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The Seattle Seahawks transitioned from the Russell Wilson Era to the Geno Smith Era easier and more quickly than anyone (outside of the building) expected. Now, this NFL offseason, the Seahawks have to continue their on-the-fly rebuild while still staying contenders in the NFC West. Here are four bold Seahawks offseason predictions as to how they do that.
Head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider took a calculated risk by trading Russell Wilson and moving on with Geno Smith last season. But Schneider had an incredible draft, and Carroll coached up the young players and his journeyman quarterback to the tune of a 9-8 record and a playoff berth in 2022.
Now the Seahawks have a young team, two first-round picks (Nos. 5 and 20), and a 32-year-old free-agent signal-caller coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance. With that in mind, here are four bold Seahawks offseason predictions.
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4. OG Gabe Jackson gets cut
The Seahawks come into the 2023 NFL offseason in a great position salary cap-wise. The team has $31,343,071 in cap space, and with a few veteran contract restructurings (Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams, Tyler Lockett, and Will Dissly) the Seahawks can quickly add another $20 million to their balance sheets.
Despite the salary cap space, Seattle can still make some shrewd moves and cut some dead weight to make its situation even better. One of those cuts will likely be right guard Gabe Jackson.
Jackson split time at his position with Phil Haynes last season, and he wasn’t all that good when he was in. In 2023, the Seahawks owe the veteran $11.2 million, and cutting him will save $6.5 million.
This move is less of a bold Seahawks offseason prediction and more of a no-brainer. Still, it is a cut that will likely happen, especially given the next bold Seahawks offseason prediction.
3. Seahawks sign OG Isaac Seumalo in free agency
With all that cap space, the Seahawks can focus on a few high-end free agents who will help in key areas of need. Whether the team cuts Gabe Jackson or not in the 2023 NFL offseason, the interior offensive line is a place the team should focus on.
Philadelphia Eagles OG, Isaac Seumalo, is the least-heralded member of the best offensive line in football, but he is an excellent player and should be rewarded for that in free agency. The Seahawks can bring him in for somewhere around his $12.1 million market value, per Spotrac, and have it not cost all that much more than Jackson.
Adding the 29-year-old Seumalo to outstanding rookie tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, as well as solid left guard Damien Lewis should help solidify the line for the Seahawks QB and Kenneth Walker II for the next several years.
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2. Geno Smith gets a franchise tag
Speaking of the Seahawks' quarterback situation, the team needs to figure out what to do with Geno Smith. The journeyman had an incredible season, blowing his former career-bests out of the water with 4,282 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. And he led the entire NFL in completion percentage, connecting on 69.8% of his passes.
This performance absolutely earned Smith a big-money deal next season. That said, what kind of commitment will the Seahawks make to a QB who will turn 33 next season and had a 34 to 37 touchdown to interception ratio before last year and a 13-21 record as a starter?
The best thing to do with Smith is slap the non-exclusive franchise tag on him this season. That will pay him a well-deserved raise, moving him from $3.5 million last season to $32.4 million in 2023.
This tag allows the Seahawks to keep Smith next season unless another team comes up with a bigger contract and is willing to hand over two first-round picks. And since no team will do that, it keeps Smith in the Pacific Northwest for 2023.
1. Seahawks draft QB Anthony Richardson from Florida
The franchise tag for Geno Smith in 2023 is all well and good, but the Seahawks need to find a QB of the future as well. That’s why the final bold Seahawks offseason prediction is that they draft that player in 2023.
Thanks to the Russell Wilson trade, the Seahawks have two first-round picks this NFL offseason. The team needs to use one of these picks on a highly-touted QB because you never know when you’ll pick this high again.
The player the Seahawks should draft is Florida signal-caller Anthony Richardson.
Draft evaluators agree that Richardson is the most talented passer and QB athlete in this year’s draft. However, he is incredibly raw and won’t help a team in 2023. That is perfect for the Seahawks, who will have Smith next season and can then develop Richardson and make the switch in 2024 or 2025.
