Over the previous 14 offseasons, Seattle Seahawks fans have gotten used to a certain way of the team doing business. We knew that former head coach Pete Carroll would be loyal to players and his coaches and few changes would be made. That is all gone now, though.
Seattle has a new coaching staff led by head coach Mike Macdonald. Part of the excitement for fans is we cannot be sure what Seattle is going to do now. General manager John Schneider has full control over the roster as well so maybe free agency is approached differently and maybe Seattle's draft looks completely different.
While that not knowing might be fun for fans, the same is likely not true for how the players feel. They have to reprove themselves to a new set of coaches. The following three players might be a little nervous.
Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams is not safe
Pete Carroll had a lot of good traits for a human being. He was kind and patient. He often turned the proverbial cheek when a player would do something untoward. But those same traits do not always work well for a football coach. Jamal Adams should consider himself fortunate that he was working for Pete Carroll in Week 15 of 2023 when Adams was told he would not be playing against the Philadelphia Eagles so Adams either stayed home or left the stadium and went home.
The chances of that same situation unfolding with Mike Macdonald as head coach and with strong advice from Leslie Frazier is extremely unlikely. In fact, Adams might have been released immediately following the game had Macdonald been in charge instead of Carroll. Adams being too injured to play is one thing and can't always be helped, but leaving your teammates during an important game is something altogether.
Macdonald does like to play with three safeties on the field at one time more than most other coaches, but he also isn't likely to play Adams much if he does not think Adams will be available. A new head coach means new allegiances will be formed. Macdonald has no ties to Adams so Adams will need to prove he is worthy of a roster spot to the new coach.
Quarterback Geno Smith cannot be marked as safe
Some 12s think Geno Smith should no longer be the starting quarterback for the Seahawks moving forward. I am not one of those who think that. Smith might not be a top-five quarterback, but he also is not a bottom-16 quarterback. He is good enough to lead his team to the playoffs (he did so in 2022) and he is good enough to lead the NFL in completion percentage (2022), the NFC in touchdown passes (2022), and the league in game-winning drives (2023).
But Smith will also turn 34 years old early in the 2024 season and he might not be the long-term option for Seattle. Macdonald might want to get younger at the position as the coach has a six-year deal and will want to re-make the team in his image. This could mean Seattle drafts a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, such as Michigan's J.J. McCarthy who Macdonald worked with when Macdonald was Michigan's defensive coordinator in 2021.
Maybe Macdonald would rather Seattle bring back free agent Drew Lock to lead the team. Lock looked decent in two starts this past season and he is still only 27 years old. There is no guarantee that Lock is as good as Smith, of course, but age could be a factor.
Smith had his base salary of $12.7 million guaranteed for 2024, but he isn't so expensive that Seattle couldn't trade him. Smith's yearly cash is $22.5 million next season which is nearly nothing for a veteran starting quarterback in the NFL. Seattle could still take a quarterback in the first round if Smith's base salary is guaranteed and the rookie could still take Smith's starting spot.
Cornerback Riq Woolen cannot be considered safe
Going from rookie Pro Bowler to out of a starting spot or potentially even a roster spot would be quite the fall. But with Woolen, neither of those can be ruled out. While he got 6 interceptions in 2022 after being taken in the fifth round, the cornerback was also a fantastic tackler and appeared to like using his 6'4" frame to hit small receivers hard. Possibly he was even the second coming of Richard Sherman, an opposing corner who could cover and be great against the run.
But the 2022 version of Woolen disappeared in 2023. He missed 20 percent of his tackle attempts this season, a higher completion percentage when targeted (63.1), and had only 2 interceptions. For much of the year, he seemed afraid of coming up and hitting a ball carrier and he appeared to refuse to try to set an edge on the outside versus the run.
Meanwhile, Michael Jackson was better in coverage in 2023 than Woolen and exceptionally better against the run. The question is what to do with Devon Witherspoon next year. Will Macdonald want to move him more to being a full-time outside corner? If so, that means either Jackson or Woolen are displaced.
If Woolen comes into training camp and does not show Macdonald that he is ready to tackle well, Woolen might sit on the bench. Macdonald will not play someone who doesn't want to participate in bringing ball-carriers down. It is likely too early to give up on Woolen overall as he is clearly capable of covering well, but Woolen might lose his job as a full-time starter.