NFL free agency is off and running, and we're keeping track of every major signing, trade and release of the 2024 offseason, with analysis from our NFL Nation reporters and grades from our experts. The new league year begins March 13 at 4 p.m. ET, which means free agent signings can be made official after that. The first round of the 2024 NFL draft begins April 25 on ESPN.
Here's a breakdown of every 2024 NFL free agent signing by the Seattle Seahawks and how each will impact the upcoming season:
Leonard Williams, DT
Williams is re-signing with the Seahawks on a three-year, $64.5 million deal with $43.85 million guaranteed.
What it means: The big trade Seattle made to get Williams last October won't be for naught. General manager John Schneider said it was "definitely a priority" for the Seahawks to re-sign Williams after they gave up a second-round pick to get him from the Giants (who also got a 2025 fifth-rounder and paid most of the remaining $10 million he was owed for 2023). Losing Williams in free agency would have made that trade a waste.
Instead, he returns to team with Dre'Mont Jones, Jarran Reed, Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe to form a strong group of D-linemen and outside linebackers. Schneider and new coach Mike Macdonald have a lot of work to do at inside linebacker (Jordyn Brooks left for Miami while Bobby Wagner is a free agent) and safety (after cutting Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs), but Seattle is well-stocked up front.
What's the risk: The Seahawks mitigated some risk by sticking to their MO and not extending Williams right after the trade, thereby not committing big money to him before getting an up-close look at his work ethic and how he fits into their locker room. They liked what they saw in both regards, but there's still a risk with any deal of this size, especially for a player of Williams' age.
He turns 30 in June, and as well as he played in 10 games with the Seahawks -- 4.0 sacks and nine tackles for loss -- Williams didn't exactly transform their struggling run defense. One thing the Seahawks can feel good about is that his body held up well despite playing in 18 regular-season games last year.
George Fant, OT
Seahawks announced that they have agreed to terms with Fant.
What it means: If Abe Lucas' balky knee acts up again, the Seahawks should be better equipped to replace him at right tackle than they were last year. Jake Curhan, Stone Forsythe and 41-year-old Jason Peters all took turns there without much sustained success as Lucas missed 11 games. Fant, 31, looks like an upgrade. While mostly playing on the right side (833 snaps) with Houston last season, he ranked 35th among qualifying offensive tackles (left or right) in pass block win rate.
Fant, who broke into the NFL as an undrafted rookie with Seattle in 2016, has played extensively on both sides and thus could again fill the swing-tackle role for the Seahawks as the primary backup to Lucas and Charles Cross.
What's the risk: Terms of Fant's deal weren't immediately available. He played last season on a one-year, $3 million deal with Houston that included $800,000 guaranteed. A deal similar to that would be reasonable for a projected swing tackle and would carry manageable risk for Seattle. The Seahawks had to solidify their depth at this spot. Former coach Pete Carroll at one point referred to Lucas' injury as chronic, which implies it may not be completely behind him even though he had right knee surgery earlier this offseason.
So the real risk would have been running it back with the same depth pieces as last season. Forsythe has one year left on his rookie deal while Peters and Curhan (non-tendered as a restricted free agent) are both UFAs. Raiqwon O'Neal and McClendon Curtis, both tendered as exclusive rights free agents, round out Seattle's OT depth.
Jerome Baker, LB
Baker is signing a one year, $7 million deal with the Seahawks.
What it means: After signing Tyrel Dodson away from the Bills earlier this week, the Seahawks now have their other projected starter at inside linebacker. Baker and Dodson replace Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks in the middle of a defense that will look quite different -- personnel- and scheme-wise -- under new coach Mike Macdonald.
The Dolphins made it clear which player they preferred, releasing Baker with a failed-physical designation before signing Brooks. Baker is also a year older at 27 and is coming off a pair of injuries. But he has been the better playmaker over two more NFL seasons, recording five career interceptions (to Brooks' one) and 22.5 sacks (to Brooks' 6.5).
Because Baker was released by Miami, he won't count against Seattle's formula for compensatory picks.
What's the risk: It's not clear how much of Baker's $7 million deal is guaranteed, or whether that total includes incentives. But it's likely that the Seahawks built in some financial protection into the deal given that Baker is coming off a pair of injuries. He missed four games late last season with an MCL injury then dislocated his wrist in his first game back, which required surgery and sidelined him for Miami's playoff loss to Kansas City.
Between those recent health issues, the Seahawks' lack of depth at inside linebacker and the fact that Baker and Dodson are both on one-year deals, Seattle still needs to add to that position in the draft.
Tyrel Dodson, LB
Dodson, who played last year with the Bills, signed a one-year deal with Seattle.
What it means: The Seahawks took a step toward filling out one of the barest positions on their roster by adding Dodson, who projects to fill one of the two starting spots at inside linebacker that were vacated by the free agent departures of Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner. Dodson, an undrafted free agent in 2019, ascended into a starting role last year and posted career highs in tackles (74), sacks (2.5) and tackles for loss (eight). At 6-foot, 237 pounds and with 4.6 speed, Dodson looks like he can add some needed speed to the middle of Seattle's defense.
What's the risk: Details of Dodson's one-year deal weren't immediately available, so it's unclear how much financial risk the Seahawks are taking on. Money aside, there is risk in letting a more established player in Brooks leave for a reasonable deal in Miami (three years, $26.25 million) and replacing him with Dodson, who was primarily a backup before making 10 starts last season. As a rookie in 2019, Dodson served a six-game NFL suspension after his girlfriend accused him of becoming violent with her during an argument. Dodson was arrested on charges of domestic violence and disorderly conduct. He denied the charges and reached a deal, pleading guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. The Bills said their investigation did not find any signs of domestic violence and noted that Dodson had no previous legal issues.
Noah Fant, TE
The Seahawks are re-signing Fant to a two-year, $21 million contract with a $9 million signing bonus.
What it means: The Seahawks paid Fant. Now they need to feature him, something they didn't do enough of last season. The 2019 first-round pick caught 32 of 43 targets for 414 yards and zero touchdowns in 2023. Part of the issue, along with Seattle's inability to sustain drives and poor offensive-line play that made life hard on Geno Smith, was that Fant was sharing snaps and targets as part of a tight end trio that also included Colby Parkinson and Will Dissly. Both are gone, which should help Fant become more of a focal point. New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb needs to make him one if the Seahawks are going to get proper value out of this deal.
What's the risk: ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that Fant is getting $21 million over two years, though it's not clear if that total includes incentives. Either way, it appears to be a sizable raise from the $6.85 million he made last season after Seattle picked up his fifth-year option.
It's a big contract for a player whose production has dipped in two seasons with the Seahawks after they acquired him from the Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade. But re-signing him indicates they feel that was a function of the circumstances around him and not any decline in his game. One reason the Seahawks can feel comfortable that Fant's best football is still ahead of him: he's only 26 and hasn't missed a game in two seasons with Seattle.
K'Von Wallace, S
What it means: The details of Wallace's contract will offer a better idea of how likely he is to make the Seahawks' roster, but he has the potential to be part of their post-Jamal Adams/Quandre Diggs plan at safety. Free-agent addition Rayshawn Jenkins figures to start opposite Julian Love, which means Wallace projects as competition for the third safety spot. Seattle's most experienced alternative there is Coby Bryant, a third-year player who was a nickelback as a rookie in 2022. So that group needed a veteran like Wallace, who's made 19 starts over four NFL seasons since the Eagles made him a fourth-round pick in 2020.
What's the risk: One-year deals signed in the second week of free agency are typically team-friendly and don't contain significant guarantees. Assuming Wallace's deal fits that description, there isn't much risk. Wallace made five starts for Arizona last season and then seven more with Tennessee after he was claimed off waivers in October.
Johnathan Hankins, DT
What it means: Hankins projects as an early-down run stuffer, the role he's filled for most of his 11 NFL seasons. With the Seahawks returning their top three interior D-linemen from last year -- Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed and Dre'Mont Jones -- they needed someone to replace Mario Edwards Jr. in the rotation. More specifically, they might have needed a bigger version of Edwards. He and Jones are both around 280 pounds. Williams and Reed are both right around 300, as is 2023 draft pick Cam Young.
Meanwhile, the 2023 Baltimore defense run by new Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald used two D-tackles who were well over 330 pounds (Michael Pierce and Travis Jones). If that's the kind of beef that Macdonald wants up front, then the 6-2, 320-pound Hankins gives him that.
What's the risk: There's obvious risk in relying on older players like Hankins, who turns 32 later this month. But that's mitigated by what is likely a one-year deal for no more than around $3 million. Also, the Seahawks will only be asking Hankins to fill a rotational role. He averaged 25 snaps in 14 games last season with Dallas (he missed three with an ankle injury), which is right around what Edwards averaged with Seattle.
If the Seahawks envision Hankins sliding into Edwards' spot in their rotation, that shouldn't be an overly-taxing workload. They'll have plenty of familiarity with Hankins' game since his position coach in Dallas, Aden Durde, is now Seattle's defensive coordinator. One question would be where Young fits. The Seahawks felt he could start at nose tackle after they drafted him in the fourth round last year, but he played only 205 defensive snaps.
Laviska Shenault Jr., WR
Shenault Jr.'s one-year deal with the Seahawks is worth $1.29 million with $1.15 million fully guaranteed, according to a source.
What it means: Shenault gives the Seahawks some depth on the back end of their receiver corps, and at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, he's another big body to go along with Dareke Young as a potential backup to DK Metcalf. The bigger appeal may have been what Shenault can provide on special teams given his experience returning kickoffs over the past two seasons. The recently-passed rule changes to the kickoff might result in teams fielding two returners at once.
With DeeJay Dallas leaving in free agency, Shenault gives Seattle another option to go with Dee Eskridge. He played 102 special teams snaps last year, so he could potentially add value there beyond returning.
What's the risk: This is likely to be a minimum-salary deal that qualifies for what's known as the "veteran salary benefit." VSB deals contain no more than $167,500 in bonus money on top of the veteran-minimum base salary, and they count a little less against the salary cap than the total cash amount of the contract. In other words, there's very little risk.
It's a flier on a former second-round pick -- in 2020 by Jacksonville -- who's still only 25 years old. His career got off to a promising start with 121 catches for 1,219 yards and five touchdowns over his first two seasons, but his production dipped after a trade to Carolina, with only 37 catches for 332 yards and one TD in the two seasons since. He missed nine games last season with a pair of ankle injuries.
Pharaoh Brown, TE
Brown has agreed to a one-year deal with a base value of $3.2 million and a max value of $3.9 million, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
What it means: The Seahawks' first outside addition of free agency fills one of their backup spots behind No. 1 tight end Noah Fant, whom they agreed to re-sign on Monday to a two-year, $21 million deal. That was after Colby Parkinson (Rams) and the recently-cut Will Dissly (Chargers) agreed to deals elsewhere, leaving Seattle in need of at least two other tight ends to pair with Fant.
The 29-year-old Brown caught 13 passes for a career-high 208 yards and one touchdown last season. He has scored three touchdowns in seven seasons since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent. That kind of modest production indicates he's likely to fill the No. 3 role, meaning Seattle still needs a No. 2.
What's the risk: It's not yet clear how much Brown is guaranteed, but $3.2 million is a good amount of money for someone who projects as a third tight end. Brown played 209 special teams snaps last year, eighth-most on the Patriots, so he could add value to Seattle there after their release of special-teams captain Nick Bellore. Brown played in 17 games last season and 16 in 2022, so durability does not appear to be a concern.
Rayshawn Jenkins, S
The Seahawks signed Jenkins to a two-year, $12 million deal, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
What it means: The Seahawks secured another piece of their post-Jamal Adams/Quandre Diggs plan at safety. Jenkins gives them an option to start opposite Julian Love or to play alongside him as the third safety in sub packages. Whatever the role, Jenkins brings five years of starting experience and 10 career interceptions, including five over the past two seasons.
Jenkins still doesn't look like the ballhawk that Diggs is nor the blitzer that Adams was pre-injury (3.5 career sacks), but he is quite a bit cheaper than both. He also won't count against Seattle's formula for compensatory picks because he was cut by the Jaguars earlier this month.
What's the risk: Jenkins may not be a better player than Diggs, who played at a Pro Bowl level at times over the last four years and picked 15 passes in that span while not missing a game. The Seahawks clearly think Jenkins will be a better value, if nothing else.
His deal is similar to the one the Seahawks gave Love last March. It includes $6.6 million this season, a source told Fowler, which is less than the $11 million that Diggs was owed in the final year of his deal. But cutting Diggs also meant taking on $10.26 million in dead money. So, depending on how Jenkins' deal is structured, that swap will save Seattle around $7 million in cap space as well as $4.4 million in cash for 2024, albeit for a player who's less accomplished and only one year younger.
Nick Harris, OC
Harris has agreed with Seattle on a one-year, $2.51 million deal with a max value of $3.26 million.
What it means: The Seahawks appear to have a potential option for last year's starting center, Evan Brown, and someone to compete with Olu Oluwatimi for the job. This signing is reminiscent of Brown's 12 months ago both in the modest contract and Harris' background, as he has played center (281 career snaps) and right guard (154) and could justify his salary even if he doesn't win a starting job by backing up at both spots. The difference is that Harris is much less experienced than Brown, with only four starts over four seasons with Cleveland (he missed 2022 with a knee injury).
In Seattle, Harris reunites with the O-line coach he played under at Washington, Scott Huff, who was hired to the same role on Mike Macdonald's staff. All three of the Seahawks' interior O-line starters from last season are free agents and the best one, Damien Lewis, left for a big deal in Carolina. Which means Harris is only the start of what should be a major retooling at center and guard.
What's the risk: Brown was so-so as a center last season. Harris is a bit younger at 25 and will cost the Seahawks about as much, with the NFL Network reporting his deal is for $2.51 million and a max value of $3.26 million -- similar to the $2.25 million they gave Brown last year. But will Harris be any better? He has started only three games at center, including two last season. He posted an excellent pass block win rate (97.6%) in 215 snaps as a center in 2023, but that's not a big enough sample size to definitively say that Seattle has upgraded there -- or even that he's a lock to beat out Oluwatimi for the job.
Artie Burns, CB
The Seahawks are re-signing Burns to a one-year deal.
What it means: After two big-money re-signings in Leonard Williams and Noah Fant, the Seahawks' last three moves have been low-cost, one-year deals. Burns follows Pharaoh Brown and Nick Harris in that vein. Burns has been a solid depth piece for Seattle the past two seasons and a veteran voice in a young cornerback room. Last year, he also showed he can step in at nickelback, where he didn't have previous experience. Devon Witherspoon figures to fill that role as long as he's healthy, with Burns backing up in the slot and on the outside.
What's the risk: Burns played on a one-year, minimum salary deal last season that paid him $1.08 million with zero guaranteed money and a cap charge of only $836,000. Financial terms of his latest deal weren't immediately available, but if it's similar to his last one, then it's about as low risk as it gets. And unless there's a major spike in guaranteed money, expect Burns to be vying for a roster spot as a backup behind Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, Tre Brown and potentially Michael Jackson, depending on what happens with Jackson as a restricted free agent.
Darrell Taylor, LB
Taylor signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks.
What it means: Instead of tendering Taylor as a restricted free agent for $3.116 million, the Seahawks signed him to a slightly-sweetened one-year deal. On top of a non-guaranteed $3.136 million base salary, Taylor gets a $20,000 signing bonus and the ability to earn an additional $350,000 in sack incentives. So this moves keeps a good, 27-year-old pass-rusher in the fold while doing right by someone who's played a lot of football for Seattle over the past three years and would have been an unrestricted free agent had he not been injured as a rookie in 2020.
What's the risk: Taylor is not a strong run defender, and his struggles in that area cost him his starting job in 2022. But he's plenty valuable as a situational edge rusher, especially for less than $3.5 million. Taylor has 21.5 sacks in 49 games over the last three seasons, which ranks 32nd in the NFL. His pass rush win rate in that span ranks 22nd, right behind teammates Boye Mafe (21st) and Uchenna Nwosu (19th).
Nwosu should be back from his torn pec for the start of the season to start opposite Mafe at outside linebacker, which means Taylor should join Derick Hall and perhaps a draft pick as rotational players.
Tremayne Anchrum Jr., G
The Seahawks have announced they signed Anchrum.
What it means: Anchrum looks like a depth signing at the Seahawks' biggest position of need. Left guard Damien Lewis signed a massive deal in Carolina and right guard Phil Haynes remains unsigned. Even if the Seahawks view Anthony Bradford as a viable option to take over full-time at one of those spots -- all 629 of his snaps in 2023 were as a fill-in for Haynes on the right side -- they can't afford to simply hand the starting job to last year's fourth-round pick without bringing in someone to compete with him. Anchrum could give them that, though nothing about his resume suggests he'd be any sort of favorite to win the job.
A seventh-round pick in 2020, he's made one start in 31 appearances over four seasons. Of his 96 NFL snaps, 93 have come at right guard.
What's the risk: Details were not immediately available, but this is likely to be a short-term deal without much guaranteed money, meaning there isn't much risk for the Seahawks. They've added strong depth at tackle with George Fant and competition for the center job with Nick Harris, but guard remains a big enough need to warrant strong consideration to drafting one in the first round. Troy Fautanu, who played for new Seahawks O-line coach Scott Huff at Washington, has been a common pick for Seattle at No. 16 overall in mock drafts.