Would Seattle Be Interested in a Trade?
K. Joudry
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The NFL would be more exciting if there were more trades. The NBA and NHL both generate a lot of interest among fans through the offseason and during the year because of trades. It’s possible that it’s easier in basketball and hockey to jump into a new team & system than in football. Even still, more moves are possible, and one wonders if Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will look to add someone through a trade before Green Bay arrives in Week 1.
Seattle must realize they’ll likely be among the worst teams in the conference. The clear-cut top three teams – Tampa, Green Bay, and LA – feel like near locks to get into the postseason. Underneath those teams are a cluster of average to above-average teams: Dallas, Minnesota, Arizona, Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Washington. Can Seattle really overcome enough teams to snag a playoff spot. Even if they do, what are the chances they can actually make a deep run?
Russell Wilson is now with the Broncos. The QB competition is between Geno Smith and Drew Lock. Last season, the Seahawks defense was almost as bad as Minnesota’s, allowing nearly 380 yards per game. To their credit, they kept opponents to an average of 21.5 points per game, but this group was far from dominant. They finished 7-10 last season and are now without Bobby Wagner, a Hall of Fame LB.
The point, folks, is that it’s possible they’d be open to a trade with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings. If success isn’t attainable in the short term, the focus ought to shift toward success in the not-too-distant future. Prolonging mediocrity only makes the rebuild more painful. Seattle has already signalled their desire to take a new approach due to their aforementioned decisions to move on from Wilson and Wagner. Plus, they have more than $46 million in dead money this year. That kind of financial hit suggests the leadership really does view 2022 as the beginning of a rebuild.
Over the Cap has the team at just under $16.4 million in cap space. Moving on from some more veterans would give the team extra cap space, which can be rolled over into next season. The highest cap hit belongs to Poona Ford, the DT who is in his late twenties. Trading him would clear $8.325 million in cap space. He had a strong 73.0 PFF score in 2021. There have been some rumblings about a trade involving DK Metcalf. Given the depth Minnesota has at WR, the chances of this materializing for the Vikings feels exceedingly small.
Another name to consider: Noah Fant. The tight end came to Seattle as part of the Wilson deal. Moving him would clear his entire $2.211 million hit. That’s a hit that jumps to $6.85 million next season. If Seattle isn’t interested in paying for the young TE, perhaps they’d be interested in a deal. The Vikings don’t have much beyond Irv Smith Jr., who is coming off a serious injury. Bringing someone else in makes sense, especially since Smith Jr. will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah isn’t particularly likely to pull off a trade before the season arrives. The expectation, though, is that Minnesota’s GM will always be interested in improving his team. If an opportunity arises, Adofo-Mensah would need to explore if a trade is best for the Vikings.
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