On the second day of NFL free agency, the Seahawks brought back a name from the past to help revamp their defense and saw one of their former first-round picks move on.
Here’s a recap of those moves and everything else you need to know from the second day of the league’s negotiating period, when teams can talk to pending free agents. Teams can begin signing players to contracts on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
Seahawks bring back Jarran Reed
While speculation continued about the future of Bobby Wagner and if it could include a return to Seattle, Seattle did agree to re-sign another defensive player from recent years — tackle Jarran Reed.
The NFL Network reported that Reed agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $10.8 million to return to the team that drafted him in the second round out of Alabama in 2016.
The move came a few hours after Seattle released defensive linemen Shelby Harris and Quinton Jefferson in moves that saved roughly $13.4 million against the cap, and the day after Seattle agreed to terms with free-agent D-lineman Dre’Mont Jones on a three-year deal that carries a cap hit of almost $10.1 million in 2023.
Essentially, Seattle swapped out Harris and Jefferson for Jones and Reed in attempting to revamp the defensive front after finishing 25th in points allowed in 2022 and 30th in rushing yards.
Reed spent five years with the Seahawks, playing in 72 games, with a career-high 10.5 sacks in 2018.
But he was released in 2021 after he and the team could not agree on a contract.
He then signed a one-year deal with Kansas City that paid $5.5 million and started all 17 games for the Chiefs in 2021 and spent last season in Green Bay on a one-year deal that paid $3.25 million, playing all 17 games with 14 starts for the Packers.
But any hard feelings are apparently in the past with Reed.
Reed’s signing could further signal that Seattle is moving on from Poona Ford, who was one of the team’s starters at tackle last year but whom coaches hinted at times didn’t adjust well to the team’s new 3-4 front. Veteran Al Woods also remains under contract for 2023, and Seattle could envision Woods and Reed as its starting tackles going forward.
Jefferson departs with one year left on his deal, saving $4.4 million against the cap. He had a career-high 5.5 sacks in 2022 in what was his third Seattle stint. The release of Harris, first reported on Monday, saved almost $9 million against the cap.
Rashaad Penny, Travis Homer move on
While Seattle was re-constructing its defensive line, running back took a few big hits as both Rashaad Penny and Travis Homer agreed to sign with other teams.
Penny, the Seahawks’ first pick in the 2018 draft whose career was marked by frustrating bouts with injury mixed with tantalizing glimpses of greatness, agreed to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year deal worth up to $2.1 million, according to multiple reports.
Homer, a sixth-round pick in 2019 who was both a valuable backup who also served in the third-down/two-minute role and was a key special-teams player, agreed to a two-year deal with the Bears, according to the NFL Network. Homer’s deal was reported to be worth up to $4.5 million.
Penny confirmed his departure via Twitter on Tuesday night, stating: “Seattle, I’m forever grateful … thank you for accepting me with open arms. It will always be love.”
Penny’s contract with the Eagles was a far cry from the one-year contract that ultimately paid him $5.6 million had in 2022 with the Seahawks. But the dollar among also surely reflected the wariness teams had about his durability.
After a good start to the season — 346 yards in the first five games and a 6.1 yard-per-carry average — the injury bug bit again as Penny was lost for the season with an ankle injury. Coach Pete Carroll said at his end-of-season news conference that the team expected Penny to be fully recovered for the 2023 season.
With Penny out the last 12 games of the regular season, rookie Kenneth Walker III took over as the primary running back and ended up as a finalist for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by becoming only the second Seahawk to rush for more than 1,000 yards in his first year with 1,050.
While Seattle has Walker as its starter, the team now has some work to do to add some depth behind him with Penny and Homer gone.
The only player left under contract aside from Walker who saw significant time at running back last season is fourth-year slyer DeeJay Dallas.
Penny’s various injuries — which included a torn ACL in 2019 — meant he played just 42 games in five seasons for the Seahawks and just 18 of a possible 50 the last three years.
When he was healthy, he displayed big-play ability, tied for the lead in the NFL in rushes of 25 or longer in 2021 with eight despite playing just 10 games that season.
He leaves Seattle having gained 1,918 yards on 337 carries in 42 games, an average of 5.7 that ranks first in team history.
Penny and Homer became the second and third Seahawks pending free agent to move on since the beginning of the negotiating period. Linebacker Cody Barton agreed to sign with Washington on Monday to a one-year deal worth up to a guaranteed $3.5 million.
Seahawks tender Ryan Neal
Safety Ryan Neal, who became one of Seattle’s most valuable defensive players in 2022 with his ability to play all over the secondary, was given a right-of-first-refusal tender to stay with the team for another season.
Neal is a restricted free agent, and Seattle had several options to keep him for another year, with a deadline of the beginning of the new league year on Wednesday looming for teams to tender their restricted free agents.
A league source confirmed Seattle has given Neal the ROFR tender, which means he will get a one-year contract for a salary of $2.6 million and gives the Seahawks the right to match any offer Neal might get. Some speculated he might get a second-round tender, which would have meant a salary of $4.3 million and Seattle would get a second-round pick as compensation if he were to sign elsewhere.
But indications are Seattle will do what it takes to keep Neal, be it matching an offer or possibly signing him to a different contract later.
Neal played last season on an exclusive-rights free-agent tender that paid him $1.035 million.
He responded by playing in 14 games in 2022, starting 10 in filling in as the starter at strong safety following a season-ending knee injury to Jamal Adams in the opener. Neal’s return was vital for Seattle with it remaining unclear when Adams will be fully recovered from his knee injury.
Options narrowing for Wagner?
As the day progressed, other options for Wagner appeared to be narrowing. The Chargers, who had been reported as interested in Wagner, will sign free agent Eric Kendricks. And Dallas, reported by many outlets to be interested in Wagner, re-signed Leighton Vander Esch.
So does that mean a return to Seattle is imminent?
Well, we know Wagner has talked with Carroll and general manager John Schneider, and a source said Wagner is interested in a return and that the team is considering it.
Wagner’s release from the Rams will become official on Wednesday when the new league year begins at 1 p.m. Maybe something will happen by then.