Free agency is here with the start of the new league year, so here at Seahawks.com, we'll be tracking all the Seahawks comings and goings in free agency. We'll update this article as Seahawks moves happen, so you can make this your one-stop shop for Seahawks signings, re-signings, and free agency departures.
Free Agents Retained
Free Agent Additions
- LB Uchenna Nwosu
- CB Artie Burns
- DT Quinton Jefferson
- C Austin Blythe
- CB Justin Coleman
- LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe
Free Agent Losses
- CB D.J. Reed (Jets)
- OL Jamarco Jones (Titans)
- TE Gerald Everett
March 24
Seahawks sign LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe
The Seahawks signed linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe, adding a player who should contribute on special teams while also potentially competing for a starting job at linebacker.
Iyiegbuniwe, a 2018 fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky who spent the past four years with the Bears, has played almost exclusively on special teams so far in his career, recording 34 tackles and a forced fumble, but he's looking to compete for a bigger role in Seattle, and he signed with Seattle in part for the opportunity to do that.
"That was a big thing, the fit, competing," he said. "I want to be a starter, I want to be a dominant player, so the opportunity is one thing I'm excited about. It's a perfect opening and I want to take advantage."
Seahawks sign CB Justin Coleman
The Seahawks signed cornerback Justin Coleman, bringing back a player who spent two years in Seattle from 2017-2018, thriving in the nickel corner role.
Coleman, who came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015, spent his first two seasons in New England before the Seahawks acquired him in a 2017 trade. In two seasons with the Seahawks, Coleman thrived in the nickel cornerback role, appearing in all 32 games while recording 19 passes defensed, three interceptions, a forced fumble, 98 tackles and two defensive touchdowns, once of which ended with him in an oversized Salvation Army kettle during a Christmas Eve victory in Dallas.
Coleman's success in Seattle led to a big payday in free agency in 2019, with Coleman signing with the Detroit Lions, where he spent two seasons before joining the Dolphins last season.
March 22
TE Gerald Everett signs with Chargers
Gerald Everett, who joined the Seahawks as a free-agent signing last offseason, is heading back to L.A., having signed a free-agent deal with the Chargers on Tuesday.
Everett spent his first four season as a member of the Los Angeles Rams before joining the Seahawks, and in his one year in Seattle he had career highs in catches (48), receiving yards (478) and touchdowns (4).
While the Seahawks are losing one of their top tight ends from last season in Everett, they were able to re-sign Will Dissly, who was also a free agent, and added former first-round pick Noah Fant in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Broncos.
March 21
Seahawks re-sign RB Rashaad Penny
In a move Pete Carroll called, "really one of the highlights of this offseason," the Seahawks re-signed running back Rashaad Penny, retaining a player who was a huge part of a late-season offensive surge.
After battling injuries through his first three-plus seasons, the former first-round pick had a huge finish to the 2021 season, rushing for a league-leading 671 yards over the final five weeks of the season.
For the season Penny averaged an NFL-best 6.3 yards per carry and 4.5 yards per carry after contact (minimum 100 attempts), and during that five-game finish stretch he had eight runs of 25 or more yards, tied for the most in the entire season with All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor, who had 332 carries to Penny's 119. Penny and Taylor were the only two running backs to have two games of 170 or more yards, and Penny's 190-yard game in Week 18 was the second highest single-game total in the league in 2021 behind Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook's 205-yard game in Week 14. Penny and Taylor were also the only two players to rush for 135 or more yards four times (Taylor had five such games).
Seahawks sign DT Quinton Jefferson and C Austin Blythe
The Seahawks made official on Monday the addition to two free agents, one on each side of the ball. In Blythe, the Seahawks add a candidate to take over the starting job at center, though he also has experience starting at guard. Blythe spent last season in Kansas City, but prior to that he was a starting center and guard with the Los Angeles Rams where he played for current Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson.
Jefferson, meanwhile, is back in Seattle after two years away playing for the Bills and Raiders. Drafted by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, Jefferson spent his first four seasons in Seattle--minus a brief stint with the Rams in 2017--including two seasons as a starter in 2018 and 2019.
Last season in Las Vegas, Jefferson recorded career highs with 4.5 sacks, 47 tackles, 16 quarterback hits and five tackles for loss.
March 18
Seahawks Sign CB Artie Burns
The Seahawks added an experienced and versatile cornerback to their secondary on Friday, signing cornerback Artie Burns.
A former first-round pick out of Miami, Burns nearly signed with Seattle as a free agent two years ago, general manager John Schneider said, but instead signed with the Bears. After missing the 2020 season with a torn ACL, Burns had a strong 2021 season with Chicago playing under defensive coordinator Sean Desai, who is now in Seattle as the associate head coach-defense.
"It was big just to be able to stay in the same system and be familiar with some of the same teachings that I was just in in Chicago," he said. "He's a detailed coach. Smart, resilient, definitely wants to win. He was a great coach last year, definitely."
In five seasons, Burns, 26, has started 38 games and appeared in 69, recording four interceptions, 33 passes defensed and 172 tackles. The 6-foot, 187-pound Burns has experience as an outside starting cornerback and as a nickel corner—he saw most of his playing time inside last season—giving the Seahawks options with how they can use him.
Seahawks Release Carlos Dunlap II & Kerry Hyder Jr
The Seahawks parted ways with a pair of players who were significant parts of their defense last season, releasing linebacker Carlos Dunlap II and defensive end Kerry Hyder Jr. on Friday.
Dunlap, who first joined the Seahawks in 2020 in a midseason trade, recorded 13.5 sacks in 25 games, including 8.5 last season. Dunlap saw his role reduced midway through last season, but came on strong late in the year, recording seven sacks in the final four games of the season.
Hyder, who signed with Seattle as a free agent last year, appeared in 15 games, starting seven, and recorded 1.5 sacks, 33 tackles, 11 quarterback hits and two fumble recoveries.
Seahawks Re-Sign C/G Kyle Fuller
The Seahawks re-signed Kyle Fuller Friday, bringing back a versatile lineman who has starting experience at both guard and center.
Fuller, who came into the league as a seventh-round pick in 2017, joined the Seahawks as a member of the practice squad in 2019 and was promoted to the active roster during the season, appearing in nine games with one start.
Fuller opened the 2021 season as Seattle's starting center, though Ethan Pocic would later take over that spot. Fuller later started two games at guard.
With Pocic still a free agent, Fuller will be a part of a competition at center that also includes free-agent addition Austin Blythe, as well as Dakoda Shepley, a player Seattle added last year on waivers.
March 17
Seahawks re-sign four, including Pro-Bowl safety Quandre Diggs
The Seahawks kicked off free agency by retaining some of their own top players, including Pro-Bowl safety Quandre Diggs, who signed a three-year deal on Thursday. Also back are defensive tackle Al Woods, tight end Will Dissly and cornerback Sidney Jones IV.
Diggs, who has a team-high 10 interceptions over the past two seasons, and Woods, who helped anchor one of the league's top run defenses, were two of Seattle's best defensive players last season, and will provide playmaking and leadership going forward for a new-look Seahawks defense led by new coordinator Clint Hurtt.
Dissly returns for his fifth year with the team that drafted him in 2018, and will look to lead a tight end group that also includes the recently acquired Noah Fant, as well as Colby Parkinson and Tyler Mabry. After suffering season-ending injuries early in each of his first two seasons, Dissly has missed only one game due to injury over the past two seasons.
Seahawks sign LB Uchenna Nwosu
The Seahawks added former Chargers linebacker Uchenna Nwosu in a move they hope will upgrade the pass rush, a stated goal of Pete Carroll heading into the offseason.
Nwosu, 2018 second-round pick of the Chargers, has 15 sacks in his career, including 5.0 last season in what was his first year as a starter. Nwosu also had 40 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits last season.
CB D.J. Reed signs with Jets
The Seahawks lost a key piece of their secondary in the opening days of free agency, with cornerback D.J. Reed signing with the New York Jets.
Reed, who the Seahawks claimed in 2020 after the 49ers waived him with an injury, proved to be a great addition during his two seasons, eventually taking over a starting role at cornerback after returning from injury midway through the 2020 season. Over his two years in Seattle, Reed started 22 games, primarily playing right cornerback, and recorded four interceptions, the most among cornerbacks over that span. Reed's 10 passes defensed in 2021 were tied for a team high along with Sidney Jones IV, and his 17 over the past two seasons matched Quandre Diggs' total for the team lead over that span.
With Reed leaving, the Seahawks still have two players who were starters for part of last season in Sidney Jones IV, who re-signed on Thursday, and Tre Brown, who took over a starting job last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
OL Jamarco Jones signs with Titans
Jamarco Jones, a versatile offensive lineman who played multiple positions throughout his four-year career in Seattle, signed with the Titans. Jones, a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft, never held a regular starting role in Seattle, but proved to be a valuable piece of the offensive line due to the versatility that allowed him to play both guard and tackle positions.
After spending his rookie year on injured reserve, Jones appeared in 36 games over the next three seasons, starting seven.
LB Benson Mayowa released
The Seahawks released pass-rusher Benson Mayowa, a player who began his career as a Seahawk almost a decade ago, then returned to Seattle in 2020.
Mayowa appeared in 28 games for the Seahawks over the past two seasons, starting 16, recording seven sacks, six of which came in 2020.
Mayowa, who went undrafted out of Idaho in 2013, began his NFL career as a tryout player at Seattle's rookie minicamp, a tryout that led to a contract with the eventual Super Bowl champs. After appearing in two games with the Seahawks that year, Mayowa went to Oakland where he earned a bigger role, then went on to play for Dallas and Arizona.
The move comes after the Seahawks added linebacker Uchenna Nwosu to bolster the pass rush.
