4 pending Seattle Seahawks free agents who probably won't be back in 2024

Uchenna Nwosu - Seattle Seahawks edge rusher

I really want Nwosu to return after 2023. He was by far the Seahawks' best and most consistent edge rusher in 2022 and there is no reason to think he might be even better in 2023. In 2022, Nwosu had 26 quarterback hits for Seattle and the second-best was Darrell Taylor and Quinton Jefferson with 13 each. Nwosu also had 12 tackles-for-loss and second was Taylor with 8. But while Taylor had a bunch of sacks and TFLs late in the season which made his numbers look better, Nwosu was solid throughout the year.

Nwosu is only 26 years old, though, so he should have many years left to be a very good pass rusher in the NFL. He is a free agent after 2023, however. Seattle has gotten a relative bargain out of Nwosu so far. He was paid a base salary of only $1,035,000 in 2022 and his cap hit in 2023 is just $13,010,000.

That last part sounds like a lot of money for most human beings to be paid, but in his chosen profession Nwosu will be the 21st-highest paid edge rusher in 2023. He could make a lot more money in 2024 if he has another productive year. And there is no reason Nwosu should be as good, if not better, this coming season as Seattle's overall defense should be better.

In 2024, Seattle will still have Taylor (due to his missing his rookie year of 2020 he will be a restricted free agent in 2024 which means he will likely return to Seattle), Boye Mafe, and Derick Hall so Seattle might choose to go with that core and let Nwosu walk if the asking price is too much. And if I were Nwosu and had a good 2023 season, I'd ask for something closer to $20 million in 2024. That's too much for the Seahawks, but likely not too much for some other team.