Ranking Seahawks Offensive Free Agents: Who's No. 2 After Geno Smith?
In this story:
Less than a week after their season ended in a wild card loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks have jumped head-first into the offseason, already re-signing veteran kicker Jason Myers to a four-year deal on Wednesday.
Overall, the Seahawks have 32 pending free agents on their roster at the moment, with 24 of those players set to be unrestricted free agents in mid-March. While only 12 of those players are on offense, tough choices await general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll as they figure out who will be brought back.
Here's a look at all 12 pending offensive free agents ranked in terms of talent, positional importance, potential cost, and priority for the Seahawks to re-sign.
1. Geno Smith
Easily the biggest name among Seattle's free agents, Smith will aim to cash in following a career year replacing Russell Wilson and leading the team to the playoffs. For those hoping the veteran signal caller stays on a hometown discount, he has earned every penny on an extension worth more than $30 million per year after finishing in the top five in the NFL in touchdown passes, completion percentage, and passer rating in 2022. Though Schneider has acknowledged there will be a limit in regard to what the team will pay him, expect a non-exclusive franchise tag worth an estimated $32.4 million to be the floor to keep him.
2. Rashaad Penny
When healthy, Penny has been as dynamic of a backfield difference maker as anyone in the NFL. For his career, he's averaging 5.7 yards per carry, exhibiting a penchant for burning opponents with explosive 20-plus runs with elite speed and size. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to stay on the field, with a broken ankle costing him the final 12 games of the 2022 season after missing nearly 30 games in his first four seasons. He won't be back at a similar price point to last year's one-year deal, but as a home run hitting change of pace back to complement Ken Walker III, it would make sense to re-sign him on a veteran's minimum deal choked full of incentives.
Logging a career-high in snaps in 2022, Haynes could be in line for a promotion to starting right guard if re-signed by the Seahawks.
3. Phil Haynes
Playing the most regular season snaps of his career rotating with Gabe Jackson at right guard, Haynes had a hit and miss 2022 campaign. He was slightly more effective in pass protection than Jackson, posting a 96.4 pass blocking efficiency rate that still ranked 72nd out of 88 qualified guards per Pro Football Focus. Where he stood out was in the run game, where his ability to generate more consistent push off the line of scrimmage and climb to the second level helped the team average 134 rushing yards per game in the four contests where he received double-digit run blocking reps. Only 27 years old, Haynes has far more upside than an aging Jackson and at the right price, retaining him to compete against a rookie would make a ton of sense.
4. Austin Blythe
Reuniting with coordinator Shane Waldron and line coach Andy Dickerson, Blythe brought much-needed stability to the pivot position thanks to his excellent communication skills and understanding of the scheme. He also took on a mentorship role working with rookie tackles Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross, helping them achieve successful first NFL seasons. But while he was steady in pass protection and ranked a respectable 16th in PFF's pass blocking grades among centers, his lack of size and tendency to get bullied at the line of scrimmage creates major limitations in the run game, where he finished ranked 29th out of 31 qualified centers. Seattle could do worse than bringing him back, but he shouldn't walk in as a starter either and the position remains an area in need of an upgrade.
5. Marquise Goodwin
Turning in his best season since 2018, Goodwin showed he still has elite speed and quietly became a trusted third wideout for Smith, finishing tied for fifth on the team in receptions and fourth in receiving yards. But injuries were a problem throughout the year, including missing the last two games on injured reserve with a shoulder issue. Now 32 years old, he's not a long term solution for the Seahawks as they seek a dynamic slot to pair with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, but it wouldn't be a bad move to re-sign him to another one-year contract on a budget-friendly deal to compete in training camp.
6. Travis Homer
Similar to Penny, Homer has battled frequent durability woes in four NFL seasons, including spending two separate stints on injured reserve in 2022. When healthy, he's been a reliable pass protector and an elite special teams contributor, which gives him a bit of value heading into free agency. However, excluding a 73-yard touchdown run on a fake punt in 2021, he's been a relative non-factor in the run game with 380 rushing yards in 48 games and hasn't been a consistent factor as a receiver either. While he could be back to compete again for Seattle's third down back role, it's far from a given he will return.
Drew Lock will likely investigate other opportunities with the Seahawks poised to re-sign Geno Smith.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
7. Drew Lock
Carroll recently insinuated that Seattle would like to have Lock back in the fold for a second season after he impressed the coaching staff with his work ethic and attitude. But it will be difficult to re-sign both him and Smith, especially considering Lock is only 26 years old and several teams will be in the market for quarterback help. Assuming Smith re-signs or receives the franchise tag, he won't have a chance to compete for the starting job this time around and he will likely be looking for a better opportunity to see the field. Considering his youth and physical tools, someone else should take a flier on him.
8. Godwin Igwebuike
Rarely playing on offense, Igwebuike likely won't factor into Seattle's backfield plans moving forward. However, he should be prioritized to return as a kick returner after bringing much-needed juice to the Seahawks' special teams unit in the final month of the 2022 season. Flashing great speed, vision, and instincts, he averaged almost 27 yards per return and posted 458 return yards in just six games, setting his team up with excellent starting field position on a regular basis. The team may look into other options, but he will be cheap to bring back as an exclusive rights free agent and should be the front runner to return kicks next fall.
9. Kyle Fuller
Previously starting a handful of games for the Seahawks at center, Fuller has always been respected by the coaching staff due to his versatility, as he has played regular season snaps at both guard spots as well as tackle previously. With that said, he hasn't proven himself to be a capable starter at any of those positions and while he won't cost much to re-sign, it may be time to move on seeking a superior backup alternative.
10. Laquon Treadwell
Taking on a larger role for a couple of weeks in the second half of the season, Treadwell made a few clutch third down grabs in his brief stint with the Seahawks before Cade Johnson supplanted him in the final two games. The former first-round pick could be re-signed to partake in the team's offseason program, but there won't be a rush to bring him back into the fold either and younger options would have the inside track to a roster spot once camp arrives.
While he has been a key cog on special teams, Penny Hart found himself on the outside looking in among Seattle's receivers in 2022.
11. Penny Hart
A valued special teams player in his three seasons with the Seahawks, Hart saw the likes of Treadwell and Johnson pass him on the depth chart in the second half and only played 34 offensive snaps total. Though respected by the coaching staff, it's hard to envision the team tendering him as a restricted free agent, but he could eventually be back on a cheaper one-year deal if he doesn't go elsewhere.
12. Cody Thompson
Like Hart, Thompson has bided his time on the practice squad over the past couple of seasons with hopes of finally cracking Seattle's 53-man roster. But after missing the entire season with an injury, his chances of competing for a spot next fall seem slim to none and the team may pursue other options to fill out the receiver depth chart.
Hey, 12s! Get your Seahawks Tickets from SI Tickets ... HERE!
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Seahawks? Click Here to subscribe to AllSeahawks.com's Newsletter.
Follow All Seahawks.com on Twitter and Facebook
Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @lockedonseahawks today! Click here To Listen.
Want even more Seattle Seahawks news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
