At the time of this writing, it's only been a few hours since news broke that the Seahawks have agreed to trade Super Bowl champion quarterback Russell Wilson to the Broncos. For many in the Pacific Northwest, the reality of the shocking, franchise-altering deal has yet to set in, and it may not for days, weeks or even months to come.
Therefore, it's understandable that anyone whose blood runs college navy and action green would rather do anything other than talk about the future of their cherished team right now. The city of Seattle is in mourning for one of the greatest eras in its sports history, and any faint silver lining will be imperceivable to unwilling, watery eyes.
But life in the NFL moves quickly, as perfectly evidenced by the suddenness of Tuesday's bombshell. Things can change in the blink of an eye, and the Seahawks only have a few days to prepare for their first offseason in 10 years without a franchise quarterback in place.
As questionable as it may sound, while the groundbreaking trade undeniably created a chasm on their roster, it doesn't necessarily signify a hard rebuild. From safety Jamal Adams to receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, the Seahawks still boast a good amount of star power and have a 70-year old head coach at the helm who's unlikely interested in simply writing off the next few seasons for the sake of development.
The desire to win and win now is still apparent. Not necessarily in terms of a championship in 2022, to be certain, but to remain competitive and build stepping stones to what they feel is a brighter and better future—and the process of getting there has already begun.
Wilson or not, coming off the organization's worst season in the Pete Carroll era, general manager John Schneider and company were—and still are—faced with a mountainous workload this spring. Suffocating their to-do list in big red marker are needs at left tackle, center, pass rush, cornerback and free safety, to name a few. Some of these needs have been manufactured by the impending free agencies of several key contributors, while others have been glaringly present for some time.
Two, however, were partly filled by Denver's contributions to the trade: tight end and interior pass rush.
Along with the quartet of draft picks Seattle received for dealing its superstar passer, quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive lineman Shelby Harris were also included in the haul. For now, Lock is currently in line to succeed Wilson, but Fant and Harris are arguably the more noteworthy additions here.
Harris, 30, has spent the last five years with the Broncos and is under team control through 2023. Taken by the Raiders in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Illinois State alum will count towards $4.9 million of the Seahawks' salary cap and would save $9 million if cut in a year's time.
But for now, he gives the team a not-so-insignificant boost at a spot Carroll identified as an "area of focus" last week. As the longtime coach noted, rushing the passer is not a prominent tool in the respective games of any of the players Seattle featured on its interior defensive line last year. Its biggest producer on that front, Jarran Reed, was cut last March for salary cap purposes. Consequently, while they played well against the run, the trio of Poona Ford, Al Woods and Bryan Mone combined for just 58 pressures and 5.0 sacks.
Meanwhile, Harris registered 32 pressures and 6.0 sacks alone while playing in a Vic Fangio-led scheme that has greatly influenced the Seahawks' new defensive direction. He primarily lined up as a 3-tech and has some experience at the nose and 5-tech as well. That positional versatility will be important as Seattle continues to reshuffle the deck of its defensive line.
Furthermore, Fant is a huge get in this deal. Over the last three years, the 2019 first-round selection out of Iowa has quietly been one of the NFL's most productive receivers at the tight end position and has arguably been stymied by poor quarterback play. Of course, that issue may persist if Seattle is unable to properly supplant Wilson this offseason, but Fant carries undeniable upside.
As Gerald Everett and Will Dissly get set to hit unrestricted free agency next week, the Seahawks only had two tight ends under contract prior to Tuesday's trade: Colby Parkinson and Tyler Mabry. Fant now gives them a potential long-term piece atop their depth chart, assuming they pick up his $6.85 million fifth-year player option this offseason.
So far, the 6-foot-4, 249-pounder has accrued 1,905 yards and 10 touchdowns on 170 receptions in 47 career games. He leaves more to be desired as a blocker and will need to improve on that front in order to fit in with Seattle, but that's ultimately not the draw with him. If Metcalf and Lockett stay put, Fant is an exciting tertiary option to afford the team's next quarterback.
At the end of the day, there is no denying the Seahawks got definitively worse. But in addition to the slew of draft capital they reeled in, they landed some quality veteran pieces who will help them in 2022. While the heavy lifting of their offseason is still very much in front of them, they can comfortably scratch off a couple of key items that had to be addressed at one point or another.
Reporter and editor covering the Seattle Seahawks for All Seahawks. Host of Locked On Mariners.