Seahawks Free Agency Superlatives

Nearly a month into the new league year, Seattle prioritized re-signing its own free agents while adding a few intriguing pieces from other teams. Reporters Corbin Smith and Ty Gonzalez recap free agency thus far with their annual superlatives.

While the NFL offseason still has a long way to with the draft approaching later this month in Las Vegas, free agency has slowed down to a relative crawl with few deals being announced in recent days and cap space running low for many teams.

Among those suddenly strapped for cash, despite opening the new league year with almost $50 million in cap room, the Seahawks currently have less than $10 million in effective cap space available after re-signing several of their own players and adding five outside free agents. Additional moves could be made to create space if necessary, but after trading away Russell Wilson and releasing Bobby Wagner, general manager John Schneider likely won't be executing any splashy deals at this stage.

Looking at Seattle's free agent haul thus far, which moves stand out as the team's best? Which ones offer the most bang for the buck? And which ones might be regrettable down the road? Reporters Corbin Smith and Ty Gonzalez dish out their annual free agent superlatives:

Best Signing

Corbin Smith: Quandre Diggs

After losing Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, the Seahawks simply could not afford to lose Diggs, whose value both on and off the field cannot be understated. Paying two safeties close to $30 million may not seem like the best use of cap dollars, but the position remains important in coach Pete Carroll's scheme and well-ran organizations pay their best players. As the only player in the NFL over the past five years to register at least three interceptions each season, bringing him back on a three-year, $40 million deal has the potential to be viewed as a bargain down the road as the team aims to stay competitive in the NFC West.

Ty Gonzalez: Diggs

The Seahawks’ decision to run the risk of losing Diggs by declining to apply the franchise tag to him was concerning, but their ability to turn around and get him signed to a long-term deal in short order may be their biggest win of the offseason. Now they have one of the NFL’s top free safeties under contract through the 2024 campaign at a more-than-reasonable price tag, pairing him with a perennial All-Pro candidate in Jamal Adams for years to come. 

Underrated Signing

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Corbin Smith: Uchenna Nwosu

Stuck in the shadow of Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, Nwosu played sparingly in his first three NFL seasons coming out of USC. But as a replacement for Ingram last season, the electric hybrid linebacker produced 5.0 sacks and 40 quarterback pressures, proving himself to be a viable starter. Only 25 years old, he will be joining the Seahawks at the perfect time as they transition to a 3-4 defense that suits his strengths as an overhang defender capable of rushing the passer and dropping into coverage. While $10 million per year may seem steep for a player who has never had more than 5.0 sacks in a season, he's on an upward trajectory and has a shot at breaking out in 2022 and his contract has big-time steal potential.

Ty Gonzalez: Joel Iyiegbuniwe

In Larry Izzo’s first official season as special teams coordinator last year, his unit was arguably the Seahawks’ greatest strength. The addition of Iyiegbuniwe, who follows former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai to Seattle, only makes that group stronger. Iyiegbuniwe was a core special-teamer in Chicago and should fit in nicely with the likes of Nick Bellore, Travis Homer and company.

Best Bargain

Corbin Smith: Rashaad Penny

Despite his lengthy injury history, Penny's historic finish to the 2021 season created a surprisingly strong market for his services. Numerous teams attempted to sign the former first-round pick out of San Diego State, but in the end, he took less to return to the Seahawks on a one-year, $5.75 million deal. Even given the diminished value of running backs in today's NFL, that contract makes him just the 17th highest-paid player at the position. If he's able to stay healthy and comes close to replicating his production from late last year over a full season, he offers Seattle All-Pro upside on a team-friendly deal that could net him a far bigger contract next spring. If things don't work out, they didn't break the bank to keep him and can move on.

Ty Gonzalez: Uchenna Nwosu

Admittedly, this is more projection than anything. Yes, Nwosu became the highest-paid outside addition the Seahawks have made in the Schneider-Carroll era, but quality pass rushing talent is hard to come by at an average annual salary of $10 million. While he hasn’t put up huge numbers and only has roughly a half-season’s worth of eye-catching production, he’s still just 25 years old and finally started to pop after stepping out of the shadow of Melvin Ingram in Los Angeles last year. If his 2021 campaign was more of a precursor to a breakout than an entire coming-out party, this deal could be one of Schneider’s biggest free agent steals in his 13-year tenure.

Biggest Surprise

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Corbin Smith: Lack of activity at offensive tackle

There's a good chance Seattle could address the tackle position before the draft with former starters Duane Brown and Brandon Shell still unsigned. But aside from swinging and missing trying to sign Trent Brown, who spurned the team after making a visit and re-signed with the Patriots, the Seahawks haven't been linked to any other veteran tackles. Currently, only three tackles are on the roster, with only Jake Curhan having more than 15 regular season snaps to his name. The team may think 2021 sixth-round pick Stone Forsythe is ready to jump into the starting lineup, but even if that's the case, it's a shocker that they haven't brought in a veteran to compete against him or Curhan to this point.

Ty Gonzalez: Will Dissly's multi-year contract

There’s no denying that Dissly has been a key cog in the Seahawks’ offense, particularly for his blocking ability. But $8 million APY, with cap hits hovering $10 million in 2023 and 2024, is a striking number for a tight end who’s never eclipsed 262 receiving yards and has two significant lower-leg injuries under his belt. If there isn’t an immediate and significant uptick in production from him, this deal could look pretty ugly in a hurry. 

Biggest Head-Scratcher

Corbin Smith: Paying Dissly top-15 tight end money

If Dissly can rediscover his pre-injuries form from 2018 and 2019 and become a more consistent contributor in the passing game, his three-year, $24 million contract may offer better value than anticipated. The issue, of course, is that Dissly has been a relative non-factor as a receiver despite being healthy each of the last two seasons, catching just 45 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns in 31 games. With a different quarterback, he may see more opportunities with the football in his hands. But based on recent production, it appears the Seahawks overpaid for a blocking tight end and had less money to spend on other position groups as a result. A strong argument can be made that such capital could have been spent more wisely retaining D.J. Reed or pursuing an outside free agent.

Ty Gonzalez: Allowing D.J. Reed to walk, join Jets

Statistically speaking, Reed was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL last season and seemed to only get better as time went along. The fact the Seahawks let that kind of talent walk for a reasonable three-year, $33 million contract with the Jets is a mind-boggling outcome, especially when paired with the young corner’s accusation that the team came to him with a “disrespectful” offer. Now, for yet another season, Seattle looks poised to patch together its cornerback group with high-risk, moderate-reward players instead of going with what appeared to be the first sure thing it’s had in a while.