Closing in on Championship Weekend in the NFL playoffs, the start of a new league year will be here in the blink of an eye for the Seattle Seahawks and all 31 other teams, meaning the start of free agency sits right around the corner.
As of January 20, Seattle has only 60 players under contract for 2024, leaving a ton of work for general manager John Schneider, coach Mike Macdonald, and the front office to do filling out the 90-man roster between now and the start of the offseason program in May. With a new league year opening on March 12, the team will have 10 players set to become unrestricted free agents, including standout linebacker Ernest Jones.
Looking at those 10 pending free agents, which ones should be the highest priority for Schneider and the front office to re-sign? Based on prior production, roster depth, and contract expectations, here are my rankings for Seattle's unrestricted free agents:
The impact Jones had on Seattle's defense after arriving in a midseason trade from Tennessee cannot be overstated. Prior to being acquired in late October, the team had allowed 23.4 points per game, ranking a pedestrian 19th in scoring defense. But after he jumped into the lineup in Week 8, they allowed just 19 points per game, which would have been good for fourth in scoring defense at the end of the season.
Aside from racking up tackles in bunches with 94 combined stops in 10 starts for the Seahawks, Jones made game changing contributions as a rusher and in coverage, intercepting a pass and producing nine pressures and a sack on 57 blitz opportunities. He also didn't miss many opportunities to make plays, posting a respectable 8.2 percent missed tackle rate and only allowing one touchdown during his extended audition in the middle alongside rookie Tyrice Knight.
Only 25 years old, Jones won't be cheap to re-sign and likely will command top-five linebacker money, but well-ran organizations pay their best players and the dynamic all-around linebacker should be a foundational building block for Macdonald's defense for years to come.
In terms of sack production, Reed wasn't quite as productive in the final season of a two-year contract he signed to return to Seattle in March 2023, generating only 4.5 sacks after recording seven in the season prior. But he actually had a better season as a pass rusher overall, racking up 48 pressures - the second-highest total of his career - along with 10 quarterback hits and a quality 10.7 percent pass rush win rate.
Thriving in the trenches next to Leonard Williams in Macdonald's scheme, Reed also enjoyed a solid season as a run defender, helping the Seahawks improve to 16th in rushing defense after finishing 31st in 2023. Starting all 17 games, he recorded 37 combined tackles with just a single missed tackle attempt against the run and posted a decent 2.8 average yards of depth per tackle to go with five tackles for loss.
Turning 32 in December, Reed's age likely will limit the length of his next contract, whether it comes from Seattle or elsewhere. But given his continued productivity and significant impact in the locker room, bringing him back on a one or two-year deal should be a slam dunk for both sides.
Injuries have kept Burns out of the lineup for large chunks of his three seasons with the Seahawks. However, when he has played, he has quite effective seeing action as both a boundary and nickel cornerback, producing three pass breakups on 33 targets while giving up no touchdowns and under 10 yards per reception in coverage.
Oct 10, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Artie Burns (23) breaks up a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Seattle will be in good shape in the starting lineup at cornerback with Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and Josh Jobe all set to return in 2025. But depth-wise, aside from 2024 fifth-round pick Nehemiah Pritchett, the team lacks experience under contract. Having signed for veteran minimum the past two seasons and drawing praise from Macdonald during training camp last August for his versatility, Burns can and should be brought back for pennies on the dollar as a mentor and quality reserve.
Like Reed, Hankins has been around the block for a while and will be entering his 13th season in 2025, meaning he will continue to take year-to-year deals as he did with Seattle last spring. Given his age and the fact that he primarily plays nose tackle on early downs at this stage of his career, teams likely won't be rushing to sign him early in free agency.
However, from Tony McDaniel to Kevin Williams to Al Woods, the Seahawks have had good fortune with seasoned defensive tackles over the years and Hankins did a fine job in his first season with the franchise. Statistically, he struggled with missed tackles, but his presence as a space plugger in the middle helped keep Jones and Knight clean at the second level and he still contributed 28 tackles, eight pressures, and a sack as the team's primary nose tackle.
If Hankins returns, a move likely won't be made until later waves of free agency. But his ties to defensive coordinator Aden Durde and affordable price point keep the door open for him to run it back in 2025.
Due to injuries, most notably Abraham Lucas missing 21 games over the past two seasons, the Seahawks have received plenty of chances to evaluate Forsythe, who started in 13 of those games at right tackle. Unfortunately, with those opportunities, he hasn't shown himself to be anything more than a serviceable spot starter, and his play has tailed off after making a start or two each time he has been called upon.
Dec 24, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Stone Forsythe (78) looks to block Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark (55) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
As a case in point, Forsythe performed admirably stepping in for George Fant in Seattle's season opening win against Denver in September. But over the next five games, he surrendered a league-worst 35 pressures, frequently allowing quarterback Geno Smith to be under duress, and he wasn't much better in the run game with his 6-8, 307-pound frame continuing to create natural leverage issues for him at the point of attack.
Still just 27 years old, Forsythe has youth along with game experience on his side, but it will be difficult to land more than a one-year prove it deal. With Seattle potentially moving on from Fant, re-signing him on a vet minimum deal would make sense for depth purposes.
When the Seahawks signed Wallace last March, Macdonald envisioned deploying him as a valuable third safety in sub packages. That plan didn't quite materialize as hoped with the veteran defensive back struggling in coverage early in the season and then missing the final seven games with a high ankle sprain while Coby Bryant excelled in the starting lineup and Rayshawn Jenkins took over his third safety role.
After playing last season on a cheap $1.5 million deal, Wallace's versatility as a defensive back who can play both safety spots as well as a big nickel role and special teams creates enough value for Seattle to possibly consider re-signing him. The chances of this happening would increase substantially if the front office decides to part ways with Jenkins, as cutting the veteran would create more than $5 million in cap relief.
Since arriving as a fourth round pick out of Oklahoma in 2021, Brown has flashed starting upside in spurts, impressing as a rookie in five starts before suffering a patellar tendon injury and recording two interceptions and a sack in seven starts in 2023. But consistency has eluded the feisty cornerback, preventing him from maintaining a starting job when healthy.
This past season, Brown won a starting job across from Woolen thanks to a strong training camp and played nearly 250 defensive snaps in Seattle's first six games. But in those contests, he allowed three touchdowns in coverage and quarterbacks posted a sizzling 144.8 passer rating when targeting him, leading to Jobe replacing him in the lineup for the remainder of the season and putting his future with the franchise in jeopardy.
Due to the aforementioned depth concerns at cornerback, Brown returning can't be completely ruled out if he has a lukewarm market. But he didn't seem to mesh with Macdonald's scheme and at this point, a fresh start likely will be best for both parties.
At one time, Tomlinson belonged in the discussion as a top-10 guard in the NFL, including earning Pro Bowl honors in 2021 with the 49ers. But he has been on a steady decline for the past three seasons and though he started all 17 games for the Seahawks, he provided below average play, surrendering 38 pressures and six sacks in pass protection, ranking third and sixth in those categories among guards.
Due to his sterling reputation in the locker room and Seattle's obvious offensive line concerns, another one-year deal for Tomlinson could be a possibility later in the free agency cycle, depending on what other moves are made by the organization. With that said, his best days appear to be well behind him and going with a younger starter offering far more upside moving forward would seem to be the best bet for Seattle.
Acquired from the Jaguars to help offset the absence of an injured Uchenna Nwosu at the start of the regular season, Gipson did next to nothing in five games where he suited up, failing to generate a single tackle or pressure in limited defensive snaps. The Seahawks wound up voluntarily benching him for eight games before an ankle injury suffered in practice landed him on injured reserve.
Dealing a sixth-round pick to Jacksonville for Gipson didn't pan out and it's hard to foresee Seattle bringing him back after he failed to make any impact this season. If Dre'Mont Jones and/or Nwosu winds up becoming a cap casualty, a veteran minimum flier might be in the cards to compete for a roster spot, but that seems unlikely.
Saddled by a foot injury suffered in joint practices against the Titans in August, Brown never seemed to find his footing in Ryan Grubb's offense. Coming to the Seahawks with a reputation as a standout run blocker, he drew four holding penalties on 154 run blocking snaps and finished 53rd out of 86 qualified tight ends in run blocking grade, failing to live up to that expected standard.
Losing out on snaps to rookie AJ Barner as the season wore on, Brown didn't contribute much as a receiver either, catching eight passes for 61 yards and no touchdowns with a fumble. Similar to Gipson, if Seattle decides to move on from Noah Fant to create cap room, the veteran could return on another one-year deal for depth reasons, but it seems probable that he will be one-and-done in the Pacific Northwest.
