For the first time since 2010, Pete Carroll isn’t calling the shots for the Seattle Seahawks. General manager John Schneider, who was required to defer to Carroll on personnel matters, now has full roster authority for the first time in his career.
How will Schneider and first-time head coach Mike Macdonald approach the 2024 NFL offseason? Seattle won’t have much cap space to work with, so it might have to be picky about which internal free agents they choose to re-sign.
Who Are the Seattle Seahawks’ Upcoming Free Agents?
LBs Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks
Bobby Wagner’s return to Seattle was relatively triumphant. The 33-year-old still played well against the run and acted as a leader at the second level of the Seahawks defense. However, Wagner’s work in coverage left much to be desired, and the club might want to get younger at linebacker.
Meanwhile, Jordyn Brooks made a return of his own, failing to miss a single game after tearing his ACL in Week 17 of the 2022 campaign. While Brooks may not have had the range he showed pre-injury, he has started every Seahawks game and played 80% of the club’s defensive snaps — that’s a win.
MORE: 2024 NFL Free Agents by Position
Could Seattle re-sign Brooks and Wagner? Probably. Wagner’s advanced age will cap his salary, while trepidation around Brooks’ injury status — despite his excellent recovery — could limit his appeal around the league.
The Seahawks don’t have a recent draft pick ready to step up at the second level of their defense, and the 2024 off-ball LB market isn’t robust. If Seattle lets one or both of Brooks or Wagner walk, they might consider using an early draft pick on an inside linebacker.
DT Leonard Williams
The Seahawks sent a second-round pick to the New York Giants to add Leonard Williams at the deadline, and Big Blue also picked up all but $1.17 million of his substantial 2023 salary.
Williams seems like a pure rental from Seattle’s standpoint. His acquisition represented a win-now move, but he doesn’t necessarily fit in with the rest of the Seahawks’ young corps. Seattle already gave a three-year, $51.5 million deal to interior defender Dre’Mont Jones this offseason and probably can’t afford to hand out another considerable contract to a DT.
QB Drew Lock
Had the 2023 offseason gone slightly differently, Drew Lock could be holding down a starting job right now. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly considered Lock last spring after hiring former Seahawks QBs coach Dave Canales as their offensive coordinator.
But the Bucs went with Baker Mayfield instead. Lock made two starts in December, struggling against the San Francisco 49ers before posting a 57.5 QBR in an upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s hard to imagine any team willing to let Lock compete for a starting role. If Seattle intends to draft a development quarterback, Lock may have to go elsewhere.
TEs Noah Fant
Part of the haul Seattle acquired from the Denver Broncos in exchange for QB Russell Wilson, Noah Fant is a former first-round pick and has a few productive seasons on his ledger. He posted at least 40 receptions and 550 yards in his three Broncos campaigns, but his role hasn’t been the same in Seattle.
Instead of hovering in the 70-85% playtime range that he managed in Denver, Fant has only played 55-60% of the Seahawks offensive snaps over the past two seasons. His receiving statistics have dropped off considerably, but the lack of available free-agent TEs will help his case. The 26-year-old could land the second-best free agency tight end contract behind Houston Texans TE Dalton Schultz next spring.
OL Damien Lewis, Phil Haynes, Evan Brown
The entirety of the Seahawks’ starting interior offensive line is headed for free agency, but OG Damien Lewis will likely be the priority. A 2020 third-round selection, Lewis has made 61 starts for Seattle over the past four seasons.
Phil Haynes and Evan Brown seem less likely to return. The Seahawks used fourth- and fifth-round picks on G Anthony Bradford and C Olu Oluwatimi in the 2023 NFL Draft. Bradford already started 10 games in his rookie campaign, while Oluwatimi could be ready to take over at the pivot in 2024.
Other Seahawks 2024 Free Agents
- RB DeeJay Dallas
- TE Colby Parkinson
- OT Jake Curhan (restricted free agent)
- OT Jason Peters
- EDGE Frank Clark
- EDGE Darrell Taylor (RFA)
- DL Mario Edwards Jr.
- LB Devin Bush
- LB Jon Rhattigan (RFA)
- CB Artie Burns
- CB Mike Jackson (RFA)
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