader. He wouldn't be a direct substitute for Mack or Jones, unlike this trio. But retaining Reed and cutting Jones would free up the money needed to sign a solid alternative.
This is as good a time as any to mention that the Seahawks need to address their train wreck of an offensive line before they worry about adding to a pretty solid pass rush. The left guard is a free agent, the right guard position is in constant rotation, and the right tackle has a troubling injury history. So maybe, fix that first.