In one of the biggest surprises in the early stages of the NFL offseason, the New York Giants decided not to offer safety Landon Collins a franchise tag, making the 25-year-old a free agent.
Collins would have commanded roughly $11 million with a tag. He is expected to pursue a contract in that range when he heads to free agency starting on March 13.
The Seahawks are always looking for new blood in the secondary, especially with Earl Thomas unlikely to re-sign this offseason. Seattle has Bradley McDougald at strong safety and at Delano Hill and Tedric Thompson at free safety.
Collins, without a doubt, would be a big upgrade to this Seattle defense. The three-time Pro Bowler and 2016 All-Pro racked up 96 tackles in just 12 games last season. He has 428 career combined tackles, eight interceptions and four sacks.
Seattle isn’t expected to spend big this offseason, not after designating Frank Clark with a non-exclusive franchise tag and with big contract extensions for Russell Wilson and potentially Jarran Reed looming. However, Collins represents a big upgrade at a position of need for what appears, at least for now, to be an affordable price tag.
If Seattle is able to get him at around $11 million annually, he and McDougald would be a duo reminiscent of the Legion of Boom era.
