Seattle Seahawks free agency: Which free agents Seattle should catch or release

The Seattle Seahawks have 23 players who can hit free agency this offseason. Not all are restricted free agents, however. A couple are restricted and several others have an exclusive rights tag. For the restricted free agents (RFA), Seattle has the right of first refusal and can match any offer made. The exclude rights players (ERFA), Seattle can simply keep them or not as there is much another team can do to get them unless Seattle sets them free.

Seattle doesn’t have a lot of cap room currently. The amount they do have, which will still change quite a bit before free agency (likely by the Seahawks releasing some players currently under contract for next year) starts, is not even enough to pay for their 2024 draft picks right now. Clearly, that will not be the case by the time the draft happens.

But besides trying to potentially sign free agents from other teams, general manager John Schneider will have decisions on which of Seattle's own free agents to try to bring back. Those decisions, of course, may be limited to what cap room Seattle has. But here is what they should be thinking.

The Seahawks have to find a way to bring back these gems

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams

Williams came over at the trade deadline this season and did not disappoint. He was without a doubt the Seahawks best defensive lineman from Week 7 through the rest of the year. Seattle also gave up a second-round pick to get him so that alone should be enough to force Seattle to find the money they need to re-sign the Big Cat. At only 29 years old, Williams should have at least three good years left.

Linebacker Bobby Wagner

Wagner has left Seattle once, of course. He played for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 after Seattle released him the previous offseason. Wagner led the NFL in tackles this year. While he is not great in coverage, he is still terrific at just about everything else. He also shouldn’t be too expensive to re-sign.

Linebacker Jordyn Brooks

Brooks was just below Pro Bowl level this year and could be even better next season and beyond after fully recovering from a band knee injury he suffered late in the 2022 season. Seattle’s defense struggles overall, but is worse when Brooks is not on the field. He should part of the Seahawks defense for the next five years.