POLL: Which free agent should the Seahawks prioritize?

As the Seattle Seahawks conduct the post-mortem on their 2020 season, one thing the team will have to do is take stock of their free agents.

Seattle has 23 players who became unrestricted free agents after the Seahawks’s season ended with their 30-20 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 9. These are players who have four or more accrued NFL seasons and expiring contracts, thus making them free to negotiate and sign with any team. Therefore, these are the players who the Seahawks will have to compete with the league’s other 31 teams in order to retain.

Here is the full list of Seattle’s unrestricted free agents according to OverTheCap.com (players listed with their position, age and 2020 salary):

Greg Olsen, TE, 36, $7,000,000

K.J. Wright, LB, 32, $7,000,000

Bruce Irvin, DE, 34, $5,500,000

Quinton Dunbar, CB, 29, $3,500,000

Jacob Hollister, TE, 28, $3,259,000

Benson Mayowa, DE, 30, $3,050,000

Carlos Hyde, RB, 30, $2,750,000

Mike Iupati, G, 34, $2,500,000

Cedric Ogbuehi, T, 29, $2,300,000

Neiko Thorpe, CB, 31, $1,187,500

Geno Smith, QB, 31, $1,187,500

Ethan Pocic, C, 26, $1,102,259

Luke Willson, TE, 31, $1,050,000

Nick Bellore, FB, 32, $1,050,000

Branden Jackson, DE, 29, $1,047,500

Phillip Dorsett, WR, 28, $1,047,500

Damontre Moore, DT, 29, $910,000

Damarious Randall, S, 29, $910,000

Jonathan Bullard, DT, 28, $910,000

David Moore, WR, 26, $900,000

Shaquill Griffin, CB, 26, $814,655

Lano Hill, S, 26, $801,682

Chris Carson, RB, 27, $616,282

During his exit press conference, Seattle coach Pete Carroll indicated the Seahawks want pretty much all their free agents back. The problem is that because of lost revenue associated with the coronavirus pandemic, the salary cap is projected to decrease in 2021, meaning there will be less money available to sign free agents, whether that’s other team’s free agents or its own.

That may explain why, if there was one free agent Carroll was more non-committal about, it was Carson. Carson is everything Carroll wants in a running back as he’s big, strong and runs with a punishing style. He’s also been productive, with two thousand-yard seasons under his belt. But his history with injuries, combined with a raise that may see him earn as much as $9 million a year, could make it difficult for the Seahawks to re-sign him.

Another high-profile free agent is Wright. Wright is the senior member of the team, having spent a decade with the organization. He had a fantastic season after switching to strong-side linebacker from his longtime position of weak-side linebacker, but given his age and salary he may have to take a pay cut if he wants to stay in Seattle.

Then there’s Griffin. Like Carson, Griffin is hitting free agency for the first time and is set for a big pay increase. He’s been Seattle’s top cornerback since Richard Sherman left three years ago, and although he doesn’t rack up big numbers of interceptions he’s a dependable cover guy.

The tentative date for the start of the free-agency period is March 17, though teams can negotiate with their own free agents prior to that.

So what do you think? Which free agent do you think the Seahawks should prioritize for re-signing? Let us know here, and if you choose “other” let us know who in the comments section: