3 items Seahawks still need to mark off their checklist this offseason

The Seattle Seahawks have seen a large turnover in the franchise this offseason. Pete Carroll and his coaching staff are gone, except for defensive backs coach Karl Scott, and Mike Macdonald as head coach, Ryan Grubb as the new offensive coordinator, and Aden Durde as the new defensive coordinator are the replacements. The roster has changed over quite a bit as well.

Seattle still needs to make some moves, however. The team needs to add more running back depth and that might come in the person of Rashaad Penny. Seattle still needs to decide who is going to be on the 2024 active 53-man roster.

What follows are three sensible moves that would give Seattle a bit more financial flexibility while adding a talented player. Two items have to deal with current contracts. One has to do with wrapping up a player long-term.

The Seattle Seahawks still need to make these moves this offseason

Seattle should move some base salary into a signing bonuses for DK Metcalf

Metcalf's base salary in 2024 is $13 million and his 2025 base is $18 million. In fact, in 2025, Metcalf has no guaranteed money. The Seahawks are not going to work on an extension this offseason for Metcalf but moving some of his base salary into a signing money at least should make the player happy as that means he knows how much he is definitely going to get paid.

Metcalf certainly should not be leaving Seattle any time soon. He is the team's best receiver and is still only 26 years old. He should be with the Seahawks for at least four more seasons if not longer. Plus, moving money from his base salary to a signing bonus allows Seattle to spread the money out a bit and would free up cap room.

After free agency and the NFL draft, Seattle currently has negative effective cap room and needs to sign its draft picks. The team could release players such as Darrell Taylor and Mike Jackson and save $6 million but general manager John Schneider does not want to be forced to do that. Reworking Metcalf's deal a bit is the easiest way to create some cap room.

Seattle should bring back safety Quandre Diggs

Diggs does need to play financially, one might assume. He is due to still be paid a little over $10 million by Seattle. Releasing him saved the team $11 million, however, so the move made sense. But Diggs, while not having nearly as good of a season as he did in his previous three years, was not a bad player for Seattle in 2023. His relative down year may have also been a one-season one-off.

Seattle still has Julian Love and he was a Pro Bowler last year. In free agency, the Seahawks signed safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and K'Von Wallace. Seattle did not choose a safety in the 2024 draft. Mike Macdonald likes to go with three safety sets quite a bit and Love and Jenkins might be fine, though Wallace might not. He had a quarterback rating allowed of 127.4 or higher in each of 2021 and 2022.

Diggs would be an excellent option as the third safety and he is an excellent leader in the locker room. He might accept a relatively low deal as well - less than $2 million - since he already is getting paid the $10 million previously mentioned.

Seattle should sign safety Julian Love to an extension

Sticking with the safety group, the Seahawks should not let Love reach the open market next offseason. While he had his best season in 2023 in his first year with Seattle, he also only just turned 26 years old and could have several years left to play at a high level. Love needs to be made a foundational piece of the defense for three years beyond 2024.

Though John Schneider does not normally like to work out extensions, the risk with Love is watching him make another Pro Bowl this coming season and seeing his asking price go much higher. The safety has a cap number of a bit over $8 million in 2024 and working out an extension would save Seattle money this offseason should they need it. They likely will.

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