Seahawks Predicted to Sign Veteran Standout to $45 Million Deal

Getty The Seattle Seahawks could sign Uchenna Nwosu to a new contract.

The Seattle Seahawks are predicted to sign a veteran standout to a big-time money deal.

According to a projection from Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger, the Seahawks are predicted to sign edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu to a three-year, $45 million contract extension (with $27 million guaranteed). Nwosu is on the verge of entering the second year of a two-year, $19 million deal he signed last offseason.

Spielberger argues that Nwosu’s banner year combined with the fact that he returns as Seattle’s top pass rusher should be enough to garner a $15 million per year deal for the former second-round draft pick.

“The Seahawks have used a second-round pick on an edge defender in three of the past four drafts, but they should still work to keep Nwosu around for the foreseeable future as one of the strengths of an otherwise developing pass-rush unit,” writes Spielberger. “The former second-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers set career highs across the board in his first season with the team, racking up 61 quarterback pressures, 9.5 sacks and 41 defensive stops.”

Uchenna Nwosu is Seahawks’ Top Pass Rusher

Nwosu is not only coming off of a career year, he clearly established himself as the Seahawks’ top edge rusher during the 2022 season. In addition to his team-leading 9.5 sacks, Nwosu also totaled 66 tackles — tops among along team linemen — along with a team-leading 12 tackles for loss and 26 quarterback hits. He also forced three fumbles last season, sixth among all players.

According to PFF, Nwosu posted a 72.6 defensive grade last season along with a 73.7 pass-rushing grade. Nwosu posted the highest defensive grade of any Seahawks defensive lineman and the second-highest pass-rushing grade, only behind Darrell Taylor’s 73.6 pass-rushing grade.

Spielberger goes into further detail regarding Nwosu’s consistency and production, which was among the top players in the league last season.

“Nwosu joined Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby and Minnesota Vikings star Danielle Hunter as the only edge defenders across the league to rack up at least 60 quarterback pressures and 40 defensive stops, and his 12 tackles for loss or no gain were tied for the third most at the position,” says Spielberger. “While Nwosu can work to miss fewer tackle opportunities, he more than proved in 2022 that he is a capable every-down player.”

Uchenna Nwosu’s Contract Projection is Similar to Haason Reddick’s Deal

According to OverTheCap, Nwosu’s contract valuation — based upon his play during the 2022 season — is worth roughly $15 million.

Spielberger also explains why if a deal doesn’t get done sooner, the Seahawks could simply allow Nwosu to test the free agency market next offseason with the plethora of young talent they have along the defensive line. He compares Nwosu’s contract projection to the deal that Haason Reddick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason, which was also for three years and $45 million.

“Our projection reflects the free agent deal Haason Reddick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason,” writes Spielberger. “Nwosu could wait out some extensions across the league and cash in at an even higher value in a new market, but Seattle may also be more comfortable letting things play out at that point with a lot of young talent recently added.”

With the Seahawks lacking elite pass rushers, Seattle might be wise to get a deal done with the 26-year-old Nwosu.