The Seattle Seahawks brought back a familiar face on Wednesday, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with cornerback Shaquill Griffin. Griffin has spent the second-half of his NFL career chasing the magic that he once had in Seattle — even being named a Pro Bowler in his third season with the Seahawks in 2019.
Griffin left the Seahawks at the end of his rookie contract, cashing in on a three-year, $40 million contract with the Jaguars and has since bounced around the league. His return to Seattle, the team hopes, will be a stabilizing presence in the cornerback room. It's also good for a tug on the nostalgic heartstrings of Seahawks fans for Griffin's prime.
There are other former Pro Bowlers still out on the open market. And, for some, there may even be a chance for a reunion with the team that helped those players provide the showcase needed to capture that accolade. Here are three more Pro Bowl reunions I'd like to see for the 2025 season.
CB Stephon Gilmore & the Carolina Panthers
Carolina went absolutely wild this year in free agency. The front seven looks like a completely different unit, which defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero has to be absolutely thrilled about after last year's disaster. But the cornerback position still offers some questions — particularly with the depth of the unit. Jaycee Horn finally gave the team a healthy season and was every bit the star he's capable of being. But Horn has played nearly half of his career games in his four years in 2024 alone (15 of 37 contests).
Gilmore went to the Pro Bowl with the Panthers in 2021 after being traded to Carolina from New England during the season. He's a part of a collection of veteran corners who hope that the Griffin signing can spur some movement with their market in the weeks ahead.
EDGE ZaDarius Smith & the Green Bay Packers
Smith can still absolutely go. He was a good addition to the Detroit Lions last year amid the injury to Aidan Hutchinson. Smith isn't, however, the same player was when he made consecutive Pro Bowls with the Packers from 2019-2020. The silver lining with this idea is that the Packers don't need him to post double digit sacks like he did in those two seasons. But some veteran experience to go into Green Bay's edge rush room could turn a promising unit with young talent into a real strength.
Rashan Gary is a well-established talent and the face of the room. He was named to his first Pro Bowl last season. But beyond Gary, the Packers are currently betting big on former first-round draft choice Lukas Van Ness to have the lightbulb come on after averaging three and a half sacks and 350 snaps per season in his first two years. He's been outpaced by Kinglsey Enagbare through two seasons, who is a good player in his own right and could viably hold down the second starting spot.
Behind those three? It's two rookies, Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver — meaning there's absolutely room for a two-time Pro Bowl former Packer in the rotation if the price happened to be right.
CB Jalen Ramsey & the Los Angeles Rams
The fine print here is, of course, that the Rams would have to give something in order to acquire Ramsey at this stage. He's still under contract with the Miami Dolphins on a contract that's locked in with $21 million in salary guaranteed and due for his play this season. Sean McVay has not shied away from the interest in Ramsey publicly, but continues to posture, indirectly, that the financial burden of taking on his full salary is a commitment the Rams view as a "hurdle".
Ramsey made Pro Bowls in each of his four seasons in Los Angeles from 2019 to 2022 after taking on a variety of roles in the secondary. For this Rams team, he could absolutely still be an impact player in the "Star" role of the defense as a hybrid nickel player. That's where he popped during his final two years in Los Angeles the first time around before helping facilitate a trade to Miami in the spring of 2023.
