This offseason, the Seattle Seahawks have a lot of tough choices to make. It’s hard to guess which of their 14 pending free agents they will maintain with a whole new coaching staff.
With Leonard Williams as the team’s most valuable pending free agent, linebacker Jordyn Brooks comes in second. Spotrac.com projects that Brooks will get a four-year, $45 million contract.
The Seahawks declined to pick up the former first-round choice from the 2020 NFL Draft by Seattle, making him a pending free agent as of this past offseason. Brooks’ option would have forced him to accept a $12.72 million salary guarantee for 2024. Instead, he played the last year of his rookie deal with a basic salary of slightly less than $2.28 million after recovering from an ACL rupture sustained late in the 2022 season.
According to ESPN analyst Jeremy Fowler, the Seahawks may lose Brooks to the Dallas Cowboys in the open market. On March 3, Fowler wrote, “Dallas could be in the market for a linebacker after last season’s struggles at the position.” “Jordyn Brooks, a top free agent linebacker and native of the Dallas area, would be a good fit.”
Zach Bachar from Bleacher Report concurs. With over 110 total tackles in each of his last three seasons, Brooks may be a viable option at the position going forward. In2023, he also recorded eight total tackles for loss in addition to a career-high 4.5 sacks.
In the previous campaign, Brooks recorded 111 total tackles, 5 quarterback hits, 4 passes defensed, and 1 pick-six interception. Randy Mueller of The Athletic lists him as the fifth-best linebacker available for free agency.
Seahawks General Manager John Schneider referred to Jordyn Brooks as a “priority.”
With the Seahawks’ current effective cap space of about $7.1 million, general manager John Schneider has his job cut out for him. Devin Bush and Bobby Wagner are all pending free agents in addition to Brooks. Seattle won’t have a single linebacker with starting experience under contract in 2024 if all three decide to go.
After the season, when asked if he would like to re-sign with Seattle, Brooks responded, “Of course,” according to Mike Dugar of The Athletic. “I would love to be back here because this is where my career began and it feels like home.”
Schneider also appears committed to keeping the former Texas Tech student in Seattle. We passed up the possibility to draft Jordan in the first round of the previous draft. He struggled and made an effort to fight off the wounds and everything. But all of them, including Williams, are priorities, Schneider informed reporters at the NFL Combine.
Dugar believes Brooks will remain in Seattle. Re-signing Brooks and matching him with a cheap running partner would seem to be the most likely course of action given Schneider’s past, according to Dugar’s analysis.
What Role Does Jordyn Brooks Play in Mike Macdonald’s Game Plan for the Seahawks?
Seattle appointed Mike Macdonald as their new head coach and Ryan Grubb as their offensive coordinator after Pete Carroll left the team. They appointed Aden Durde as defensive coordinator and Leslie Frazier as their new assistant head coach.
Although Schneider would favour domestic talent, Macdonald might have different opinions on Brooks. The rumours that Seattle was going to sign linebacker Patrick Queen from the Baltimore Ravens have only gotten stronger since Macdonald’s hiring.
The Ravens selected Queen at No. 28 after Seattle selected Brooks with their No. 27 overall pick. Macdonald was the linebackers coach for Baltimore at the time.
But Queen would be almost twice as expensive as Brooks. According to Spotrac.com’s projection, the 24-year-old should receive a five-year, $92.6 million contract, based on his market value.
Because of his missed tackle rate, Corbin K. Smith of SI argued that Seattle would allow Brooks to depart. Brooks missed 21 tackles in the previous season, or 16% of his opportunities. Smith speculated, “In his four years in Seattle, he has never really made the leap to elite at his position.” But last year, he gave up zero touchdowns, compared to 13 in his first three seasons in Seattle.
Given his advanced age and demonstrated progress, Smith thinks Macdonald will retain Brooks. “Investing in him as a long-term centrepiece of Macdonald’s defence should be the top priority due to his youth, production, athleticism, toughness, and competitive juices.”
