Seahawks: Where do they rank in spending at each position?
The Seattle Seahawks made some major changes to their roster this offseason, jettisoning a couple of franchise cornerstones and bringing in several new faces via free agency, the draft and one blockbuster trade.
To get a better idea of how this 2022 team is constructed, let’s take a look at where they rank in spending at each position compared to the rest of the NFL. All salary numbers are from Spotrac.
Quarterback: No. 29
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Trading Russell Wilson made this a weaker team, but on the bright side they got out from under his contract and avoided paying him what will likely be a $50 million a year deal that Denver will be forced into. Seattle currently ranks No. 29 in spending at QB with a cap hit of just $5,846,021 total. That’s only 2.69% of the team’s total cap spending.
Running back: No. 5
(AP Photo/Matt Patterson)
The Seahawks are obsessed with running the ball, so their spending at this position is predictably high. Between Rashaad Penny and the rest of the backs on the roster, they’re spending a total of $15,349,304 – which comes out to around 7% of their total.
Wide receiver: No. 14
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Wide receiver is another spot where Seattle has invested serious resources. At the moment they’ve got $23,704,219 on the books, just under 11% of their total. However, this number is somewhat misleading thanks to D.K. Metcalf’s rookie contract. Once he signs his new deal, the Seahawks will likely be among the league’s top spenders at this position.
Tight end: No. 19
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Seahawks are in decent shape at tight end going into 2022. Despite giving Will Dissly a surprisingly large three-year deal and picking up Noah Fant in the Russell Wilson trade, this team has only committed $9,396,193 to the position this year – around 4.33%.
Offensive line: No. 27
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Unsurprisingly, the Seahawks are on the lower end when it comes to offensive line spending. After letting last year’s starting tackles Duane Brown and Brandon Shell leave and replacing them with rookies, Seattle is only on the hook for a total of $27,573,673 for this unit. That comes out to 12.7% of their total.
EDGE: No. 31
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The big x-factor on defense this year will be how well Seattle’s pass rush performs. Sinking more money into this position might be a good idea. Outside of Uchenna Nwosu, the Seahawks have a bunch of unproven players on the books, almost all on their rookie contracts. It all comes out to just $12,979,843, less than 6% of the team’s spending.
Defensive tackle: No. 7
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
It’s a completely different story on the interior, where the Seahawks have a number of long-time vets on the books. Between Al Woods, Poona Ford, Shelby Harris and the rest they’re spending $25,681,654 at this position, around 11.82% of their total.
Linebacker: No. 24
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Letting Bobby Wagner go may not have been a popular move, but it did save this team a huge salary cap hit. All together, the Seahawks are now spending a reasonable $16,684,252 at this spot – or 7.68%.
Cornerback: No. 27
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
With a few exceptions, Seattle is mostly loaded up with promising young talents on cheap rookie contracts at cornerback. The team is spending $14,577,019 on this position in 2022, around 6.71%.
Safety: No. 4
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Under Pete Carroll the Seahawks have never been shy about investing at safety, and this year is no exception. Between Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams and the projected backups Seattle is on the hook for $21,388,053 at safety, just under 10% of their total cap hits.
Special teams: No. 1
(AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle has one of the strongest special teams units in the NFL, but that ability doesn’t come cheap. No team is spending more than the Seahawks’ $10,543,059 total on their specialists. They’ll need kicker Jason Myers to break out of his 2021 funk to justify that investment.
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