The Seattle Seahawks made two major changes to their roster during the 2022 offseason. Their leaders on both sides of the ball, quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner, were both on the move. Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos while Wagner was released and signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
It was a changing of the guard in Seattle, which had found plenty of success with those two veterans but wanted to make some changes. One of the reasons that the Seahawks were likely comfortable moving on from Wagner was that they had Jordyn Brooks waiting in the wings.
Brooks was selected No. 27 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Texas Tech. After playing sparingly as a rookie, he took over a starting role alongside Wagner in 2021 and burst onto the scene.
The former Red Raider led the NFL with 109 solo tackles that season, finishing with 184 total. He followed that performance up with 103 solo tackles, 161 total, in the 2022 season, with five passes defended before tearing his ACL and seeing his season end in Week 17.
That could very well be part of the reason that the Seahawks opted to decline the fifth-year option on Brooks’ contract. He has also struggled in pass coverage, with a 122.6 passer rating allowed in 2022. (H/T Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report) But, there is no denying how important of a piece he is to their run defense and scheme overall.
The Seahawks did bring Wagner back this offseason, as he continued playing at a high level for the Rams despite their lack of team success. Alas, the long-term option at linebacker should still be Brooks despite Wagner coming back and the team declining his fifth-year option.
Had Brooks had his option exercised, he would have been guaranteed $12.8 million in 2024. That would have been a risk for the Seahawks, as Brooks’s rehab is going well but there is no concrete timetable for when he could return to the field this season.
It would benefit the Seahawks to try working out a long-term extension with Brooks now, as the price tag would assuredly come in lower than $12.8 million. Incentives could be added to the deal so he could earn more money should he get healthy and return to the same level of productivity that he has shown the last two seasons.
Still only 25, Brooks does have some room for improvement and time to develop. The Seahawks would be smart to lock him in now instead of competing with teams on the open market in 2024 when he hits free agency.
