3 former Seahawks players we're glad are gone, 2 we wish never left
By Lee Vowell
Losing Bobby Wagner (again) will be tough
Wagner left once before, of course. He was released by Seattle in the 2022 offseason and he played one year for the Los Angeles Rams before returning to the Seahawks. Sadly, that return would only last one season, too. Wagner will be on his third team in three years after he signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency.
Wagner will always be a Seahawk to most 12s, however. He is one of the best players in franchise history and was a great person off the field. He was not going to be a good fit in new head coach Mike Macdonald's system as Macdonald requires his linebackers to cover well and that was never Wagner's strength. But just because Wagner is gone does not mean he won't be missed.
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Damien Lewis couldn't come back at his asking price
Over the previous four seasons, and since Seattle chose Lewis out of LSU in the 2020 NFL draft, the offensive lineman was arguably the best lineman the Seahawks had. That is both good and bad. Overall, Seattle simply has not had good lines, though hopefully left tackle Charles Cross will keep improving and developing. Lewis was good for Seattle but not great in relation to the rest of the league.
But good for Lewis in that he got paid a lot of money this offseason to join the Carolina Panthers. His contract is for four years and as much as $53 million. That averages out to $13.25 million a season.
There is no way that the Seahawks should have tried to match that, however. Lewis was graded as just the 37th-best guard in the NFL in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He allowed the highest amount of pressures (29) since his rookie season and he has always taken too many penalties.