4 great free agents Seattle Seahawks could've signed but didn't

Edge rusher Shaquil Barrett

Signed for one season and $9 million with the Miami Dolphins

Barrett could have simply chosen to stay somewhere where the weather is warmer. He has spent the last five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before moving across the state to play for Miami. While he has seemingly been in the NFL for 20 years, he is still just 31 years old. He has also never had a bad season. Plus, besides 2022, Barrett tends to stay healthy and productive.

His per-game average dropped a bit this past season, but likely only because he was getting fewer snaps per game. He played 62 percent of snaps compared to at least 71 percent in every other season he spent with Tampa Bay. He had 4.5 sacks but he still produced 49 total pressures including 37 hurries. If he can do that again in 2024, $9 million should have been an easy amount for Seattle to spend.

That the Seahawks did not chase an edge rusher this offseason might imply the team is wanting to draft one early in the 2024 draft. Uchenna Nwosu will be returning in 2024 after being lost for the 2023 season after he tore a pec muscle in Week 7. Boye Mafe improved in his second season and could explode under Macdonald in his third year.

Even if Seattle drafts an edge rusher and Nwuso and Mafe are productive, great teams have a bunch of pass rushers. Barrett would have added instant production for the team and Barrett is also pretty good against the run as well. He could be a three-down player as needed.