The Seattle Seahawks traded their starting quarterback and moved on from two of their top three receivers in the past week. Combined with what Seattle has done so far in free agency and this offseason, all the focus has definitely been on the defensive side of the ball.
Sure, Seattle signed quarterback Sam Darnold to replace Geno Smith, but who is he going to throw to and who is going to pass protect? Those questions might remain mostly unanswered until the 2025 NFL draft.
Hey 12s, what's new? Anything going on in our lives that we can talk about? Yeah, it's been crazy. Can you imagine the reaction of a Seahawks fan who went off on a retreat at the beginning of the month and came back today? I'm picturing something between "Bruh" and "I'm just going back out for a year, okay?"
Yes, the Seahawks' identity was upended in a matter of days. The quarterback who threw for over 12,000 yards, 71 touchdowns, and led the Hawks to 12 last-minute game-winning drives? Gone. The wide receiver who totaled over 6,300 yards, had 48 TDs, and routinely drew double coverage? Gone. Oh, and they also released their second-leading receiver in receptions, yards, and TDs. All for one second-round and a third-round pick. Yikes.
The Seahawks are taking care of business on the defensive side
It isn't all terrible news in Seattle. The team began the offseason nearly $30 million over the cap, and is now $67 million under, per spotrac.com. They currently rank fifth in the league, a good spot to be with multiple free agents and trade targets on the market. They'll need it as they gutted their offense and have done nothing to address their critical need on the offensive line.
As for the defense, you'd think they have a different general manager working on those contracts. On one hand, you have John Schneider, who gutted the offense to save money. On the other hand, you have John Schneider, who re-signed key defensive players at every opportunity.
Yes, the Seahawks cut Dre'Mont Jones, but he never played up to expectations. But he re-signed Leonard Williams before the 2024 season, then reworked his contract to shave $14 million off the Seahawks' cap. Schneider then re-signed Jarran Reed to a three-year deal. Without the details, we don't know for sure, but $25 million seems a bit rich. Still, the Hawks' defense needs him.
Seattle needs Ernest Jones IV even more, and Schneider made that happen, too. Jones signed a three-year deal worth $33 million with $15 million guaranteed. Jones is worth every penny, regardless of the cap hit. After the failure of the Dodson/Baker experiment, Jones stabilized the middle of the Seahawks' defense.
The Hawks also re-signed cornerback Josh Jobe to a one-year deal. He wasn't exactly the 2022 edition of Riq Woolen, but he wasn't Nehemiah Pritchett, either. Yes, Seattle brought tight end Brady Russell back, too, but so far, he's the only free agent on the offensive side of the ball who's been retained.
It's absolutely true that the offensive players who were shown the door had higher cap hits than any defensive player. Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett had the three highest contracts. There are a few free agents they don't come even close to signing, but as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards said, you don't always get what you want. Let's all hope we get what the Seahawks need.