With Little Depth at Receiver, Seahawks Should Take Advantage of Saturated Market

Due to a saturated free agency market and a stacked draft class, the cost of receivers is all over the place this offseason. If the market continues to trend in the direction it's heading, the Seahawks may be able to find value to help fill out their receiving corps.

The free agency market has been incredibly inconsistent thus far, whether it be players earning well more than expected or significantly less. Perhaps this is no better exhibited than in the current receiver market, which has seen names like Nelson Agholor earn big money while a more consistent producer in Marvin Jones has settled for a relative bargain.

There is still a long list of available wideouts, but not a ton of money to go around as teams enter the second phase of free agency. Given a truly saturated market and a deep receiver class in the 2021 NFL Draft, it's inevitable that the longer these players remain unsigned, the more they become at a disadvantage.

We're already seeing examples of this with the consensus top available receiver, Kenny Golladay. Despite being one of the most productive receivers in 2018 and '19, and only seeing a drop in production due to injury in 2020, the lone reported offer Golladay has received is a one-year, prove-it deal from the Bengals. 

The players who agreed to terms with their respective teams first - like Agholor - got paid, but the inconsistency of dollar figures compared to production is eye-catching. Here's a look at the top 11 contracts agreed to by receivers thus far and their last three years of production:

PLAYER	AGE	2021 TEAM	CONTRACT	RECEPTIONS	RECEIVING YARDS	RECEIVING TDs
Corey Davis	26	NYJ	3 yr/$37 million	173	2,476	11
Curtis Samuel	25	WAS	3 yr/$34.5 million	170	1,972	14
Nelson Agholor	28	NE	2 yr/$22 million	151	1,995	15
Kendrick Bourne	26	NE	3 yr/$15 million	121	1,512	11
Jamal Agnew	26	JAC	3 yr/$14.25 million	14	87	0
Marvin Jones	31	JAC	2 yr/$12.5 million	173	2,265	23
A.J. Green	33	ARI	1 yr/$6 million	168	2,295	16
Emmanuel Sanders	34	BUF	1 yr/$6 million	198	2,463	14
Andre Roberts	33	HOU	2 yr/$5.5 million	17	133	1
Tyrell Williams	29	DET	1 yr/$4 million	126	2,032	15
John Brown	31	LV	1 yr/$3.75 million	147	2,233	14

Of course, other factors have played into some of these deals, such as age and 2020 production. Two of these players are primarily return specialists, which makes the money in some of these deals even more striking. John Brown making less of an annual salary than Jamal Agnew is, frankly, head-scratching.

While it remains to be seen if it's truly crashing, the receiver market is clearly all over the place right now. The longer this goes on, the more appealing it should be to the financially burdened Seahawks. They've already lost Phillip Dorsett to the Jaguars and have two other noteworthy receivers in David Moore and Josh Gordon currently sitting in free agency. Behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, they have 2020 sixth-round selection Freddie Swain and at least two or three wide open roster spots.

To be clear, the market won't crash and burn to the point that Golladay or JuJu Smith-Schuster become realistic options for the Seahawks. But they may be able to aim a little higher while not having to alter their ideal budget much. They are, of course, devoid of cap space at the moment following their recent moves - which put them at roughly $1.4 million in available funds, per OverTheCap.com - but the expectation is they should be able to create more financial flexibility over the coming days. 

While a long shot, that could put a player like T.Y. Hilton on the table for the Seahawks, depending on how much longer he remains available and how willing Seattle is to get creative with its contract structuring. This isn't just about making a potential splash at the position, however, but raising the floor of their depth as well.

They should have the opportunity to sign a pair of solid receivers to really lengthen their ranks. One simple option would be a reunion with Moore, but they could also look to the likes of Josh Reynolds, Marquise Goodwin, and Sammy Watkins. Judging by the current status of the market, it's possible they could lock down any number of these players without having to dole out cash they simply don't have.

Unlike most teams, Seattle can't afford to hold out until the draft to address their receiving corps. With just three picks as of now and a plethora of other needs along their roster, the Seahawks will have to find at least some of their depth through free agency.

They've reportedly added one offensive weapon in former Rams tight end Gerald Everett, but there's still work to be done. One of the biggest reasons their offense faltered towards the end of the 2020 season was the lack of a reliable tertiary receiving option behind Lockett and Metcalf. Moore took a step back and Jacob Hollister, although solid in his time with the Seahawks, is not the ideal player for that role. Everett gives them an upgrade in that role on paper, but that doesn't change the lack of depth they have at wideout.

Bottom line: The Seahawks have to get better, and deeper. The only way they can truly do that is through free agency with the little bit of salary cap space they have. Having to rely upon finding values on the market, there may be no better place to do so than at receiver.