4 free agents that Seattle Seahawks must absolutely chase this coming offseason
By Lee Vowell
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For once, 12s got what they wanted in the 2023 offseason when the Seattle Seahawks were much more aggressive in free agency. General manager John Schneider signed Dre'Mont Jones to the richest free agent contract Seattle had signed anyone to since Schneider and Pete Carroll came to Seattle in 2010. The problem is that Jones has not exactly been terrific this season.
So does spending so much on Jones and that not working out as well as hoped for so far scare Schneider off from chasing other high-priced free agents in 2024? Let's hope not. Seattle is on the cusp of years-long mediocrity and mediocrity is harder to overcome than just being terrible. At least being terrible means high draft picks.
Seattle needs to remake its roster some. Possibly there is some kind of locker room issue or just the chemistry is wrong. The Seahawks currently only have $2,139,249 in cap room next year, but this will likely grow with some roster moves - releasing underperforming Quandre Diggs would save $11 million alone, for example - and the cap will likely be higher next year. So here is Seattle should go after in free agency.
Seahawks should chase defensive lineman Leonard Williams
Seattle traded a second-round pick to the New York Giants for Leonard Williams at the 2023 trade deadline. I have seen some 12s comment (on 12th Man Rising Facebook where I get all my news, I guess) that Williams has not been good since he came to Seattle and this is simply not correct. Seattle might have wasted the trade as the team has been on a slide for most of Williams' time in the Emerald City, but that certainly isn't Williams' fault.
In six games for Seattle, Williams has 3 sacks, 21 total pressures, and 10 run stuffs. He has solid grades across the board from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) overall with Seattle. Williams will be 30 years old before Week 1 of 2024, but he has a history of staying healthy in his career so he would be a safe bet to keep doing so.
He is going to cost a bit, as his current deal paid him $63 million over three years. Since he aging a bit, maybe some teams will be scared off by offering him $20 million a season, but not by much. PFF projects Williams signing for three years and $51.75 million which Seattle needs to offer. Plus, I would hope that Schneider and Carroll were thinking beyond 2023 with Williams when they traded their second-round pick for him.