The Seattle Seahawks made some significant changes this offseason. After failing to make the playoffs for the second time in the past three seasons, Seattle parted ways with head coach Pete Carroll - along with a good chunk of his coaching staff. The Seahawks also dumped some large contracts, such as safety duo Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, and tight end Will Dissly.
The team also let contributors like Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, and Damien Lewis walk in free agency. The new regime in Seattle, headlined by rookie head coach Mike Macdonald, was in the midst of a roster rehaul. Ahead of April's draft, the team had some decisions to make in free agency.
But they were conservative. Seattle was expected to make some splash free agent signings after clearing cap space. Most pundits predicted Macdonald would recruit some of the defensive weapons he coached in Baltimore who were pending free agents.
Who did the Seahawks miss out on in free agency that they will regret not signing?
However, Seattle was mostly conservative in free agency, prioritizing value over the big names. The Seahawks brought in mostly undervalued veterans -- linebacker Jerome Baker, safety Rayshawn Jenkins, guard Laken Tomlinson, and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.
LB Patrick Queen
The Seahawks bringing in Patrick Queen made just too much sense. A player who's very similar to Jordyn Brooks, and was actually picked one spot after Brooks in the 2020 NFL Draft, Queen was beginning to blossom as a future star under Mike Macdonald in Baltimore. When Seattle let Jordyn Brooks leave for Miami in free agency, it felt almost certain that Seattle was just going to swap him out for Patrick Queen, who would command a similar contract but has had more production and a lesser injury history.
Signing Queen would have been a slam-dunk signing for Seattle who, at the time, had zero real linebackers on the roster. Under Macdonald in 2023, Queen had his best season as a pro, tallying a career-high in tackles and pass breakups. Queen's career trajectory was skyrocketing, yet he wouldn't command the type of money the top linebackers in the league were making.
In a division with Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Tyler Higbee, and Kyler Murray, you want linebackers who can move in space. And that's exactly what Patrick Queen does.
The Seahawks decided against offering Queen a contract and the former Raven signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers (ugh). That left the team with limited options for bringing in free agent linebackers. Seattle settled for Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson, who are currently unsurprisingly injured and not partaking in OTAs. Seattle failed to draft a linebacker until the fourth round when they selected Tyrice Knight from UTEP, widely considered a project that will need a year or two to develop before possibly starting.
As it stands today, the current available healthy starters at linebacker for Seattle are Jon Rhattigan and Patrick O'Connell. Perhaps under the tutelage of Macdonald and new defensive coordinator Aden Durde, Seattle can develop one or both of these linebackers into contributors, but for Seattle's sake, the two incumbents better be healthy to start the season because passing on Patrick Queen is looking worse and worse as the days go by.
Center Tyler Biadasz
Since trading Pro Bowl center Max Unger in 2015, the Seahawks have not had a center start for more than two consecutive seasons. For almost a decade now, longevity and consistent play in the middle of the offensive line has been a serious issue. And they still refuse to commit serious money to the position.
Tyler Biadasz was my draft crush in the 2020 NFL Draft, and I had a first-round grade on him. He ended up being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round, and of course, was one of the steals of the draft. Biadasz, a prospect out of Wisconsin (aka Offensive Linemen University), was extremely polished coming out of college and I genuinely thought he could be the long-term franchise center that had alluded Seattle for the past five years.
Fast forward four years later as his rookie contract expires. The Seahawks have moved on from their latest experiment at center, Evan Brown, who was decent at best, but was mediocre for most of the season. Seattle's only option at center was second-year man Olu Oluwatimi, who looked like he'd need a year or two more to develop into a starting-caliber offensive lineman. It was a perfect opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and sign Biadasz as the long-term center.
Shocker, they did not do that. Seattle doesn't pay offensive linemen - what was I thinking? Biadasz ended up signing with Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders, joining former Seahawk Bobby Wagner. Biadasz, the 2023 Pro Bowler, agreed to a 3-year, $30 million deal with Washington, a contract Seattle could have easily forked over to the young center. Seattle again chose value over proven production, electing to sign Nick Harris to a one-year deal.
For all the great things general manager John Schneider has done for the franchise, he has always had one flaw that irks the heck out of me. He simply doesn't value offensive linemen. Yes, Seattle has drafted an offensive lineman early in drafts, but when it comes time to pay them past their rookie contract, the team has no interest.
And when was the last time Seattle signed a big-name free agent offensive lineman? The last time I can remember the team acquiring a star offensive lineman and investing heavily in them was seven years ago when they traded for tackle Duane Brown.
Unless Nick Harris or Olu take an unexpected huge leap into stardom in 2024, the Seahawks will regret not signing Tyler Biadasz this offseason. The center may be the most important position on the offensive line as they're essentially the quarterback for the line. The revolving door at center has been a serious problem for Seattle over the last decade and it's so painfully obvious. Without a quality center, an offense genuinely cannot produce to its full potential.
Safety Geno Stone
As much as we all loved Quandre Diggs and as much as we wanted Jamal Adams to live up to the king's ransom Seattle gave up for him, I think every Seahawks fan felt a sigh of relief as the Seahawks announced they had released both safeties on the same day. The safety duo was not performing up to their contracts. Aging and injuries had slowed them both down and Seattle was due for some new safeties.
It was all lining up for the Seahawks to sign breakout safety Geno Stone from Baltimore, whose contract had expired in 2024. Stone, who was coached to superstardom by Mike Macdonald, would've been a perfect fit in Seattle. The 25-year-old broke out in 2023 with six interceptions in the first nine weeks of the year. He even committed a Geno-on-Geno crime, picking off Geno Smith in Baltimore's week nine rout of the Seahawks.
Much like the Patrick Queen situation, pundits alike saw Geno Stone and Seattle as a perfect fit. His defensive coordinator was Seattle's new head coach. The Seahawks needed a young, up-and-coming safety after releasing their veteran duo. Seattle had two young superstar corners, and their secondary was one safety away from being one of the best secondaries in football.
It just made sense - why would Seattle release both of their starting safeties if they didn't have a contingency plan? And Geno Stone was a perfect contingency plan.
The days passed and Geno Stone remained unsigned. He was linked to Seattle by anyone with NFL knowledge in the media. We were all sure Seattle and Stone were just finishing up some minor kinks in the contract. Seattle signed safety Rayshawn Jenkins to a small deal, but that was just a veteran depth piece, right? Right?
Wrong. Geno Stone signed a 2-year, $15 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Seahawks had missed out on another Mike Macdonald guy they really should have signed. As it stands today, the Seahawks' starting safeties are Julian Love and newly-signed Rayshawn Jenkins, who were both good, but certainly not great in 2023. However, with a young and talented corner duo to rely on, Love and Jenkins will probably be good enough.
But the frustrating part is that Seattle's safety tandem could've been far better than just good enough. Signing someone like Geno Stone, who has proven elite success under Macdonald, would have bolstered the safety position from serviceable to potentially great. The last, and only, time Seattle fielded a Super Bowl-winning team, the team had an elite, Hall of Fame-caliber safety tandem in Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.
Is it possible to win a Super Bowl with average safeties? Sure, ask the Kansas City Chiefs. But why go away from what's worked in the past? Seattle may live to regret not luring Geno Stone this offseason.