The Seattle Seahawks have had a busy offseason, but there are still questions as to how the defensive line will fit together in 2023. Former Rams pass rusher Leonard Floyd is surprisingly still available in free agency, and the Seahawks are being labeled as a potential landing spot for the defender. CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin paired Seattle with Floyd as the best possible fit for the team’s former rival.
“Seattle made sure to invest in its front seven this offseason, paying a pretty penny to add Dre’Mont Jones and reunite with Jarran Reed,” Benjamin wrote on May 19, 2023. “But the Seahawks could still use some juice off the edge, and Floyd, a cap casualty of the rival Rams, has quietly posted at least nine sacks in three straight seasons. He could be a plug-and-play 3-4 outside linebacker for them.”
Floyd has consistently been an intimidating presence for opposing quarterbacks, including Seattle, during the NFC West clashes. The veteran posted at least nine sacks in three straight seasons. Floyd notched 59 tackles, 22 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 17 starts during the 2022 season.
Leonard Floyd Was Previously on a 4-Year, $64 Million Contract With the Rams
The linebacker became a cap casualty this offseason as the Rams found themselves in salary cap hell remaining from their Super Bowl push during the 2021 season. Prior to the Super Bowl season, Floyd signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Rams giving the veteran an average annual salary of $16 million.
What would signing Floyd cost Seattle? Spotrac projected Floyd’s market value to be a three-year, $41.2 million contract. With June fast approaching, it is hard to imagine Floyd landing anywhere close to this amount. Floyd is more likely to sign a one-year, prove-it contract at this point in the offseason.
This would be appealing for the Seahawks, but the team is already pushed against the salary cap. Seattle would likely need to restructure veteran contracts- as we saw with Tyler Lockett- to be able to add Floyd, even on a discount.
Seahawks Rumors: Could Seattle Sign Former Rival on a 1-Year, Prove-It Contract?
Leonard Floyd beats Bobby Massie like a drum for the sack on third down 🥁
Floyd is coming off a disappointing 65.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, but it is worth noting that the entire Rams team struggled in 2022. The pass rusher notched a 70.4 score in 2021 and still has proven to be one of the best league defenders at disrupting the quarterback.
Even if the Seahawks utilized Floyd as a situational pass rusher, the former Super Bowl champ could still help provide a solid rotation of disruptors. Seattle signed Mario Edwards as a potential rotational player who offers plenty of intrigue as a former highly touted prospect. Heading into the offseason, head coach Pete Carroll was candid about needing to add difference makers on the defensive line and pointed to the Rams as a potential blueprint.
“The problem is, to really be effective it needs to be up front,” Carroll told Seattle Sports’ “Brock and Salk” during his January 16 coaches show. “You need to have those guys that can really do stuff, they cause the problem – run and pass – every snap. You gotta run the other way, you gotta look out, you gotta cut them off.
“Those are the factors. It’s like the factor that (Rams defensive tackle) Aaron Donald brings. That factor overwhelms the game plan and becomes a distraction to the rest of it if you can’t handle those guys. That’s where you see the teams that really have the big time potential defensively. They’ve got a couple guys, or at least one guy, that you really have to contend with.”
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Seahawks Could Snag Former Rival Intimidator, Says Analyst