As we enter the second half of the season, it's becoming more apparent whose contenders, and whose pretenders. For those doubting the first-place 5-2 Seattle Seahawks, they've made it abundantly clear they are all-in for this season by acquiring DL Leonard Williams from the New York Giants.
Divisional rival, the San Francisco 49ers, who many believe have one of the best rosters in the NFC, also made a big splash prior to the trade deadline. A team that is known for their pass rush acquired DE Chase Young from the Washington Commanders for a 3rd round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While San Francisco has been struggling defensively this year, especially in their 3-game losing streak, they feel the addition of Chase Young will unleash this pass rush. Seattle, a team that is top 5 in sacks, beefed up their defensive line with versatile Leonard Williams, who can play both inside and out. With both games between Seattle and San Francisco happening in a three week span, there is no doubt that the stretch of the season will determine who walks away on top of the West.
Why the Seattle Seahawks won the NFL Trade Deadline
To be honest, I don't think either trade sets each team farther apart from the other. Eight weeks into the season, I think both teams have questions surrounding their quarterback play as of late. But, overall, feel pretty confident about how far of a run they can make come January.
However, many are banging on Seattle for the price paid in exchange for Leonard Williams in comparison to what San Francisco gave up to get Chase Young. Quite frankly, I get the criticism on the surface. Why pay more for an older player who doesn't have as much upside as Chase Young?
Well, the answer to that question carries more complexities than one would think. When examining each roster and the price paid, it becomes clearer that the Seahawks actually won the trade deadline over the 49ers.
Why the 49ers got Chase Young at the price they paid
At first, it was pretty discouraging when I heard the news that the 49ers acquired Chase Young. An already dominant defensive front featuring Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, and Arik Armstead, is now going to cause more headaches for opposing offensive lines. Although, the 49ers' defensive line hasn't been as quite productive as expected in 2023.
Primarily, because Nick Bosa missed all of training camp while holding out for a new contract. More so, the rest of the 49ers defensive front hasn't taken advantage of Bosa being doubled. That's where Chase Young comes into play.
Chase Young was the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year, showing a lot of promise and delivering on the hype coming out of college. In the following two seasons, he's had only 1.5 sacks, in-part, because he's dealt with injuries, only playing in 12 games in 2021 and 2022. Now, he's shown signs of the dominance portrayed in his rookie campaign in 2023.
Predominantly, and this is the main reason why the 49ers were able to get him for just a third-round pick because he is in his contract year. The Commanders declined his 5th-year option, putting pressure on Young to put up the statistics in order to earn the payday of his desires. Certainly, he felt the pressure as Young has had an impressive 2023 season with 5 sacks and 10 pressures.
I say that to say, that while he might make an immediate impact on this San Francisco defense and help clean up some of the mess that's been put on tape over the three-game losing skid, I'm not sure how long he'll actually be in San Francisco. If he stays on pace with his current numbers, the only way he stays in San Francisco is by taking a pay cut. Which, seems highly unlikely as he is playing for his first big-money contract.
Granted, the 49ers currently have a quarterback under center who is on a rookie contract. So, now is the time to take advantage of that. But, they already are. Plenty of guys on this team have big contracts. So, what exactly is the game plan moving forward? His rushing mate, Nick Bosa is already the highest-paid defensive end in the NFL. The next four highest-paid pass-rushers have an average salary of $22.62 million. The franchise tag in 2023 for defensive ends was roughly $20 million.
How the Seattle Seahawks won the trade deadline
After inquiring about several defensive linemen, the Seattle Seahawks acquired Leonard Williams from the New York Giants. A Pro Bowl defensive lineman who is going to help take this Seattle line to another level. The loss of Uchenna Nwosu was filled with veteran Frank Clark. A former Seahawk familiar with how they run things.
While Leonard has no familiarilty with Seattle's system, he does have some friendly faces on defense. Safety tandom Julian Love and Jamal Adams were both teammates with Leonard in his New York tenure on both the Jets and Giants. More importantly, it's a good cultural fit for Williams.
Although it's hard to dispute that Leonard is a good player, the majority were upset with the draft capital given up for him. Did the Seahawks overpay? No. Essentially, the Giants paid a premium for the second-round pick. Of the $10 million still owed to Big Cat, New York took on the majority of it. Seattle will owe him about $647,000. While that may not sound like a big deal, it could help wonders in the future if the Seahawks need to make another roster move due to injury.
Secondly, having two third-rounders in the 2024 NFL Draft allowed the Seahawks to give up a second-rounder. With that said, giving up a second-rounder for a one-year rental, or in this case, a four-month rental, is unlikely. Leonard Williams is 29 years old and has received multiple big-money contracts in comparison to Chase Young.
As a result of that, he will be more likely to take less in the off-season. Maybe it's a 1-year deal or multi-year deal, nonetheless, Seattle will be better positioned to retain Willams than San Francisco will be to retain Young. The Seahawks have an enormous amount of young talent on this team, meaning there are a lot of guys still on rookie contracts.
At quarterback, Seattle has a potential out from Geno's contract in the off-season. If they were to do that, they'd free up more space assuming they were to draft a quarterback. If they decide to retain Geno, they still have the flexibility to work with the cap and bring back Williams. I truly like the deals made by each team. I think it's a testament to where they believe they currently rank in the NFC. But, I think long-term, the Seahawks ultimately walk out as winners over the 49ers.