Field Gulls
There has been much talk about the Seattle Seahawks 2022 draft class and whether they will stay in Seattle for a second contract. Field Gulls’ own even put together a great article on who the Seahawks should and should not extend. However, with the recent trade rumors swirling around cornerback, Riq Woolen, an interesting piece of news was brought up again by Seahawks reporter, Brady Henderson.
When on Seattle Sports radio this week, Henderson reported that the Seahawks were trying to extend another member of the 2022 Draft Class, safety Coby Bryant before training camp. (You can listen to the piece about Bryant at the 23:35 mark of the video). Henderson stated that the extension did not happen because “the sides were too far apart … and couldn’t get a deal done.”
Through all of the news that is coming out between the start of training camp and to this point in the season, this piece of news about Bryant seemed to have fallen through the cracks and frankly deserves a little more light shined on it. It is fascinating to see that the Seahawks attempted to extend Bryant for a few reasons.
First, when pairing this news about Bryant along with the 2022 draftee extension that did happen for offensive tackle Abe Lucas, it appears that the Seahawks were trying to buy low on these extensions. Lucas, for example, is coming off two injury-plagued seasons with his knee. Because of this the Seahawks, and Lucas were able to ink a deal that places Lucas at 12th in the league for average dollars per year for right tackles. Had the Seahawks waited to do this deal with Lucas, between the cap rising every year, and a potential full-healthy season for Lucas in 2025, the average of $15.3 million that Lucas is now making could easily have shot up to a far more expensive number.
Extending players early is always risky. It can be very beneficial as it allows the team to secure a player long term before the cap rises, and the player potential breaks out. However, the player can also regress after the deal, and the team is left paying for a player who might not be meeting the expectations for that contract. Despite this, the reward often outweighs the risk. That is why successful teams such as the Super Bowl defending, Philadelphia Eagles frequently use this tactic (examples include Landon Dickerson, Jordan Mailata, and Cam Jurgens).
Looking at the Henderson report about trying to extend Bryant, it sounds like the Seahawks were trying to buy low again before Bryant’s 2025 season. After bouncing around the Seattle secondary (playing nickel, outside cornerback, and safety) in his first two seasons, Bryant entered the 2024 season as a backup safety, with many people wondering what his role on this defense would be. It wasn’t until injuries pushed Bryant into the starting lineup at safety that he began to flourish in this Mike Macdonald defense. For the [2024 season Bryant put up...
