12 positive things to say about the Seattle Seahawks
12 positive things to say about the Seattle Seahawks
Playoff picture, 2024 salary cap options, not wasting money on a QB, and draft wish fulfillment: Seaside Joe 1712
The Seahawks don’t have a bad QB contract
In terms of full guarantees, Geno Smith’s $27.3 million only ranks 26th in the NFL. The Seahawks had a buffet of options (Sizzler) as far as what to do at quarterback after trading Russell Wilson in 2022, they had another buffet (Golden Corral) in 2023, and they will have an even better buffet (Bacchanal at Caesar’s Palace) in 2024 because they can part ways after the season if they feel they need to do that.
To put this season’s QB cap in perspective, the 49ers are paying $8.3 million for Trey Lance to be on the Cowboys and Seattle is paying $10.1 million to have Geno Smith.
If the Seahawks release Geno in 2024, they save over $13 million against the cap. WHEN the Raiders release Jimmy G, they will save nothing and carry $28 million in dead cap.
Regardless of what anyone thinks about Geno Smith, it is ASTOUNDING that Seattle has endured two offseasons of pressure from outsiders to “add a quarterback”, first avoiding Wilson’s extension demands (Seaside Joe 1112: How much do Seahawks save from Wilson trade?;Seaside Joe 1186: Seahawks won’t be paying Wilson’s $250 million asking price), then sidestepping trades for Deshaun Watson (Seahawks must avoid Deshaun Watson at all costs), Jimmy G, or Baker Mayfield, then the 2023 draft process with a top-5 pick, and John Schneider has kept his cool throughout.
There could be an argument brewing that the Seahawks should have traded up with the Bears to pick C.J. Stroud…(Seaside Joe 1427: If John Schneider loves a QB, throw all other analysis out) but that kind of wishful hindsight won’t help us or even guarantee that the Texans quarterback would be on the same track in Seattle. If he stays on that track.
What we see when we look ahead instead of behind: A team that has a full range of options in 2024 because they didn’t give Geno Smith a “real” long-term contract. In fact, they somehow managed to get him to take less than the franchise tag.
What could be better news right now than that? I have 11 more positives to add to the case:
The Seahawks have clear path to 10 wins
At 5-3, the Seahawks need go 5-4 the rest of the way to win 10 games. If they beat the teams that currently have losing records (Moons, Rams, Titans, Cardinals), that’s four wins right there. Beat the teams that are losing and Seattle guarantees itself a winning record and most likely another trip to the playoffs.
Pete Carroll currently has as many playoff trips (10) as every other Seahawks coach combined.
It’s the question I still have not been able to answer: Is 10-7 like being 10-6 or is it like being 9-7? Those two records used to feel so different in the 16-game era.
The 49ers opened the door to the NFC West
By losing their last three games, San Francisco has given the Seahawks hope of a division title, something Seattle has only had once in the previous six years.
The 49ers return from the bye this week to play the Jaguars in Jacksonville, the first of five remaining games against teams with winning records, including two vs. the Seahawks. If San Francisco goes 0-3 against division leaders (Jaguars, Eagles, Ravens), it gives the Seahawks an unmistakable opportunity: Split the 49ers series and Seattle might win the NFC West.
The Seahawks are probably as good at home in the playoffs as they are bad on the road in the playoffs. A division title would be huge for Seattle’s chances of winning a game or two in the postseason.
The Seahawks found a valuable edge rusher in the 2023 draft
I don’t want my post about Boye Mafe on Wednesday to be misconstrued: He’s on track to be the best pass rusher that Seattle has drafted since Frank Clark in 2015 and he could be even better.
It’s always good to draft great players. It’s even better when those hits amount to financial value.
The highest-paid positions in the game today: QB, EDGE, WR, LT
We just went over the fact that the Seahawks are enjoying value at quarterback and should be able to continue down that road. They have found value at tackle with Charles Cross and hopefully Abe Lucas whenever he returns. And the team has spent a first round pick on Jaxon Smith-Njigba, giving Seattle a potential “cheap” replacement for when Tyler Lockett departs.
Even after extending Uchenna Nwosu for three years, the Seahawks currently rank 23rd in EDGE spending against the cap in 2024, largely thanks to three players: Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, and the fact that Darrell Taylor will be a free agent.
It’s one thing to have savings at an expensive position, but none of that really matters if the players do not perform well. Mafe is performing well and the hope is that Hall will follow in his footsteps in 2024.
There are things that EVERYONE in the 2022 draft class needs to improve on, but the group (Charles Cross, Mafe, Ken Walker, Lucas, Riq Woolen, Coby Bryant, Dareke Young) has crazy upside.
I foresee financial flexibility in 2024
Though the Seahawks are projected with only $17.1 million in actual cap space for 2024 at overthecap.com, the number is going to go up before it goes down (re-signing efforts for Leonard Williams, Noah Fant, Damien Lewis, Jordyn Brooks, Drew Lock, Taylor, etc.):
Setting aside $13.8 million in savings if Geno isn’t determined to be the guy, the Seahawks almost certainly have to make a decision at safety between Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. I think Will Dissly is all but re-negotiated/released, which would carry $7 million in savings. Releasing Bryan Mone will save $5.9 million.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know how to put into words that a player like Diggs might not be worth his cap hit because I know that as a fan favorite, that’s not what most people want to talk about. It’s not saying that Diggs is “so bad he can’t play on the Seahawks”. It’s that his $21.2 million cap hit in 2024 is the third-highest in the league at his position and the number one paid safety is Adams ($26.9 million), so Diggs can be good but not that good.
Is Diggs going to intercept five passes in the last four games in a last month effort to guarantee his 2024 salary? He might!
The Seahawks can’t restructure Diggs’ contract because 2024 is the last year on it, but they do have another restructure option for Adams, which would save up to $7.7 million but balloon his 2025 salary to over $35 million.
I see Seattle getting themselves in between $40-$50 million in cap space when all is said and done. That’s money to keep important players in the system and some left over to add new ones.
The Seahawks rank fourth in 4th down defense
Normally we might not point to a stat like this for an article like this, but when you rank 30th in third down defense and teams are 5-of-15 on fourth downs against you, take all the positivity you can get. That’s 10 times the Seahawks actually did get off the field on fourth down and that’s more important in today’s NFL than at any point in history because teams are going for it so often.
The second half of today’s post is for Regular Joes premium subscribers: Join today for $5 per month or a bargain $55 for an entire year. That’s over 150 bonus articles about your favorite NFL team!