The Seattle Seahawks, under general manager John Schneider, built a near-dynasty in the early part of the decade thanks to a handful of excellent, career-defining draft selections – including Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas – all who well outperformed their draft spot.
Schneider also proved capable of making excellent trades to help the team, including acquiring Marshawn Lynch back in 2010 and more recent trades for Jadeveon Clowney and Quandre Diggs.
Perhaps Schneider’s biggest area of weakness is on the free agent market. Despite excellent, under the radar signings like Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Bradley McDougald and the undrafted addition of Doug Baldwin, the Seahawks have also dished out a handful of ugly deals that, at times, hampered the franchise’s bottom line while hurting the product on the field.
Here is a look at the nine worst free agent signings during Schneider’s tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, starting with a few who just missed the cut:
CB Jamar Taylor (2019)
CB Byron Maxwell (2018)
K Sebastian Janikowski (2018)
No. 9: Kicker Blair Walsh
Contract: One-year, $1.1 million
It’s hard to hate on a one-year deal worth barely over a million dollars, especially without any bonuses or extra cap space, but man Blair Walsh was bad for the Seahawks in 2017.
Walsh was a Pro Bowler his rookie year in Minnesota in 2012, but he signed with Seattle after a disastrous 2016 season where he played in nine games and only converted 75% of his field goals and 78.9% of his extra point attempts, both career lows and well below the league average.
He had also missed a game-winning kick for the Vikings in the playoffs, something coach Pete Carroll and Schneider witnessed firsthand, as it happened against them.
Still, in an effort to replace Stephen Haushcka, the Seahawks decided to give Walsh a shot. He appeared in all 16 games, but converted a measly 21-of-29 field goal attempts, good for just 72.4% and often forcing the Seahawks to go for it on fourth down.
He was much better at extra points (97.4%) but there are some who believe his ineptitude is part of the reason that team did not make the playoffs.
So, $1M contract or not, it was a pretty ugly deal.
No. 8: Tight End Ed Dickson
Contract: Three years, $10.7 million
Ed Dickson had been a reliable run-blocker and pass-catcher in his eight-year career when the Seahawks signed him to a three-year, $10.7 million deal ahead of the 2018 season.
He rarely missed any games while with the Ravens and the Panthers, but a three-year deal seemed a tad overzealous for a tight end on the wrong side of 30.
That proved prophetic as Dickson was only able to get onto the field for 10 games in 2018 before he spent the entire 2019 season on the injured list, and was released earlier this offseason.
Dickson looked good in his 10 games in 2018, hauling in 12 receptions (on 13 targets) for three touchdowns, but it was a lot of years and a lot of money ($3.6 million guaranteed) for an aging veteran who was, even at his best, more of a blocker than a runner.
No. 7: Right Tackle J’Marcus Webb
Contract: Two years, $5.75 million
It’s no surprise to see a Tom Cable-era offensive lineman on this list, as his inability to scout and develop offensive linemen is a big reason this team struggled to reach their potential for so many years over the last decade.
Webb is the first of a handful of Cable-era guys on this list, having signed a big two-year, $5.75 million deal with $2.45 million guaranteed ahead of the 2016 season.
Webb didn’t even win a starting job out of camp, despite the big contract, and appeared in just nine games for the Seahawks in 2016 before getting let go before he even finished out his deal.
Another in a long line of failed offensive linemen for the Seahawks in the last decade.
No. 6: Defensive End Ziggy Ansah
Contract: One-year, $9 million
The Seattle Seahawks desperately needed to improve their pass rush after the 2018 season, and they decided to take a shot on an aging veteran coming off an injury-shortened season in Ziggy Ansah.
Ansah had appeared in just seven games in 2018, starting two and recording four sacks and seven quarterback hits. It wasn’t hard to see the overall appeal, however, as Ansah had totaled at least 7.5 sacks in four of his first five NFL campaigns, making the Pro Bowl in 2015 with 14.5 sacks.
However, giving him $9 million for one year, which included $6 million guaranteed, seemed like a lot for a guy who was 30 years old and dealing with injuries, and Ansah never managed to find his groove last year for the Seahawks.
He appeared in 11 games, starting one, and totaled 2.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits, along with two passes defended and two forced fumbles.
The performance was not up to par, but the $6 million in guaranteed money is the real albatross in this deal, as it was an unnecessary amount of money to give a guy coming off an injury-riddled season – and it proved to be a big overpay for what they got.
No. 5: Running Back Eddie Lacy
Contract: One year, $4.25 million
Ah Eddie Lacy. This was a polarizing move at the time, as Lacy was coming off a serious ankle injury in 2016 that limited him to just five games, but he had averaged 5.1 yards per carry and was still just entering his age 27 season – after rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two campaigns.
The Seahawks signed Lacy to help replace Thomas Rawls, who was supposed to replace Marshawn Lynch. Lacy’s deal included $2.86 million in guaranteed money, and had the infamous weight clauses that were in place to help him come into the season in playing shape.
That did not come to fruition, as Lacy showed up overweight and with lingering issues stemming from his ankle injury. In nine games, and three starts, Lacy racked up a pitiful 2.6 yards per carry and no touchdowns in 2017 for the Seahawks – and he has yet to appear in an NFL game since.
No. 4: Right Tackle Robert Gallery
Contract: Three years, $15 million
The Seahawks hoped to reunite tackle Robert Gallery, who had been the No. 2 overall pick out of Iowa in 2014, with offensive line coach Tom Cable in the 2011 season, signing him to a three-year deal worth $15 million.
However – Gallery did not have a lot of success in Oakland with Cable, and that trend unfortunately continued in Seattle.
Gallery started 12 games for the Seahawks in 2011, all at left guard, but he did not perform well enough to justify his contract, and instead of paying him $5 million in 2012 the team opted to cut him. The fact that no one else signed him, leading to his retirement, is a good indication he wasn’t deserving of the three-year deal that Schneider doled out.
This one could be higher on the list, but fortunately the Seahawks didn’t attach much guaranteed money to his deal, so they were able to cut him without it hampering their financial future.
No. 3: Left Guard Luke Joeckel
Contract: One year, $8 million
A handful of these deals were not criticized as the time, as either the rationale made sense or the player had yet to disappoint, a la Ed Dickson.
The Luke Joeckel signing, made just before the 2017 season, was baffling as soon as it was agreed upon, and the results were about as bad as everyone expected.
The former No. 2 overall pick had struggled a ton in his first four NFL seasons with the Jaguars, moving all over the line and never finding his rhythm as a pro.
The Seahawks evidently decided to take a gamble on the guy in the hopes of helping him rebuild some of the value that made him such a hot commodity in the draft. That kind of thinking would be fine, but giving him $7 million in guaranteed money is flabbergasting.
Joeckel ended up starting 11 games for the Seahawks at left guard, missing parts of the season with an ankle injury but still managing to allow five sacks, which was sixth most among guards in the league that year.
He was not re-signed and has yet to appear in the league since then.
No. 2: Quarterback Matt Flynn
Contract: Three years, $19 million
This one comes in at number two thanks to the $10 million in guaranteed money they dished out to Flynn, a career backup who had one excellent game replacing Aaron Rodgers in 2011.
Flynn never got his chance to earn his contract, as he was beat out in training camp by a third round rookie named Russell Wilson – who has yet to give the job back up.
Flynn’s contract was likely an overpay even if he had managed to win the starting job, but it became an albatross as he only managed to appear in three games for Seattle, completing five passes before getting waived the following year. He appeared in 16 games around the league over the next two seasons, throwing for eight touchdowns and six interceptions before retiring at age 29.
Credit the Seahawks for going with Wilson over their veteran option, especially after pouring a lot of money into him, as it contributed in a major way to the team’s eventual back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.
Any team will happily absorb some dead money on a failed quarterback signing if this is the end result.
No. 1: Cornerback Cary Williams
Contract: Three years, $18 million
The Seahawks needed to replace Byron Maxwell after the 2014 season, and instead of looking to groom a mid-to-late round defensive back – as had been their philosophy up to that point, Schneider broke the bank and signed veteran Cary Williams to a three-year, $18 million deal with a full $7 million guaranteed.
Williams had recorded nine interceptions and 38 passes defended in the previous three seasons, so it wasn’t hard to see the appeal. And after game one, when he scored a defensive touchdown for the Seahawks, it looked like Schneider and Carroll had themselves another big-time playmaker in the secondary.
However, things went south pretty quickly for the 31-year-old, and after getting ran around for the next nine games the Seahawks opted to not only bench Williams in favor of undrafted free agent DeShawn Shead, they straight up cut him.
He washed out of the league later that season.
