3 Bold Predictions for the Seahawks Offseason

The 2021 NFL season was the Seattle Seahawks' worst in a long while. They finished the campaign 7-10 — their first sub-.500 season since 2011 — and missed the playoffs for only the second time in the last decade.

It'll be interesting to see which route the Seahawks take this offseason. They'll have nearly $36.8 million to play with in free agency, as well as six selections to make at the 2022 NFL Draft.

Seattle's offseason could unfold in several different ways, making the next few years unpredictable for Seahawks fans. Only time will tell how the team looks once the 2022 NFL season begins.

Until then, here are three bold predictions for the Seahawks offseason.

Seahawks Bold Predictions

1. Sam Howell Falls to Seahawks at 2022 NFL Draft

Russell Wilson has accomplished a lot in his nine seasons as Seattle's starting quarterback, from nine Pro Bowl nods to a Super Bowl ring. However, every year it seems like there are rumors of each campaign being his last with the Seahawks. Even though Wilson is committed to playing in Seattle for another year, he's set to hit free agency in 2024. Eventually, the Seahawks need to start thinking about the future and could use one of their six 2022 draft picks to select a quarterback. There may not be many standout sign-callers in this year's class, but drafting someone like North Carolina's Sam Howell at No. 41 could be a smart move. Howell can both throw and rush the ball much like Wilson, so he could fit in with Seattle's schemes.

2. Seattle Opens the Bank for Offensive Line Protection

Wilson has been sacked a total of 179 times since the 2018 campaign — the most in the NFL during that stretch. It seems like the 33-year-old makes it clear that he'd like to be better protected every year, only to see him get sacked 40-plus times. Wilson dealt with 33 sacks in 14 games last season, but you can understand if Seahawks fans are wondering if that'll be a trend or an anomaly going forward. With nearly $37 million to spend, going after top-tier offensive linemen should be management's priority. High-end options like Terron Armstead, Ryan Jensen and Andrew Nowell may cost a pretty penny, but those are the type of players that take teams to the next level. If the Seahawks want to give Wilson his best chance at another Super Bowl, management needs to open their checkbook and go after the big fish.

3. Seahawks Cut/Trade Chris Carson

Veteran running back Chris Carson was held to just four games last season due to a lingering neck injury. He had surgery in December and is expected to make a full recovery, but he's since become expendable. Fourth-year RB Rashaad Penny seemingly stole the starting job toward the end of the season, tallying 671 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 92 carries over the last five games of the season. Penny is now a free agent and you'd have to imagine Seattle would like to bring him back. If that's the case, the Seahawks could trade Carson to free up $6.425 million in cap space, while cutting him would only cost $3 million in dead cap. They also have DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer under contract, who are both cheaper options. Taking Carson's uncertain health and cap hit into account, it isn't unfathomable to imagine Seattle moving on from him this offseason.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.