The Seattle Seahawks didn’t often miss on linebacker decisions under John Schneider, but one recent call is looking costly in a hurry: letting Jordyn Brooks walk in free agency in 2024.
Seattle passed on a reunion with Brooks and Bobby Wagner in Mike Macdonald’s first season, then went with Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker instead. That pairing didn’t last long. By midseason, both were out, and Baker was shipped to the Tennessee Titans in a deal that brought back Ernest Jones IV.
Brooks, meanwhile, landed with the Miami Dolphins on a three-year deal worth as much as $26.25 million - a price tag Seattle could have handled without much trouble.
The move is stinging more now because Brooks didn’t just play well in Miami. He was one of the best linebackers in the league.
He finished with 183 tackles, led the NFL in that category, earned First-Team All-Pro honors, and added 3.5 sacks. That marked his third straight season with at least three sacks.
Brooks brings exactly the kind of profile teams want in the middle: speed, power, and a knack for finishing plays. He missed only 5.2 percent of his tackle attempts last season and is elite against the run. Coverage has never been his calling card, but that’s the one area that keeps him from being complete.
It’s fair to wonder how much better he might have looked in Macdonald’s system, but even without a major leap in coverage, Brooks would still have checked a lot of boxes for Seattle. And keeping him would not have blocked the Jones move.
The Seahawks were never going to re-sign Wagner, and they still could have added Baker while holding onto Brooks. Once Baker didn’t work out, he could have been moved to Tennessee for Jones anyway. In that version of the roster, Seattle’s inside linebacker duo could have been Jones and Brooks - and that would have been a nightmare for opposing offenses.
That never happened, but the idea is hard to ignore. In 2026, Jones will likely be playing next to Drake Thomas, with Tyrice Knight in a smaller role.
Thomas showed promise once he finally got his chance in 2025, but he isn’t Brooks. Some around the league would even take Brooks over Jones.
That view got a little louder in ESPN’s recent poll of league executives, coaches, and scouts. Brooks came in seventh among inside linebackers.
Jones, surprisingly, didn’t make the list at all. He was only mentioned as receiving a vote, along with Bobby Wagner, which left him short of even honorable mention.
The silver lining for Seattle is that Jones should have plenty of motivation after that snub. He’ll again be the green dot on the Seahawks defense and should be very good in that role. The only real regret is obvious: he won’t have Brooks beside him.
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