100 Seahawks fans pick between two different 2022 free agent options
Von Miller or Chandler Jones? Allen Robinson or Chris Godwin? Melvin Gordon or James Conner? Fans voted, here's what they said!
A few years ago, I pitched an idea to SB Nation for a “dedicated fan polling” tool that would collect the opinions of 100 of the most plugged-in fans for every NFL community at Vox. The idea was well received and within weeks SB Nation had started rolling out a similar tool called FanPulse, starting with a beta version at the Seahawks site I was running at the time, Field Gulls. Today, since re-branded as SB Nation Reacts, the tool has expanded to every single page and sport on the network and has even created multiple jobs at Vox.
There are similarities between my original idea and Reacts but one aspect that was dropped was the idea of keeping it to exactly 100 fans. That’s mainly a formality and may have no significant impact on the quality of results.
I still wanted to bring that idea back and try it at Seaside Joe.
I’ve been sending out surveys to dedicated Seaside Joe readers over the last year and now I’m going to start conducting and sharing the results at the Seaside Substack. If you’re uninitiated to what exactly “Seaside Joe” is:
I have sent out a Seahawks newsletter via Mailchimp for the last 1,093 days in a row and the three-year anniversary is in less than two weeks. Later this month, I will be completely converting that daily newsletter over to substack and will attempt to keep the streak going on this site. If you’d like to get a daily Seahawks newsletter+bonus content+optional podcast episodes and if you’d be interested in being a part of future Seaside Joe surveys, sign up for a free or paid subscription right now.
If you’re still on the fence, let’s dive into this week’s survey results and find out which big name free agents our 100 Seahawks Fans preferred between each of these five scenarios. The next survey will drop on Sunday, so hit that subscribe button before then if you’d like a chance to count in the next polling results.
Though the Seattle Seahawks have never been involved with the first wave of free agency in the Pete Carroll era—at least not since the days of Sidney Rice, Zach Miller, and Robert Gallery—we also haven’t seen him coming off of a losing season in the last decade. I do not really expect Seattle to throw their name in the hat for any of these players, with the exception of Scenario #5 and running backs.
However, we never get to have any fun with Seahawks free agency. Let’s live a little before your hopes are crushed in the middle of March.
Would Seahawks be better off signing Von Miller or Chandler Jones?
What I wrote in the Seaside Joe newsletter this week before the poll went out:
It's strange to say that two of the top 2022 free agents are Von Miller and Chandler Jones. Rarely do players make it this long and carry free agency relevancy, and this will actually be Miller's first foray into testing the market. Miller was traded to the Rams for a second and third round pick, then helped them win the Super Bowl. The team awarded Miller as their "player of the postseason." He had a combined 9.5 sacks with the Broncos and Rams. He had four more in the playoffs. Miller says he plans to play four or five more years, so his son can get old enough to have memories of watching him play football.
Chandler Jones is about one year younger, he turned 32 today. Miller and Jones both missed all or the majority of 2020. Jones also rebounded, getting 10.5 sacks in 15 games with the Cardinals, plus six forced fumbles.
With 100 votes cast, 61% of Seasiders prefer Chandler Jones to Von Miller, and 15% said it was too close to call.
If new defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt is going to put his edge rushers in a better position to get sacks in 2022, as he has said he intends to do next season, either of these linebackers would provide a) talent and b) mentorship/leadership to Seattle’s young pass rushers. Both would be looking to get at least $16-$18 million per season, with at least two of those years being practically guaranteed, and that could eat up more than half of the Seahawks’ 2022 cap space—before they sign their own free agents.
It’s not probable to see either in Seattle next season but who knows if Carroll has had a change of heart in this area or not.
Would Seahawks be better off signing Chris Godwin or Allen Robinson?
I assumed that people would favor Chris Godwin by a mile, but Allen Robinson has plenty of fans remaining after surviving a horribly-planned 2021 season by the Chicago Bears. It was clear that Matt Nagy was headed into his final year as Chicago’s head coach. Clear that Justin Fields would not be able to elevate the Bears offense during his rookie campaign, and in fact, would do more to hold back Chicago from being able to successfully pass the ball-even as compared to Andy Dalton or Nick Foles.
Robinson played the year on the franchise tag, but the Bears should have traded him or accepted the third round compensatory pick instead. It was a wasted season. Will Robinson face another wasted season in Chicago or find a new home in 2022?
Only a couple more people voted for Godwin, a player looking to rebound and recover from a torn ACL next season. That could be what’s keeping the vote close, as Godwin is younger and may have more to offer in the future, but Robinson could be the better bet for 2022. The Seahawks need more receiving talent, even with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in the fold. They probably won’t go seeking it in the first or second waves of free agency however.
What I wrote in the newsletter:
Robinson, 29 in August, has been in an awful situation with the Bears but managed 1,250 yards with Mitch Trubisky in 2020. He played in 12 games last season, catching 38 passes for 410 yards. He was on the franchise tag last season, making it unlikely that he'll get tagged again.
Godwin is 26--coincidentally it is also his birthday today--he's just a little bit smaller than Robinson, and he had 98 catches for 1,103 yards in 14 games with the Bucs last season. Unfortunately he tore his ACL in December, which should put his Week 1 in doubt but not necessarily rule it out. It's hard to say which of these signings would be "safer".
Would Seahawks be better off signing Terron Armstead or Brandon Scherff?
What I wrote in the newsletter this week:
I can't say if the Seahawks will keep or lose Duane Brown, but Armstead may still be an upgrade at left tackle. He's also six years younger but missed eight games in 2021 and is facing knee surgery in 2022. Armstead made the Pro Bowl as the left tackle for the Saints every year from 2018-2020. He has missed games with injury in every season of his career, dating back to 2013. Still, he is a rare talent at left tackle.
Scherff has missed games in each of the last five seasons, including six games in 2021. He has also made the Pro Bowl as right guard for Washington in five of the last six years. They're about the same age.
Almost two-thirds of Seahawks fans preferred Armstead to Scherff. I had one reader comment that these names on my list were all pretty much “yesterday’s news” and that Seattle should not focus on stars of the past decade in their efforts to compete in 2022. However, Armstead and Scherff are both 30-years-old…
10 years younger than the current Super Bowl champion left tackle.
Both have health issues, as practically all offensive linemen do—with the exception of that 40-year-old on the Rams. I see either Armstead or Scherff as targets that would help the Seahawks both in the short-term and long-term.
Would Seahawks be better off signing Odell Beckham Jr or Rob Gronkowski?
Why didn’t I do a “too close to call” option? I forgot! That’s it.
What I wrote on the newsletter:
There are great football players and then there are great entertainers. For most of the last five years, OBJ has been much more of an entertainer than a football player, but he's still quite good at both roles. I think his time with the Rams was a little overrated and yet the Rams would not have won the Super Bowl without him. They wouldn't have even gotten there. He may not be the receiver he was during his first three seasons with the Giants, he's still an upgrade over most starters. OBJ wasn't really all that productive (except good for some touchdowns and clutch catches in the fourth quarter) in the regular season, then had 21 catches (on 26 targetes) for 288 yards in the playoffs.
Gronkowski turns 33 in May. He had 55 catches for 802 yards and six touchdowns last season, but only played in 12 games, which is expected by now. That's a lot of production for 12 games. How much longer does he really want to keep playing and will he go on without Tom Brady? Do you think Seahawks need Gronk or OBJ more next season, if either?
A little more than half of you prefer OBJ, even though he isn’t likely to return from a torn ACL until midseason, at the earliest. He’s younger than Gronkowski by three years but Gronkowski may still have more in the tank than OBJ.
Russell Wilson could use either of these players and at the same time, both of these free agents could miss significant time in 2022 based on their injury histories. Is either one of them a bigger “risk”? I don’t think so. It’s a matter of who fits the offense better and that may be Gronkowski. Would he play for the Seahawks? I kind of doubt it. But I definitely doubt Seattle will be in play for either of them.
Would Seahawks be better off signing Melvin Gordon or James Conner?
Now signing a running back? That’s right up Pete’s alley. One Seasider commented that this must mean I’m writing off Chris Carson. Sure, to some degree. It’s mostly that I can’t imagine Seattle signed Carson to the two-year deal that they did with the intention to keep him in 2022 “no matter what.” Carson is set to be the 10th-highest paid running back in the NFL in 2022 (some of those ahead of them could also be cut) and yet he didn’t play after Week 4.
Unless he’s David Johnson, in what world would the Seahawks pay Chris Carson $6.4 million after missing practically an entire season and finding out that they really want to build this backfield around Rashaad Penny?
What I wrote in the newsletter:
Conner caught 37 of 39 targets(!) for 375 yards. He had 752 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. I think that scoring a lot of touchdowns can seem "cool" but is there any repeatable skill to that, especially in a completely different offense? Kliff Kingsbury's air raid is not what Seattle does. Conner averaged only 3.7 yards per carry. If Rashaad Penny is retained, does Conner complement him best?
Gordon, 29, had 203 carries for 918 yards (4.5 YPC) in 16 games with the Broncos. He scored 8 touchdowns and caught 28 passes for 213 yards, splitting the backfield with Javonte Williams. Gordon has had at least 800 yards from scrimmage in all seven seasons, and he's had over 1,100 total yards in five of the last six seasons. Would he be the best complement to Penny?
I expected Conner to win but the majority of you picked Melvin Gordon. I remember how high Rob Staton of SeahawksDraftBlog was as Gordon coming out of Wisconsin, comparing him to a “running back version of Russell Wilson.” He’s had a good career, if somewhat overlooked and underappreciated because of the position he plays.
The Seahawks having discussions with Gordon would not at all surprise me, but the Broncos have expressed a desire to bring him back next season.
If you have thoughts on these results—PLEASE SHARE THEM IN THE COMMENTS. I love your email replies, I would love them even more if the community could read your thoughts as well. Throw a like on the post if you liked it so I know what things to repeat, and please err on the side of leaving a comment too.
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