Seahawks Reunion? Case For & Against Former Players Returning to Seattle
Less than two weeks away from the start a new league year and the beginning of the annual free agent period, NFL teams have started to trim fat off of their salary caps by releasing high-priced veteran players.
Among the most notable cap casualties thus far, three former Seattle Seahawks standouts are expected to hit the market before March 15, including linebacker Bobby Wagner and cornerback Shaquill Griffin. On Monday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark joined that group with the expectation he would be released.
As is the case anytime a former standout Seahawk becomes available, speculation has mounted about each impending free agent potentially returning to the Pacific Northwest. Even current players have thrown on their recruiting caps on social media, with safety Quandre Diggs making multiple posts tagging Wagner and Clark with hopes of seeing them don blue and green again.
With Wagner, Clark, and Griffin all poised to hit the market soon searching for new teams, with consideration of cost, age, scheme fit, and recent production, which veteran defender makes the most sense for Seattle to bring back for a second tour?
Bobby Wagner
The Case For Re-Signing Him
Motivated after being released by the Seahawks last March, Wagner showed he still has plenty left in the tank with a resurgent season for the NFC West rival Rams. A rare bright spot during a stunningly bad season for the defending champions marred by injuries to other star players, he racked up 140 tackles, a career-best 6.0 sacks, two interceptions, and 10 tackles for loss, garnering All-Pro honors for the ninth consecutive year as a second team selection.
Receiving the highest overall grade amongst linebackers per Pro Football Focus, Wagner didn't allow a single touchdown in coverage while picking off two passes and generating a trio of pass breakups. Playing at his best against the run, he only was charged with four missed tackles in 17 starts while tacking on 20 quarterback pressures on 113 pass rush attempts, proving he still ranks among the best all-around linebackers in the sport. With Jordyn Brooks recovering from a torn ACL, it would be a natural fit to plug him back into the heart of Seattle's defense.
The Case Against Re-Signing Him
Though Wagner enjoyed a bounce-back season in Los Angeles, he will turn 33 in July and while he's still an incredibly productive player, he doesn't move quite as well as he once did with 11 seasons of NFL tread on his tires. The Seahawks typically ask a lot out of their linebackers in coverage and at this stage of his career, they may prefer a younger, more athletic defender to step in for Brooks and eventually play alongside him for that reason alone.
Coming off yet another All-Pro season, Wagner likely won't be keen on the idea of taking a substantial pay cut in order to come back to Seattle after a year hiatus. But with quarterback Geno Smith receiving a $105 million extension and other significant roster needs to address, that may be the only way the organization can afford to bring him back into the mix.
Frank Clark
The Case For Re-Signing Him
Still only 29 years old, Clark has been a pillar of consistency rushing the quarterback in eight NFL seasons, producing at least 44 quarterback pressures every year since 2016. He's also been adept at creating turnovers and understands the art of punching the ball out of a quarterback's hands, forcing 10 fumbles in his career and three over the previous two seasons in Kansas City. In addition, he has been historically good in playoff games, as he now ranks third all time with 13.5 postseason sacks behind only Willie McGinest and Bruce Smith.
While Seattle already has Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor, and Boye Mafe on the roster, none of those players offer the pedigree Clark does hunting down quarterbacks and his veteran presence would provide another example for the young rushers to learn from. A twitchy rusher who has dropped back in coverage a fair amount during his career, he's scheme flexible and could play as an overhanging linebacker in base fronts out of Clint Hurtt's hybrid 3-4 defense in a pinch.
The Case Against Re-Signing Him
As good as Clark has been in the playoffs for the Chiefs on the way to three Super Bowls and two Lombardi Trophies, his regular season numbers have steadily declined over the past three seasons. After making eight sacks in his first year with the team, he has not exceeded six sacks in a season since, including only getting to the quarterback for 4.5 sacks in 2021. Per PFF, he also hasn't finished higher than 28th in the NFL among defensive ends in pressures since 2020.
On top of his diminishing pass rushing production away from putting on his Superman cape in the playoffs, defending the run has never been Clark's strong suit. Missed tackles have been his Achilles heel since entering the NFL as a second-round pick out of Michigan and given how poorly Seattle defended opposing ground games last season, he wouldn't help solve that problem while likely commanding big bucks that would further limit the team's ability to improve elsewhere.
Shaquill Griffin
The Case For Re-Signing Him
While Griffin endured the worst season of his career with the Jaguars in 2022 and only played in five games, he's only one year removed from a solid first season with the team that signed him to a lucrative multi-year contract. The athletic corner recorded 49 tackles, seven passes defensed, and a forced fumble while starting 14 games, receiving a quality 72.0 overall grade from PFF. He also excelled in limited blitzing opportunities, generating three pressures on three rushes.
In his prior four seasons with Seattle, Griffin racked up 37 pass breakups, including 13 during a Pro Bowl campaign in 2019. Aside from a few busted coverages along the way, he rarely gave up explosive plays downfield and his tackling improved leaps and bounds by the time he left in free agency two offseasons ago. At minimum, he would provide a seasoned veteran who still is only 27 years old to push Mike Jackson and Tre Brown as a starter at his old stead at left cornerback across from Tariq Woolen.
The Case Against Re-Signing Him
Unfortunately, though Griffin has had a good NFL career to this point and did earn a Pro Bowl nod with an excellent 2019 season, he has never made the impact, difference-making plays expected of top-tier starting cornerbacks. Most notably, he has failed to record an interception in three of those six seasons, including both years with the Jaguars. He positions himself to often make plays on the ball, but rarely converts those chances into picks and only has six of them in 76 career games as a result.
Considering his lack of turnovers and the lingering propensity to occasionally whiff on coverage assignments, Griffin likely wouldn't be much of an upgrade, if even a superior option at all, to players already on the roster in Jackson and Brown. Likely to command significant money on the market, it would be easier for the Seahawks to dive into a deep, talented cornerback draft class if they wanted to add more competition to the group while saving cap space to address other needs.
Final Verdict
Whenever talented former Seahawks such as Wagner, Clark, and Griffin become available after being let go by their current teams, fans understandably hope to see a reunion with their former team. In some instances, that has happened, including running back Marshawn Lynch and most recently pass rusher Bruce Irvin returning for a second or even third stint with the franchise.
But more times than not, Seattle has opted not to bring back veteran players who the front office allowed to leave. When general manager John Schneider had an opportunity to re-sign Richard Sherman two years ago, nothing came to fruition. Last August, even at the plea of the player himself, they weren't interested in signing iconic linebacker K.J. Wright to a one-year deal and he ended up retiring instead.
Does that mean Schneider won't consider any of the aforementioned players in free agency? Not necessarily.
Because Brooks could miss significant time to open the 2023 season and Barton's future with the Seahawks is up in the air, linebacker remains a pressing need and this year's draft class lacks many traditional thumpers at the position. From a personnel and talent standpoint, even considering expected athletic decline from an aging player, a reunion with Wagner after another dominant season would make the most sense for both parties if the two sides can find common ground on a contract.
As for Clark and Griffin, while nothing should ever be ruled out, it's debatable whether either player would truly be an upgrade at their respective positions based on the money required to sign them. With strong draft classes at both of their positions and a bevy of high picks in the first three rounds, it would be wiser for Seattle to invest in young, affordable talent instead.
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