Seahawks 3-Year Plan: Seattle Set Up For Present, Future Following Active Offseason
When it comes to viewing the world with the glass half full mindset, few people in the NFL come close to matching Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, whose positive energy has been at the forefront building one of the league's most stable, competitive franchises.
Keeping his relentless optimism in mind, nobody should have been surprised to see Carroll giddy about his team's prospects following the first day of Seattle's rookie minicamp earlier this month. After making a surprise playoff appearance with Geno Smith replacing Russell Wilson and a bevy of rookies playing key roles last season, with another exciting crop of draft picks in tow and several intriguing free agent additions, he believes they are just entering a window to contend for championships.
"I really am charged about this group and the whole offseason has been that," Carroll said. "There's a sense of something special happening and I've felt this before in other years, coming off of the year before, not quite getting the business taken care of. And you can feel that it's there for us. That's why I was so excited to go into the draft with the numbers that we had and the opportunity that we had. And then we feel like we really accomplished a lot there. It just adds to it. So it brings us to this time."
While Carroll didn't reference any specific years for comparison, there are undeniable parallels between the 2012 team and last year's squad. Back then, the team was breaking in a rookie quarterback in Russell Wilson and had few proven commodities on either side of the football and yet, after being counted out before the season, the Seahawks defied those expectations and ushered in a bright future advancing to the Divisional Round.
Smith wasn't quite able to match Wilson leading Seattle to double digit wins or a playoff victory, but he accomplished the same feat taking a young team to the playoffs in impressive fashion when few outside of the facility expected them to be competitive in the NFC West. After a busy offseason infusing the roster with additional talent, the franchise looks poised to be a factor in the NFC for years to come.
Looking at the state of the roster over the next three years, where have the Seahawks set themselves up for success long-term on both sides of the ball? And which positions will be the biggest question marks in the near future?
Offense
Where the Seahawks are in great shape long-term: Locking up star players to long-term contracts over the past couple of offseasons, Seattle has former All-Pro talents DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett signed through 2025, ensuring Geno Smith has his top two weapons for the duration of his new three-year extension. Meanwhile, in the event Lockett starts to slow down and the team faces a difficult decision on his future down the road, the team invested a first-round pick in crafty slot wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, further solidifying one of the best receiving corps in the NFL and providing a contingency plan at the position.
In the trenches, the Seahawks hit on a pair of selections with Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, who each started 16 regular season games together as rookies. Those two stalwarts should be bookends together for at least the next three years, if not longer, while investing day three selections in last month's draft on guard Anthony Bradford and center Olu Oluwatimi could yield two more quality young starters along the offensive line in time. Behind them, the team should have a top-tier running back group with Ken Walker III and rookies Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh all under contract through at least 2025.
Starters under contract for the Seahawks on offense over the next three seasons by position.
Where the Seahawks have questions beyond 2023: Coming off a breakthrough season in which he earned his first Pro Bowl nod and won Comeback Player of the Year, while the organization remains bullish on him picking up where he left off, Smith will have to prove last year wasn't a fluke or quarterback could re-emerge as a pressing need in quick order. The front office granted itself some built-in protections with much of his three-year, $105 extension consisting of performance-based escalators and if he fails to replicate his numbers from a year ago, the Seahawks could opt to move on.
Away from quarterback, veteran center Evan Brown as well as guards Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes will all be free agents next March and if Bradford and/or Oluwatimi doesn't surface as a viable options, Seattle could be on the hunt for multiple starters in the interior offensive line again. Meanwhile, Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson are slated to be free agents and oft-injured Will Dissly has a cap number north of $10 million in the final year of his contract in 2024, creating major questions at tight end for the future.
Defense
Where the Seahawks are in great shape long-term: Already with a Pro Bowler in Tariq Woolen on a cheap rookie deal through 2025, Seattle doubled down at cornerback by investing their No. 5 overall pick in Devon Witherspoon, giving the team a duo of shutdown defenders reminiscent of the "Legion of Boom" days. Those two players will join forces with Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams, and Julian Love, who all are under contract for at least the next two years, as well as intriguing rookie Jerrick Reed II and returning second-year player Joey Blount in a deep safety group.
Up front, the Seahawks have used second-round picks on edge defenders Boye Mafe and Derick Hall in the past two drafts, giving them two players with starter upside under contract through 2025. Since he missed his rookie season due to injury, Darrell Taylor will be a restricted free agent next year, making it likely he will be signed through the next two seasons as well, while extending Uchenna Nwosu should be a priority. In the interior, defensive tackles Cameron Young and Mike Morris will have to prove their worth as day three selections, but if those picks hit, they could be fixtures in the trenches for several seasons to come alongside free agent prize Dre'Mont Jones.
Starters under contract for the Seahawks on defense over the next three seasons by position.
Where the Seahawks have questions beyond 2023: With the return of the beloved Bobby Wagner and signing of Devin Bush and expected return of Jordyn Brooks coming back from an ACL tear, Seattle has a stable of quality starters at linebacker for 2023. But all three of those players will be unrestricted free agents next March, leaving only former undrafted signees Jon Rhattigan and Vi Jones on the depth chart. At least one of those players will probably be re-signed, but still, there's a gaping hole in the middle of the defense long-term with no linebackers being drafted in April.
General manager John Schneider will also have 38 million reasons to ponder over with the safety group next spring. After missing more than 25 games over the past three seasons due to injury, Adams will carry a $23 million cap hit next year and cutting him would open up almost $10 million in cap relief. Entering the final year of his contract, Diggs will have a $15.1 million cap hit as well with $11 million in cap savings if released. Extensions could be considered for both players too to help lessen the strain on the team's finances and keep them in the fold, but difficult choices could be on the horizon with the pair of stars.
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