The Seattle Seahawks are going to look much differently in 2024. The coaching staff, save for Karl Scott, has completely changed over. New head coach Mike Macdonald should bring in a much better approach for the defense and overall, even with a number of roster changes, Seattle should be better this coming season.
Some of the players that are leaving simply needed to go. That could be because Seattle did not need to pay them what other teams were willing to offer or that the players simply were not overly good. This is certainly the case with the first player on this list who not only hardly played and wasn't good when he did, but he also was fairly classless.
Other players, however. we might still root for when they are not playing against the Seahawks. 12s may or may not have second-favorite teams, but pulling for a player or two who doesn't wear a Seattle jersey is not doing anything wrong. Two of those players follow.
Three Seattle Seahawks who won't be missed and two who will
Losing Devin Bush means nothing
Devin Bush will not be long-remembered in Seattle as he only spent one season with the team and was not much good at anything. He was a healthy scratch in many games. He did leave 12s a bad parting memory when in Week 17 Bush tackled Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray after Murray had begun his slide to give himself up. Bush then bounced up and celebrated while Murray stayed on the ground for a minute after injuring his leg.
If one looks up the definition of "poor sportsmanship," Bush's photo and a video of what he did to Murray should be there.
The main reason that Bush did not play much was that he was only signed last offseason as insurance in case Jordyn Brooks could not return quickly from a 2022 leg injury. Brooks came back by Week 1, however. Keeping Bush off the field was a lucky move for the Seahawks. Bush signed with the Cleveland Browns this offseason.
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.
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.
DeeJay Dallas signing elsewhere means some of the fun is gone
DeeJay Dallas was never going to be RB1 in Seattle, but he might have been better used by a more imaginative offensive coordinator than Shane Waldron. Now, both Waldron and Dallas are gone. Dallas signed with the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, a place where many former Seahawks seem to end up. The running back is joining L.J. Collier and Evan Brown there.
Dallas was at times a solid punt and kick returner, and he flashed some ability to gain yards when he would get carries. He mostly just sat on the bench and watched, though. But no one could claim Dallas was a bad teammate.
He appeared to have a great sense of humor to help keep his teammates loose. His NFL profile photo was a picture of him mimicking his friend, Brandon Tanev, of the Seattle Kraken. That is the kind of person Dallas was. He wanted to play well, but he also wanted to enjoy what he did.
Seahawks saved money by Drew Lock leaving
Lock, like Dallas, was seemingly a great teammate. He wanted to be the starting quarterback in Seattle, of course, but he did not sulk by being the backup. When his chance to start a couple of games came in 2023, he played relatively well. He also did not try to stir any controversy after Geno Smith returned from injury and went back to being QB1. Lock signed this offseason with the New York Giants for $5 million.
At the time, that only left Smith on the roster at the quarterback spot, but general manager John Schneider would later trade for Sam Howell. Howell will serve as the backup to Smith in 2024, but Howell has a far greater amount of recent starting experience than Drew Lock and Howell is $4 million less expensive. Ultimately, Seattle likely got - at worst - a quarterback as good as Lock but saved money by doing so.