ESPN analyst gives Seahawks ‘B’ grade for offseason moves, including Geno Smith decision

The Seattle Seahawks have certainly had an eventful offseason, starting with the monumental decision to move on from Pete Carroll as head coach (and executive vice president of football operations). Other high-profile decisions include releasing starting safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, letting linebackers Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks walk in free agency, retaining free agents Leonard Williams and Noah Fant, trading for quarterback Sam Howell, and restructuring Geno Smith’s contract to all but assure that he’s Seattle’s QB1 this season. The top move in the NFL Draft was to select defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, but more on that a little later.

ESPN’s Seth Walder graded the overall offseason moves of every NFL team, and the Seahawks rate fairly highly. Walder gave the Seahawks a ‘B’, citing Mike Macdonald as the biggest move. He liked the decision to keep Geno, but the move he wasn’t keen on? Re-signing Leonard Williams.

The Seahawks are sticking with Smith at quarterback, which was the correct choice. Even though he’s not a long-term solution, Smith is better than any realistic veteran alternative for the Seahawks, and there were no worthy QBs available by the time Seattle picked in first round of the draft. Smith also has a bargain contract, costing just $22.5 million in cash in 2024. He was 14th in QBR last season.

Seattle is right up against the salary cap in 2024 and is projected to be $13 million over the cap in 2025, which was good reason to not sign Williams to the deal it did. Williams is a good player (his win rates were near positional averages last season) being paid like a great one. This move is even less necessary in retrospect after the team used its first-round pick on defensive tackle Byron Murphy II.

The unprecedented run on quarterbacks—six were drafted in the top 12—meant that the Seahawks, who picked at No. 16, never had a shot at drafting one unless they traded up. They didn’t take a quarterback with their remaining picks, even with multiple opportunities to select South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler.

There may still be some doubt over the Leonard Williams re-signing, which can play into some sunk-cost fallacy debate. Seattle traded a second-rounder for Williams at last year’s trade deadline, knowing Williams’ contract was expiring. The Seahawks could’ve let him walk, but chose to extend him on a three-year deal worth up to $64.5 million.

If you’re curious, nine teams graded better than the Seahawks: The Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and New York Jets.

The Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and New Orleans Saints (who drafted Rattler) all received D+ or D, aka failing grades.

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