The Seattle Seahawks are just a week away from the 2024 NFL draft. One thing we can be sure of in the draft is that many of the players will not work out long-term. The key is to see the specialness of a player early and not let him go once he begins to develop.
In the five cases that follow, Seattle ultimately let the players go too early. Some had a few good seasons with the team, but the player would be even better after leaving the Seahawks. Maybe some of the seasons they missed would have been different had they stuck with the franchise.
Two of the following players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One could be. Another is an all-time great in the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks gave up way too soon on these draft picks
Kicker returner Michael Bates (drafted in 1992)
Bates had a weird start to his NFL career. Seattle chose him in the sixth round of the 1992 draft but as contract negotiations were different in 1992 than they are in 2024, the Seahawks and Bates could never come to an agreement on a deal. Bates missed what would be his rookie season while he was waiting on contract terms. This actually helped the player, however, as he had been a sprinter at the 1992 Olympics and he needed to get into football shape.
Bates was never going to be very productive as a receiver, but he had elite skill as a kick returner. He took a little time to develop in that area, however. After two seasons with Seattle and being solid on special teams, he was waived and picked up by the Carolina Panthers. Carolina then traded Bates to Cleveland only to have Bates return as a free agent in 1996. This is when Bates began to serve notice to the NFL about how impactful he could be as a kick returner.
From 1996 through 2000, Bates made the Pro Bowl every season as a kick returner. In 1996 and 1997, he led the league in average yards per kick return and he returned five kicks for touchdowns in his Pro Bowl seasons. Seattle had a weak offense in the 1990s and having Bates would have helped give the team a better field position, at least.
Center Kevin Mawae (drafted in 1994)
The Seattle Seahawks took too long to decide what position Mawae was the best fit. He began as a right guard for two years and then was flipped to center in his third year. This would be where he would excel during his career but Seattle lost two seasons of his greatness by having him be a right guard.
Mawae signed with the New York Jets in 1998 and made Second-Team All-Pro in his first year in New York. In 1999, he was First-Team All-Pro and he would begin a string of four straight seasons where he made the Pro Bowl. Mawae also did not miss a game between 1995 through 2005. Imagine an already very good Seattle offensive line in the 2000s if Mawae was added to a line that also had Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson.
Left guard Steve Hutchinson (drafted in 2001)
Speaking of Hutchinson, he was right to leave the Seahawks in free agency in 2006 because he was offered a deal by the Minnesota Vikings for seven years and $49 million with a stipulation that his entire deal would be guaranteed if he was not the highest-paid lineman on the team. That seems self-serving and not think that the team might need to add talent along its offensive line to help Hutchinson succeed as well.
No matter, Hutchinson was excellent for the Seahawks before going to the Vikings, but he was only in Seattle from 2001 through 2005. It is likely not coincidental that Seattle began to get worse the year after Hutchinson left. Seattle could not afford him, sure, but maybe they should have found a way. Hutchinson finished his career five-time First-Team All-Pro (three with the Vikings) and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Center Max Unger (drafted in 2009)
My intention in this article was not to point out how much Seattle has failed to hold on to good offensive linemen, but that is the way it has worked out. Unger is unlikely to be a Hall of Famer like Hutchinson and Mawae, but he was an extremely important part of the Seattle identity in the early 2010s. Unger had the kind of mentality along the offensive line that Marshawn Lynch did in the running back group.
Worse, though, Unger only left the Seahawks because he was traded to the New Orleans Saints for tight end Jimmy Graham after the 2014 season. Seattle added a weapon in Graham they did not have the design to use but Unger leaving left a hole that Seattle is still trying to fill. Unger made three Pro Bowls and was First-Team All-Pro in 2012. He sustained excellence, however, as one of his Pro Bowls was in his final season of 2018.
Edge rusher Frank Clark (drafted in 2015)
With Clark, things get a little wonky. He did not become a full-time starter until 2017 because Seattle still had players such as Michael Bennett. Even as a part-time starter in 2016, though, Clark still had 10 sacks. He had 13 in 2018 which would be his final year with the Seahawks. He was going to be expensive to sign so Seattle worked out a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs where Seattle would franchise tag Clark and then trade him to the Chiefs.
With KC, Clark truly took off. He made three straight Pro Bowls between 2019 and 2021 and while he never reached double-digit sacks again, he would excel in the playoffs where he is among the all-time sack leaders. Clark played big in the big moments and that many times is what matters most. Seattle did bring Clark back in the 2023 season as a free agent, but Clark seemed to have aged quickly and is nowhere near the player he once was.