Four Seattle Seahawks who have already earned contract extensions
The Seattle Seahawks are in a position to extend several contracts to ensure a bright future for the franchise. As the saying goes, it's always best to get in on the ground floor. In one case, it's a bit late for that, but it's going to be a lot more expensive in a couple of years to keep this guy in Seattle.
The Seahawks received something of a minor miracle this past week as the NFL announced the salary cap was increased to just over $255 million for 2024. That massive $30 million bump moved Seattle from being sellers to buyers on the free agent market. Every other team got the same increase of course. But it still gives the Hawks the breathing room they need to make choices based sheerly on team needs, rather than strictly financial decisions.
It should be obvious that the first concern for President of Football Operations/General Manager John Schneider will be re-signing any of the 18 players the Hawks will lose to free agency this year. Does he re-sign linebacker legend Bobby Wagner or his six-years-younger counterpart Jordyn Brooks? Can he afford to keep Leonard Williams in Seattle, or does he acknowledge the risky trade of two draft picks - including this year's second-rounder - was a gamble that didn't pay off? Those are hardly the only decisions facing the Seahawks for 2024. For now, let's look a bit past this season.
The Seattle Seahawks need to extend these four players now
Looking past their immediate needs, the Hawks have several players who will become free agents after this season or the next. In each case, it would behoove Schneider and his team to work out extensions now, before the first game of the 2024 season. To one degree or another, each of these players has proven their value to the team already. In every case, I can only see their value going up under the new coaching staff. I have a couple of wildcards here that I'm sure will engender some disagreement, and that's okay. Just have a better basis for your argument than "my eyesight".
Julian Love is the only player I have on my list whose contract expires after the 2024 season. When the Hawks signed him back in March, I wrote that he better be spectacular. He was about as spectacular as Clint Hurtt allowed him to be. When Jamal Adams was healthy, Julian Love was on the field for 382 of Seattle's 544 defensive plays. That's just under 70 percent of the time.
Meanwhile, Adams was in the lineup for 460 of those same 544 snaps, almost 85 percent of the Hawks plays. That's 78 plays, at least, that the Seahawks gave to Adams over Love. Only one of those two players made the Pro Bowl, as you may remember. How much better will Love be this year, with this defensive coaching staff? Please, please, please extend Love now.