Looking into Seahawks rookie deal extension candidates and what they might get
The Seattle Seahawks have just three rookie deal extension candidates. The team can extend their contracts, let the current deal expire, or even cut the player So who gets what?
The Seahawks only have three players with rookie deals expiring after 2024. They had just three picks in the 2021 draft in no small part due to the blockbuster trade that brought Jamal Adams to Seattle from New York. The Hawks sent their 2021 first and third-round picks, along with a 2022 first-rounder and Bradley Macdougald to the Jets in the deal. I thought it was a great deal at the time and still thought so heading into this season, despite his injuries. Now, not so much.
That deal is done, though, so let's focus on what the Hawks may do with the few players they did draft in 2021. It didn't exactly compare to the draft classes that followed in 2022 or 2023. But that doesn't mean Seattle didn't get some value from their selections. John Schneider and Pete Carroll addressed team needs with the draft, adding wide receiver Dee Eskridge, cornerback Tre Brown, and tackle Stone Forsythe. Time to dive in and see if we have any keepers in this group.
The Seattle Seahawks should cut their losses on Dee Eskridge
I was a big fan of the Dee Eskridge selection at the time. As it turns out, his speed and quickness didn't exactly translate to NFL success. Let's not forget that the second-round pick out of Western Michigan ran a 4.38 40 and turned in a time of 6.93 in the three-cone drill at the Combine. At the time, he was projected as the perfect third receiver for Seattle. He was faster than Tyler Lockett and quicker than DK Metcalf. More to the point, he expected to be a serious upgrade to the Hawks' main WR3 at the time, Freddie Swain.
As we all know, those projections didn't exactly pan out. Eskridge missed seven games in each of his first two seasons due to injuries. When he did play, he was - well, let's say he was less than spectacular. Part of the blame goes to the Seattle offensive scheme - "Hey, let's run a jet sweep with Dee", followed by "Let's hit him in the flat" and nothing else. Even allowing for that, he didn't produce.
In his first two seasons, he had just 17 receptions on 33 targets. That's an abysmal 52 percent catch rate. Even Metcalf - never known as having the surest hands - posted 55 percent this past year, and that was the worst of his career.
Even worse, Eskridge was suspended for six games this year for off-the-field issues, to be kind, and still missed time with injuries. He did have some success returning kicks in 2023, but it's hardly worth keeping a guy on the roster for one 66-yard return. Releasing Eskridge would save almost $1.5 million against this year's cap, according to spotrac.com. As it turned out, Eskridge was D'Worst pick of 2021 for the Seahawks. Time to cut their losses.