Some former Seattle Seahawks got scooped up fairly quickly in free agency this offseason. That is a bit surprising as there are some years where no one really wants to pay former Seattle players. Plus, while Seattle has not exactly been awful in the last couple of years, they also have not been a team of All-Pros.
Not only are Seattle players getting signed, but some have inked deals for a decent amount of money. Good for them as general manager John Schneider was very unlikely to offer contracts anywhere close to what a few players received. The NFL is a business and making as much money as one can in a short amount of time is ultimately the name of the game.
Of the players that follow, none are ones in which 12s likely say "Good riddance!" They aren't bad people and they weren't terrible players. But their new teams likely overpaid for them.
Former Seattle Seahawks guard Damien Lewis signed with the Carolina Panthers
New contract: Four years and $53 million with $26.2 million guaranteed
Lewis did not have his best season in 2023, but he was arguably the Seahawks' best offensive lineman over the last four seasons. He began as a right guard and then flipped to the left side. That kind of versatility is good to have in the NFL, but that should not mean one gets paid top dollar for versatility alone. But the Panthers so desperately wanted Lewis that they made him the 14th-highest-paid guard in the league on an average-year basis.
The issue is that Lewis is arguably not even a top-30 guard. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he was the 37th-highest-graded guard in the league this past season. He graded better in 2022, but he was worse in 2021. Lewis may have consistently been better than most offensive linemen Seattle had, but he was not consistently good. The Panthers overpaid for him.
Running back DeeJay Dallas signed with the Arizona Cardinals
New contract: Three years and $8.25 million with $2.395 million guaranteed
Many 12s likely did not want to see Dallas go. He also seemed like he could have done more in his career with the team as a running back but he did not get many chances. He ran a little stronger than he looked and on kickoffs he was more elusive than expected. Dallas was also a fairly funny guy whose humor transposed over to his profile photo on the NFL website (a shoutout to Seattle Kraken player Brandon Tanev).
But what isn't funny is that the Seahawks will now be playing Dallas twice a year after he signed with the NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals. Hopefully, Arizona gives him a few more chances to have the ball than Seattle did. Plus, Arizona did not exactly stiff themselves on Dallas' deal because only $2.395 million is guaranteed. And yet, that still might be an overpay.
Seattle might have wanted Dallas back at two years and $3.5 million but only $1.5 million of that guaranteed. Dallas simply has not shown he can produce consistently. What he might be able to do decently is return kickoffs, but the NFL might be adjusting how kickoffs are done which would leave even less room for Dallas to make a splash.
If you take away his longest run in the NFL - 41 yards in 2022 - Dallas only averaged 3.8 yards per carry in four seasons. He has not scored a touchdown since 2021. Dallas was a fun player and Seahawks fans probably wish him the best, but Cardinals fans might be regretting how much their team paid for Dallas.
Quarterback Drew Lock signed with the New York Giants
New contract: One year for a fully guaranteed $5 million
Lock got a pay raise for 2024 instead of the $4 million he made with Seattle this past season. He deserved it as he wasn't bad in two starts. He believes he can be a starter in the NFL and this is one reason he signed with the New York Giants. He felt like that team gave him a better shot to start as he was not going to beat out Geno Smith in Seattle.
But the New York Giants currently have the number 6 pick in the 2024 NFL draft and there is a great likelihood that they will choose a quarterback. Lock currently would compete with Daniel Jones as the starter, but a high-drafted rookie might have first dibs on who is QB1 in New York. Plus, Jones is by far the higher paid quarter in New York so the Giants could choose to release Lock and keep Jones and the rookie (and maybe backup Tommy DeVito).
If that happens, and that is as likely an outcome as anything else, then Lock would be out of a job and the Giants would simply have wasted $5 million. Plus, how well Lock can acclimate to the stress of playing in New York after struggling at times with the Denver media when he was with the Broncos is up for debate.
Hopefully, Lock will do well wherever he ends up, including with the Giants. He was a good teammate in Seattle and he and his wife have a new baby. But he just might not be with the Giants long-term.