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.
Boye Mafe needs to be a Seahawks player for a long time
If I live to be 100, I will never stop bragging about how I called Boye Mafe's ascendancy before almost anyone else. Hey, I cop to my prediction for the unqualified success of Eddie Lacy at least twice a year. I figure I'm entitled to my few accurate prognostications. Anyway, it was waaay back in June that I predicted Mafe would blow up in 2023, and he certainly came closer than anyone else expected until the season was well underway. Oh, and by blowing up, I mean get a lot of sacks and QB hits, not blow up the same way Lacy did.
No, Mafe didn't quite hit double digits in sacks, but considering that he got four of his nine sacks with Uchenna Nwosu on the field isn't exactly a coincidence. Nwosu was lost for the season before the half of Game 6 versus the Cardinals. Mafe's sack rate dropped from 2.01 percent of his snaps with Nwosu to just .81 percent of his snaps after Nwosu went out. For those of you who are somewhat mathy-challenged, that's less than half of his previous rate. Had he been able to sustain his rate with Nwosu in the lineup, he'd have added 12 more sacks, not five. I'd say a 16-sack season could be called a success.
Sure, that's speculation, but it's far more likely than not, given his success in the early part of the season. With Nwosu back, there's no reason that Mafe won't improve on last year's numbers. Oh, and there's that little extra help he'll get by being coached by the guy who was the mastermind of last year's most ferocious defense.
You know, young guy, Mike, something. Yeah, Mike Macdonald. His contract is valid through 2025, but do you really want to negotiate a deal for a guy with back-to-back seasons of 15+ sacks at that point? The Seahawks better extend Mafe now, before his contract numbers blow up more than his pressures.
Check your blood pressure now, 12s. I'm looking at number 27
Ready for a little controversy, 12s? I know you're up for it. So, here's the first name that's going to raise a few eyebrows, along with some blood pressure. Yes, I think the Seahawks need to extend Riq Woolen's contract this year. Yep, I am well aware he has two years left on his rookie deal. I am also well aware that his 2023 season wasn't exactly as successful as his 2022 campaign. That's all the more reason to get that ink dry now because Riq will be back in a big way.
As I said, I'm aware that the Riq Woolen of 2023 didn't have the same numbers as the rookie sensation of 2022, Tariq Woolen. His pass defenses dropped from 16 to 11, his interceptions dropped from six to two, and his missed tackle percentage nearly doubled, from a solid 7.4 percent to a fairly abhorrent 14.5 percent. According to pro-football-reference.com, the source of all of the previous stats, his passer rating allowed shot up from a stellar 48.7 as a rookie to a sophomore slump of 79.8.
As we've noted before many times, there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. No, Mark Twain didn't coin that phrase, but I'm not doing all the legwork around here; go down the rabbit hole yourself. Back on topic: looking at those same statistics, Devon Witherspoon had one interception - albeit a spectacular one at that - and broke up 16 passes. Spoon actually allowed a slightly higher percentage of pass completions, 58.3 percent to Riq's 57.7. Witherspoon's passer rating allowed was significantly higher as well, at 87.9.
No, I'm not arguing that Woolen had a better year than Witherspoon. I'm not going the Eddie Lacy route again, not ever. Witherspoon was terrific in run support and gave the Seahawks a much-needed boost to their pass rush as well. Riq Woolen was missing in action on both counts there. I suspect Lee Vowell was correct when he surmised that Woolen was shying from contact this past season. If Woolen continues that trend in camp, Seattle can proceed with his contract as is. With the rest and rehab he'll get this offseason, I picture Riq Woolen will return to his rookie form. As with Mafe, the time to renegotiate his deal will be obvious before the season starts.
Time for the Seahawks to break the bank a little, rather than blow it up
DK Metcalf is going to make some serious money on his next contract. There can't be any doubt about that. Like Mafe and Woolen, Metcalf's current deal won't expire until after the 2025 season. Unlike those two players, DK isn't on his rookie deal. His current contract, a three-year deal inked before this past season, kept him in Seattle for three years and $72 million. That's a bit of an increase over his rookie deal of four years for a bit under $4.6 million. Per spotrac.com, $58 million of his current contract is guaranteed, and he received a $30 million signing bonus.
It should be obvious that Metcalf will command even bigger dollars in his next deal. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he was the 19th-ranked wide receiver in the league last year. For what it's worth, Tyler Lockett was ranked 28th, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba was 94th. Metcalf was rated ahead of notables like DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper, and Stefon Diggs. Metcalf was actually ranked lower in 2022, at 25th among wideouts. It's probably no surprise that Tyreek Hill was ranked first in both years, right?
As for Metcalf, he showed some pretty remarkable stats last year, especially since it didn't seem to be a particularly outstanding season - at least not by his standards. He set career highs in yards per catch at 16.9, with both yards before and after the catch setting career highs as well. Yes, he still drops the ball too much, but not everyone can be Jake Bobo. The biggest flaw in Metcalf's game last year didn't have anything to do with playing the game, though. Yes, you know all about those penalties.
I like, most 12s, have called out Metcalf in the past for his penchant for committing the most egregious penalties repeatedly throughout his career. For the Cardinals fan who wandered in by mistake, that means he did bad things a lot. Well, a miracle happened. Pete Carroll said for years - yes literally for years - that he and DK had conversations about his penalties. Metcalf defiantly said that he wasn't going to change how he played. That week, for the first time in his career, he had an injury so severe that he couldn't suit up for the Seahawks. When he returned the following week, his demeanor was markedly different. Again, for the Cards fan - that means he played nice.
Yes, Metcalf got tossed from the second game against the Niners, but we all saw what happened. Only the bumbling meatsacks the NFL refers to as officials could miss that Fred Warner instigated the play. As RGIII accurately described the action:
DK Metcalf got ejected for WHAT?!?! pic.twitter.com/Cefx5ViVSL
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 11, 2023
Metcalf cleaned up the stupid penalties after his "injury" timeout. I don't see Mike Macdonald putting up with any recurrence of those acts, ever. So now we're left with the prospect of DK Metcalf in the hands of an actual offensive coordinator in the person of Ryan Grubb, as opposed to whatever it was that Shane Waldron was trying to do. Personally, I'll sign up for five years of that instead of just two. After two years of flying in Grubb's offense, Metcalf's price tag will be higher than his goalpost dunks.