The Seattle Seahawks have not come roaring out of the gate the way anyone around the team would have wanted, but a 3-3 record still leaves room for a strong run. And while the defending Super Bowl champions sort through the bumps, a few players are helping their own financial futures along the way.
Some of those guys are doing it in contract-year fashion, turning in solid work even when the team’s execution has been uneven. That leaves Seattle staring at a familiar offseason question: which contributors are worth paying to keep, and which ones are about to price themselves out of town?
Uchenna Nwosu is the clearest case. Seattle’s pass-rushing depth is still a major strength, but that same strength could make it tough to justify a big spending commitment.
Nwosu has already piled up 16 total pressures, 15 tackles with nine solo, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one sack. For a backup, that’s excellent production.
The problem for the Seahawks is the number attached to it: a projected $15 million price tag that may be more than they want to pay.
Drew Lock has also likely done enough to cash in. The Seahawks’ offense, at least early on, looked better with Lock than with Sam Darnold.
That says plenty about Darnold’s play, but it also reflects well on Lock, who may have earned himself a multi-year deal with what he’s shown so far. Another starting shot seems unlikely, but a strong backup can still be a hugely valuable piece.
If Seattle wants him back, it may have to act to keep him.
Ty Okada’s situation looks murkier. He has not been himself this season, and the numbers reflect that: a 133.6 passer rating allowed in coverage, plus limited impact against the run.
Even beyond the performance dip, there’s another reason the Seahawks may not push hard to keep him. The team had big plans for Bud Clark before his season-ending injury, and with Clark under contract for the long run, Seattle could decide to hand him Okada’s spot and let Okada move on.
Anthony Bradford might be the one whose absence has most clearly changed the picture. He has often been viewed as the offensive line’s weakest link, but the run game has looked dreadful without him, and that may have boosted his value more than expected. Bradford is at just $1.1 million, and even if he winds up making more, he should still remain affordable.
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Seahawks-Chiefs Just Got One More Problem For Seattle To Handle
Heavy rain is now part of the buildup for Sunday nights meeting between the Chiefs and Seahawks in Seattle, adding one more layer to a game that already carries plenty of intrigue. The forecast calls for wet conditions at kickoff, which could affect footing, ball security, and the overall feel of a nationally televised matchup at Lumen Field.
For Seattle, it is another variable to manage in a game where every small edge matters. The Seahawks will know the conditions as well as anyone, but rain can still reshape play-calling and execution, especially against a Kansas City team that is used to making opponents adjust on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Is Forcing The Chiefs Into A Tough Reality
Jaxon Smith-Njigba keeps making opposing defenses adjust, and the latest reminder came from Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who acknowledged the challenge of trying to slow down the Seahawks receiver. For Seattle, that kind of attention is a sign of how far Smith-Njigba has come as a featured part of the passing game, and it also underscores how much stress he can put on a defense that has to account for him on every snap.
The Chiefs are hardly the only team seeing that reality now, but their conversation about matching up with him fits a broader league-wide theme: receivers who force coverage changes can reshape game plans before the ball is even snapped. Seattle has been looking for exactly that sort of offensive edge, and Smith-Njigbas growing influence is starting to create it in a way that opponents are openly admitting is difficult to handle. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Could Steal A Packers Defensive Wrinkle Fans Need To See
The Packers have found a clever way to keep offenses guessing with a coverage rotation they call the Trix technique, a wrinkle that starts with a safety aligned like an edge rusher before he drops into zone coverage. It has already drawn attention around the league after NFL analyst Brett Kollmann broke it down and pointed to defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as the mind behind it, and it is the kind of schematic detail that tends to catch the eye of teams always looking for a little extra disguise on defense.
For Seattle, the appeal is obvious. The Seahawks have the kind of safety group that could make a version of it work, with Nick Emmanwori, Julian Love and Ty Okada all mentioned as possible fits for the assignment. Okada stands out as a particularly intriguing candidate for the job, and if the Seahawks are looking for another way to manufacture confusion and force mistakes, this is exactly the sort of transferable wrinkle worth studying closely. [Read more 🡒]