Has Table Been Set For Seahawks to Make Splashy Trade During or Prior to 2025 NFL Draft?
Since striking out after battling to a full count trying to court veteran guard Will Fries earlier this month, despite having clear needs for help in the trenches, the Seattle Seahawks have remained relative non-factors in the market for free agent offensive linemen.
Following Fries’ decision to sign with Minnesota, Seattle has brought in at least four veteran guards to the VMAC for free agent visits over the past 10 days, including former second-round picks Teven Jenkins and Dillon Radunz. But to the frustration of many fans, all of those players left the facility without signing a contract and within a few days, Jenkins, Radunz, and ex-Saints starter Lucas Patrick had all opted to sign elsewhere on affordable one-year deals, further depleting a rapidly thinning crop of blockers left available.
Now just 29 days away from the 2025 NFL Draft, after adding only versatile reserve Josh Jones in free agency to this point, Seahawks general manager John Schneider appears to be content with moving forward with the band mostly kept together from last year, banking on a new-look coaching staff featuring offensive line coach John Benton and senior assistant Rick Dennison to level up their play in 2025.
But if there’s reason to believe the Seahawks may not yet be done investigating veteran options to bolster their interior offensive line, look no further than the assets at Schneider’s disposal both in draft capital and financial flexibility.
Even after accounting for contracts for quarterback Sam Darnold, receiver Cooper Kupp, and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, Seattle currently has $36 million in available salary cap space, the sixth-most in the league according to OverTheCap.com. From that total, a hair over $32 million of that cap space can be used for veteran additions, though that number will go down a bit with a few other signings still yet to be financially disclosed.
Following the separate pre-free agency trades of Geno Smith and DK Metcalf, which netted an additional second and third-round pick from the Steelers and Raiders, the Seahawks also have 10 draft picks, including five in the first 92 selections. With such ammunition and ample cap room, Schneider will be able to actively work the phones to not only move up or down the draft board next month, but also inquire about established veterans on the trade market.
Rolling into the draft, the Seahawks are far from the only offensive line-needy team in the NFL. As Schneider has noted on multiple occasions, the scarcity of quality tackles, guards, and centers has been reflected by teams being forced to overpay and overdraft at those positions due to supply and demand, and finding a trade partner willing to part with a quality veteran can be tough sledding.
However, Schneider has an extensive history of orchestrating substantial trades prior and during the NFL draft, and two teams in particular could present opportunities for him to acquire proven offensive line talent in exchange for a draft choice and/or financial considerations. Both the Browns and Saints have been hamstrung by bad contracts and mismanagement, as Cleveland still has the albatross that is Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed deal on the books and New Orleans’ propensity for restructuring seemingly everyone on the roster year after year has caught up with the franchise by perpetually kicking cap hits down the road like a credit card.
Interestingly, the Browns signed Jenkins two days after he met with the Seahawks in Renton, while Radunz joined the Saints one day later after making his own visit to the Pacific Northwest. In a bit of an ironic twist, those transactions could open the door for the two organizations to dangle high-priced veteran guards as trade bait to recoup draft capital with the Seahawks jumping out as a prime candidate to strike a deal with.
In the case of Cleveland, former All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio will be entering the final year of his contract with a cap hit north of $11 million. While he will turn 34 years old in October and has surrendered more than 30 pressures each of the past two seasons, poor quarterback play has had a bearing on those numbers and he still earned Pro Bowl accolades in 2023 and 2024. He also historically has been an excellent zone blocker in the run game and even at his advancing age, he’s still an above average athlete for the position capable of executing reach blocks and doing damage at the second level, which would be a great fit for Klint Kubiak’s offense in Seattle.
Due to his age, Bitonio could be viewed as a one-year rental, but that may work in Seattle’s favor in regard to what Cleveland can ask for in return. Even with his All-Pro pedigree, dealing him for anything more than a fourth or fifth round pick seems unlikely with just one year left on his deal.
If the Browns aren’t interested in moving Bitonio, fellow starting guard Wyatt Teller may also be a possible trade target for the Seahawks. Last season, the eight-year veteran posted a solid 70.8 zone blocking grade and he ranked in the top 20 in that category in 2023, so he would also represent a strong fit for Kubiak’s system. Though he did give up seven sacks in 2023, he only has finished with below a 97 percent pass block efficiency rate once in his entire career, demonstrating the consistency that the team has been lacking up front at the guard spots for several years running. Like Bitonio, he has one year left on his current contract as well, which should help lower the expected return price to a day three selection.
Since Teller did injure linebacker Uchenna Nwosu during the preseason last year on what the defender later called a “dirty” chop block, the coaching staff would need to ensure that there’s no animosity between the two players before signing off on a deal. But in terms of pure talent, he would unquestionably be a major upgrade at right guard and with him only being 30, extending him would be a strong possibility as a multi-year solution at the position.
As for the Saints, familiarity with Kubiak, Benton, and Dennison adds another wrinkle of intrigue to the equation. With Kubiak citing an “elite” center as the biggest key to his scheme along the offensive line back in February, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if the Seahawks tried to make a play for Erik McCoy, though the price to acquire him would likely be significantly higher than Bitonio or Teller.
For one, McCoy has yet to turn 28 years old. The two-time Pro Bowler remains in the prime years of his career with three seasons left under contract and has been a premier pass blocker since arriving out of Texas A&M, allowing one or fewer sacks in five of his six NFL seasons. Considering his youth, talent, and roster control with cap hits under $18 million per year in 2026 and 2027, New Orleans could be aiming for an early day two pick to part ways with him, especially with a trade actually costing the Saints a bit of cap space for this season.
If the Seahawks don’t want to give up a second round pick, Schneider could also look into the possibility of acquiring former first-round pick Cesar Ruiz, who has three years remaining on a four-year, $44 million extension signed in September 2023. The ex-Michigan standout struggled some in pass protection earlier in his career, but he allowed just 13 pressures and a sack last season and posted a stellar 98.4 percent pass block efficiency rate. He also earned a 70.5 zone blocking grade from PFF in his lone season playing in Kubiak’s system, which capitalized on his elite athletic traits as a move blocker.
Similar to McCoy, the Saints could up the ante in regard to asking price due to Ruiz’s youth, as he won’t turn 26 until June. But while he made strides last year, he has never been an All-Pro or a Pro Bowler like his center has, and with the trading team on the hook for the last three years of his deal, it may be tough to get more than a third round pick. In fact, an early day three selection may be the sweet spot to strike a deal, which would help New Orleans significantly opening up cap room for 2026 and beyond while Radunz plugs in as a starter in his place.
With the calendar soon to flip to April, there’s no guarantee Schneider will be making any significant trades in the next several weeks or even during the NFL draft. Seattle could easily stay the course by choosing to draft one or two offensive linemen to add to an already youthful offensive line, counting on Benton to work his magic turning the group around by focusing on fundamentals and unlocking the potential of players such as Christian Haynes and Olu Oluwatimi.
But if history serves as an indicator at all, it would be a surprise if Schneider hasn’t already been working the phones and dialing up other general managers to see if a deal for a quality offensive lineman emerges. Whether that winds up being Bitonio, Teller, McCoy, Ruiz, or a player from a different team, there may be options out there that offer far better upgrades than signing someone like Jenkins or Radunz would have, and the Seahawks have both the cap space and the draft capital to swing such a trade, which should make the next month a fun one to watch.
