Field Gulls
The Los Angeles Rams changed the NFC West arms race the moment they acquired Myles Garrett.
Whether the move ultimately results in a Super Bowl or not, the message was impossible to miss. Los Angeles believes its championship window is open right now and was willing to spend premium assets to maximize it.
Naturally, that raises an interesting question in Seattle.
How should the Seattle Seahawks respond?
The answer probably isn’t panic. John Schneider has spent the last several years building one of the deepest and youngest rosters in the conference. Seattle possesses extra draft capital, financial flexibility and a coaching staff entering it on more season together. The Seahawks do not need to make a move simply because the Rams did.
At the same time, Schneider has never been the type of executive to sit back and watch a division rival aggressively improve without considering his own options.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Seattle needs a blockbuster trade.
But it would be surprising if the Seahawks reached the trade deadline without adding at least one veteran contributor. It also wouldn’t be shocking if another move occurred before the regular season begins, particularly as teams finalize their 53-man rosters and unexpected names become available.
If the Rams have made their all-in bet on Garrett, these are some of the players who could represent Seattle’s version of a counterpunch.
If Seattle wanted to answer the Garrett trade directly, there is no bigger swing than Maxx Crosby.
The Seahawks already possess one of the league’s deepest defensive fronts. Adding Crosby would not be about fixing a weakness. It would be about creating a unit capable of overwhelming opposing offensive lines every single week.
More importantly, this isn’t a hypothetical connection. Schneider has reportedly explored Crosby trades before, and few general managers have shown more persistence when pursuing players they genuinely covet.
The circumstances surrounding Crosby could also work in Seattle’s favor.
Before concerns regarding his health complicated matters, Baltimore had a massive trade package for the veteran pass rusher. Even if Crosby proves healthy throughout training camp and the regular season, it feels unlikely Las Vegas would receive the same return the Ravens were once prepared to pay.
That distinction matters.
A year ago, acquiring Crosby may have required multiple first-round selections. Now, a package centered around a first-round pick plus additional Day 2 compensation feels far more realistic. Expensive? Absolutely. But no longer franchise-altering from a draft capital perspective.
The fit in Mike Macdonald’s defense is obvious.
Pairing Crosby with Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II and DeMarcus Lawrence would give Seattle arguably the most intimidating defensive front in the NFC. Offensive coordinators would spend entire weeks trying to determine where protection should slide, only to realize there is no correct answer.
The contract is the bigger challenge. Crosby would likely seek an extension placing him near the top of the EDGE market, potentially exceeding $40 million annually.
Still, if Seattle believes its championship window is...
