The off-season is here, delightfully later than 30 other teams, so let’s look at the big things we need to consider over the coming days and weeks. Let me be clear, we’re talking about ‘challenges’ here. Before anyone accuses me of being negative, the Seahawks are very capable of taking these challenges head on and succeeding.
The test to keep the team together
The Seahawks have a lot of cap space ($62m in effective cap). However, we often overlook cash when considering how much a team can spend. There isn’t an endless amount of available money to pay large guaranteed sums that need to go in escrow.
The situation could be complicated further given the franchise is expected to be sold soon.
It’s highly likely Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon will be rewarded with handsome new contracts this year. Previously the peerless Brady Henderson said the pair plus Charles Cross would get new deals. Cross is done, now it’s the turn of Smith-Njigba and Witherspoon.
These contracts will be expensive with big guarantees, creating a challenging situation to keep everyone together for next year. Difficult decisions will need to be made.
Ken Walker’s bargaining position couldn’t be stronger having just won the Super Bowl MVP. Here are the top ‘average per year’ deals at his position:
Saquon Barkley — $20.6m
Christian McCaffrey — $19m
Derrick Henry — $15m
Jonathan Taylor — $14m
Alvin Kamara — $12.25m
Josh Jacobs — $12m
James Cook — $11.5m
Without a strong end to the season, including in the Super Bowl, Walker wouldn’t have touched these numbers. Now it’s perfectly reasonable for his newly appointed agents to ask for top dollar.
At the very least he can expect to be in the Cook, Jacobs and Kamara range.
The franchise tag is projected to cost $14.5m. I’m not convinced they’ll pay that — particularly because it sets a high mark for any extension talks beyond 2026.
Ideally the Seahawks keep Walker. Zach Charbonnet’s injury creates a question mark at the position, plus the options both in the draft and free agency are limited. This is not a good draft class of runners if the hope is to try and save money.
The question is how much are you willing to commit to Walker? I think a few weeks ago the expectation would’ve been to let him test the market. Now, he has the leverage.
The best approach could be to check the lay of the land at the combine and find out what his market is. It will only take one team to push him out of range. Then what? Do you see if the Dolphins will do a deal for De’Von Achane? He’ll be in the same boat in 12 months, needing to be paid.
It’s a very difficult position for the Seahawks. It’ll be taken out of their hands if Walker has a bunch of suitors willing to spend big money. It’ll be interesting to see what they do here and feels like it could go either way.
Then there’s Rashid Shaheed. What’s his market? He’s never had more than 719 receiving yards in a season and in his last three years he hasn’t even topped 500 yards. Yet he’s shown to be a highly dynamic weapon — including as a kick returner.
It also doesn’t help that Klint Kubiak, who worked with him in New Orleans and Seattle, is now the Head Coach of a team with $77m in effective cap space to spend (with the ability to add even more).
Here’s the thing though. Shaheed made it clear when the Seahawks traded for him that he saw Seattle as home now. He said he wanted to sign to stay beyond the 2026 season. I also doubt the Seahawks traded away a fourth and fifth round pick to just let him walk. They got deals done in similar circumstances with Leonard Williams and Ernest Jones. I think the same will happen here.
Working with Kubiak again might be appealing — but is signing for the Raiders? Only, surely, if they are prepared to break the bank.
Provided that doesn’t happen, this feels like a deal everyone will be motivated to get done.
Clearly the Seahawks wanted to keep Coby Bryant long-term because they had extension discussions before the season began. He might be very difficult to keep given he has seven interceptions in his last two seasons.
Wether it’s Bryant or Ty Okada, or even Nick Emmanwori for that matter, the Seahawks have shown they can develop safeties. They might need to back themselves to do it again to at least provide replacement depth.
It’ll be interesting to see what Bryant’s market is. Teams often like to pluck from Super Bowl winners. It’s an easy sell to fans and Bryant has been a very solid player for the Seahawks. If his price is reasonable, they probably keep him. If it isn’t there might not be the money to do it.
Could it be a case of either/or between Walker and Bryant? Maybe. It’d be a shame to lose key additions from the 2022 class. Hopefully they find a way to keep both.
I’m going to assume Riq Woolen will not be re-signed. I also think it’s more likely than not that Boye Mafe will move on for a fresh start somewhere else.
There are two other interesting players to consider. Can they afford to lose both Josh Jobe and Woolen without ready made replacements on the roster? Jobe might be a relatively straight forward retain. Josh Jones also provided excellent tackle depth and did a great job filling in for Charles Cross. Can they bring him back?
With guaranteed money saved for Cross already and with Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba due shortly — they might have to be selective here. It could test their ability to again find value in free agency as they did a year ago, plus draft well (a challenge given the weak state of this class, plus the fact they currently only have four picks).
The draft class will be a challenge
Regulars to the blog will know my thoughts on this draft. It’s weak at the top and lacks depth throughout. It’s one of the worst classes I’ve studied since starting this blog in 2008.
The Seahawks are unlikely to be enthused by their options at #32 and I still think there’s a strong chance they use some of their remaining draft stock to enter the trade market to add talent or replace key players.
I’ve graded 175 prospects for my horizontal board so far. I now have seven players with legit first round grades and a further nine with a grade where I would be prepared to draft them in round one.
You might suggest trading down and accepting your lot. Take a second round graded player at #40 instead of #32. That’s easier said than done. Who’s trading up in this draft?
I don’t think it’s a coincidence they traded two picks for Shaheed. I think they know that the picks dealt — a fourth and fifth rounder — might’ve ended up being players with priority UDFA grades in this class.
How they go about using their assets to retain, replenish and bolster will be fascinating. I think this will be one of John Schneider’s most challenging off-seasons to keep the Seahawks at the top of the NFL.
What are the strongest positional groups in the class? There’s depth at defensive tackle, receiver and linebacker. There are some appealing O-line options early on. There are numbers at EDGE rusher but I think it’s typically a group that flatters to deceive.
I’ve put together my first mock draft for this cycle, based on what I would do with this class, and I’ll publish it later this week.
Appointing a new offensive coordinator
Increasingly it feels like an internal appointment is likely. There’s a dearth of external options, given the Seahawks have had to wait until the season’s conclusion to focus on who replaces Klint Kubiak.
It’s important to remember that they have to interview at least one external ‘Rooney Rule’ candidate for this position. So don’t be surprised if you hear about an interview with at least one individual outside of the building.
This is going to be a big challenge for the Seahawks. They’ve become World Champions by being excellent in all three facets of the game. Regress on offense, even just a bit, and they may not be able to outgun the Rams and other top teams again next year.
It can’t just be about consistency for consistency’s sake. Good play-calling, tactical acumen and game-planning are critical given you’ll effectively be hiring the Head Coach of the offense.
There’s no obvious answer here. Jake Peetz has one year of play-calling experience and that was at LSU. He wasn’t considered for this role 12 months ago. Justin Outten similarly has limited play-calling experience, albeit in the NFL. Andrew Janocko was given an opportunity to call plays during Seattle’s final pre-season game against the Packers. Jay Harbaugh has also coached offense if they feel like he has the skill to transition from coordinating the special teams unit.
External candidates could be difficult to insert into a staff that might remain mostly intact. Can you parachute a new voice into a key leadership role, if they are similarly inexperienced, when the rest of the staff just won a Super Bowl together?
They’ve got to make the most of a challenging situation and hope for the best. If it doesn’t work out, they might be looking again next year — albeit with more available candidates.
Expect the unexpected
You can never be fully sure what happens after you win the Super Bowl. The Seahawks have key veteran players on their roster who are nearing the end of their careers. Jarran Reed is 33, DeMarcus Lawrence turns 34 in April, Leonard Williams is 32 in June while Cooper Kupp turns 33 in the same month.
Hopefully all four choose to continue playing with the idea that this team could come back next year and do it all again. It’s also possible they’ll consider going out on top. The NFL is a brutal sport and the names above have played at warrior-like levels for a long time.
If any were to retire, it would create a hole that would need to be filled — both in terms of quality of play, physicality and leadership. Seeing Williams tweeting about a ‘last dance’ prior to the Super Bowl was unnerving, given how critical he is to this team.
Hopefully they’ll decide to continue. There’s no reason why this team cannot be a contender again in 2026.
