ESPN insider predicts Seahawks out of high-end OL market with top option gone

Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Sam Howell, Sam Jackson. Whover is starting at quarterback, the Seattle Seahawks aren't going to win a playoff game unless they find a way to fix their long-standing offensive line problem.

On that score, things are going about as well as they normally do. That is to say, so bad it's funny. So far the Seahawks have only managed to sign one offensive lineman: former Baltimore Ravens OL Josh Jones, who's played everywhere but center and likely projects as a backup swing tackle in Seattle.

While it's nice to have versatile offensive line backups at reasonable price-points, this is not going to move the needle the way the Seahawks need it for this unit. Not even close.

Apparently the team did at least try to buck their tradition of steadfastly refusing to pay for quality offensive linemen and made an attempt to sign top guard Will Fries. However, the Minnesota Vikings outbid them with a five-year, $88 million offer he is expected to make official later today.

Rather than dust themselves off and try to sign the next-best offensive lineman on the market, the Seahawks have elected to do exactly nothing since swinging and missing on Fries. According to Seahawks insider Brady Henderson at ESPN, he doesn't see the team signing another high-priced lineman this year.

Now that Fries is off the table, I don't see Seattle signing a high-priced O-lineman. Guessing they'll add another veteran at some point but not an expensive one, in which case they'll need to find a difference maker or two in the draft, where they have five of the top 92 picks. https://t.co/ln7SWxoSvO
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) March 12, 2025

That sound you heard was the cry of future Sam Darnold taking a sack from Jared Verse on third and 14 in the last game of the season.

Fries isn't the only high-end iOL that's already agreed to terms with another team, either. Of the top five names at guard going into the legal tampering period, zero are left on the market.

The Seahawks also could use a proven veteran at center in case Olu Oluwatimi doesn't take a step forward in 2025. There's been no reported interest on their behalf in this market whatsoever, though - and in this case also the best vets are already off the table.

At this point it's worth mentioning that there's no guarantee Abe Lucas can play an entire season at right tackle ever again, either - so the right tackle market is something the Seahawks should have at least been sniffing around. However, the only two free agent right tackles worth mentioning are spoken for, as well.

There's still time, but precious few even decent mid-level options remaining at any OL spot. So, unless John Schneider can suddenly reverse 15 years of bad interior offensive line drafting, the Seahawks will most likely go into the 2025 season with another poor unit up front.

Geno Smith is undeniably great at avoiding pressure and cool as a cucumber, and his protection was so awful last season that it turned him into a frazzled, reckless turnover machine. What will they do to Darnold?

... What will they do to Darnold?

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