4 Seahawks in top 48 of best free agents list

At worst, maybe the Seattle Seahawks have some good comp picks coming their way in 2019.

Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com posted his top 100 free agents this past weekend, ranking them not necessarily in order of quality, but in order of Annual salary Per Year. This means that a quarterback like Case Keenum (4th) could out-rank the NFL’s best running back, Le’Veon Bell (6th), and that a cornerback signed by the Seahawks midseason could crack the top 50.

Seattle has perhaps the most big-name free agents hitting the market, though the LA Rams also have decisions to make with Trumaine Johnson (10th), Sammy Watkins (15th), and LaMarcus Joyner (16th) — not to mention a pending extension for Aaron Donald. The Seahawks need to decide if they will franchise tag Sheldon Richardson (14th), or let him hit the market if a long-term deal can’t be reached.

There’s also Jimmy Graham (20th) and Paul Richardson (35th), who Fitzgerald says is in the “lower second tier of receivers” and may be able to thrive in a different offense. Same would go for Graham, in terms of looking for a home that may better suit his abilities.

Perhaps the most surprising though is Byron Maxwell, who Fitzgerald ranks 48th on this list. Says Fitzgerald: “Play looked worse because of his contract but veteran players like Maxwell can usually find in the mid $5 million range.”

Maxwell was released by the Miami Dolphins midseason, then picked up by Seattle after Richard Sherman tore his Achilles. He played well at times, bad at others, and was about as inconsistent as you could expect after taking time off and readjusting to a defense that had a lot of changes since he left. Including the fact that he was playing alongside Sherman, not in place of him.

If the Seahawks are willing to pay him $5 million to remain in the fold remains to be seen, but it does seem a bit pricey if they intend to keep Sherman and Justin Coleman. There wouldn’t really be a place for Maxwell at that point.