Pete Carroll and John Schneider.
The 2022 NFL offseason begins in a couple of weeks. So I thought I’d bring the loyal PNWS readers my ideal Seattle Seahawks plan. The plan consists of three phases. Part 1 addresses four major areas, in-house free agents, restricted free agents, and potential cap casualties. Next is Phase 2, which addresses league-wide free agency and the draft. Finally, Phase 3 deals with post-June 1 transactions to finalize the roster.
Before dealing with the internal free agents, a franchise stalwart needs to be taken care of.
Before any other business, a valuable member of the franchise needs attention. Bobby Wagner gets an extension. The Seattle Seahawks add 3-years, $36M with a $12M signing bonus, and a void year for the last season of the contract.
This move allows him to remain a lifetime Seahawk which he’s earned. Restructuring Wagner’s contract also lowers his cap hit this season from $20.35M down to a manageable $12M, resulting in an $8.35M savings.
Let’s start with some cap casualties. These are players the Seahawks shouldn’t retain; cutting them will open more cap space to be used later on. Players on the chopping block are Kerry Hyder, Jason Meyers, Chris Carson, and Nick Bellore. These cuts save the team another $11.7M against the cap. If a trade for LJ Collier and/ or Gabe Jackson isn’t available, they get cut as well.
We move on to the resigning portion of our show now. Up first up is Quandre Diggs. The All-Pro safety resigns in Seattle for four years and $44M with a $10M signing bonus and a cap hit of $10.75M. Next, Rashaad Penny gets a two-year prove-it deal for $12M and a $4M signing bonus for a $6M cap hit.
Sidney Jones did well in his brief Seahawks stint and earned a new contract. He re-ups for two years. $6M with a $2M signing bonus. Last but not least is Al Woods, who gets a three-year, $9M deal with a void year. These moves eat up 23.5M in cap space.
The final move is a five-year, $105M extension for wide receiver DK Metcalf. This move should make DK very happy and show Russell Wilson that the Seattle Seahawks are committed to winning, which should make him happy as well. His new cap hit is $21M though, which is a $16.7M raise against the cap. With these moves, the Seahawks, who started this with roughly $50M in cap space (per OvertheCap.com), and still have around $28M to spend on other teams’ free agents as well as the 2022 draft picks.
Now I know some of you will want to debate these moves and say I am crazy. That’s ok with me. Some will not agree with these moves, such as keeping Wagner or letting DJ Reed and Rasheem Green go. A few of you will say we need to bring back Duane Brown because of the uncertainty about who the Seahawks will replace him with.
Some 12s might not like the numbers I threw out to retain certain players. And let’s be honest, it is impossible to know what it will take to bring anyone back or to bring anyone in. This is just part one of the offseason plan; next up will be NFL free agents.
In Phase 2, the Seattle Seahawks sign only one outside player at the beginning of NFL free agency. That causes 12s to get restless as it seems like the team isn’t trying to improve as much as they hoped, especially with all the cap space they have to spend. But part of that space is a bit of an illusion.
That’s why some of the proposed cap casualties will have to wait until after June 1. At that time, the Seahawks part ways with Jackson, Carson, Hyder, and Benson Mayowa to save another $17M. But they can’t spend all that money until after the draft and other teams let go of their cap casualties.
Back to the 2022 NFL Draft, Seattle has six total picks, and the team will use those choices assuming no trades happen. Ya, right, this is trader John Schneider. Anyway, in round two, the Seahawks select Isaiah Spiller RB from Texas A&M. He is a 6’1,” 215-pounds, runs with aggression, and has great after-contact balance.
That pick is followed by Round 3 selection OT Abraham Lucas from Washington State. His size (6’6,” 322-pounds) combines with balance, an ability to absorb power, and good footwork to handle the edge.
On to the Seahawks’ two fourth round picks. With the first choice, Seattle selects cornerback Tariq Woolen from UTSA. He’s a dark horse in this draft class and another late-round gem found by John Schneider and Pete Carroll. At 6’3,” 205-pounds with a 78″ wingspan, Woolen fits nicely into the arm length requirements that Coach Pete likes.
Penn State tackle Rasheed Walker is the Seattle Seahawks’ other selection in Round 4. Walker stands 6’6,” 325-pounds; his best attributes are agility and a relentless motor.
Round 5 comes next, and center Alec Lindstrom from Boston College is the Seahawks choice. His impressive footwork and technical skills will be useful on Seattle’s interior offensive line. With no pick in the sixth, the Seahawks move on to the final round.
Jason Myers was among the early cap casualties, so Seattle uses this pick to replace him with Cameron Dicker from the Texas Longhorns. Dicker was steady at UT, connecting on 206 of 210 PAT’s (including 70 in a row), and also has a career-long 57-yard field goal.
Now we get to the last portion of the offseason, the Seahawks post-June 1 transactions. First, they bring in TE Maxx Williams on a three-year, $18M deal. Williams is a reliable target and will have a shot to set career highs catching balls from Russ.
O-line help is next. Right tackle Morgan Moses gets a three-year deal with a void year. He costs the Seattle Seahawks $15M, including a $6M signing bonus, bringing his annual cap hit to a reasonable $5M. While the idea of replacing one former New York Jets RT with another is always iffy, Moses is solid and an immediate upgrade over Shell. His addition provides Walker and last year’s UDFA sensation Jack Curhan time to develop.
Seattle’s final signing is Justin Houston, a skilled pass rusher and someone who will be a solid addition to the Seahawks defensive line rotation. The veteran edge rusher gets a one-year, $6M deal.
In closing, the Seattle Seahawks let some valuable players leave but replaced them with some quality players and some young draft picks. I’m particularly excited to see how Tariq Woolen pans out. The stable of running backs is in good hands even if Penny doesn’t work out.
Once again, the offensive line gets reworked, but now it’s younger and more talented. It remains to be seen how all the new players mesh together, though. Additionally, the defense gets some needed upgrades. And the team picks up an accurate, younger, cheaper kicker.
Overall I’d say it was a very good offseason, and with Russ healthy, the Seattle Seahawks will be much improved. They could be even better if RW3 restructures his contract.
These changes point to a postseason return and at least a shot at the Lombardi trophy. Let me know in the comments below what you think of my Seattle Seahawks plan or how you would do it differently. Until next time 12s. GO HAWKS!!!