The Seahawks went just 7-10 this season, far below the high standard that’s been set during the Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson era. While we expect a bounce-back kind of dynamic in 2022, Seattle has some work to do this offseason. Specifically, in order to keep up in the most competitive division in the NFL they’re going to need more starpower.
The other three teams in the NFC West all made the playoffs and two of them have advanced to the divisional round. The Rams are particularly loaded on both sides of the ball and are probably the most talented team in the NFL. One reason they are so incredibly deep is their willingness to add to their strengths, such as signing Odell Beckham Jr. even when they already had Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods on the roster. That’s a winning model that the Seahawks should be willing to follow.
Beckham is probably the most worthy skill player to target in free agency this year for Seattle, but there are other options out there. One of them that should at least be considered is calling the Falcons about potentially trading for wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
Ridley was a first-round pick for Atlanta in 2018 and he had an extremely impressive first three seasons in the league. He averaged over 1,000 yards and almost nine touchdowns those years despite sharing targets with Julio Jones, who was traded to the Titans for a second-round pick.
This year, Ridley only played in five games before he chose to step away from football in order to focus on his mental health. Atlanta now may be open to dealing Ridley to another team.
It’s easy to picture how Ridley would fit with Russell Wilson and eat in this offense even with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf getting their cuts of the pie. Seattle may seem loaded at WR already, but Ridley’s skill-set makes him a uniquely enticing option. His razor-sharp route running ability and high football IQ make Ridley about as good as any receiver in the league at creating separation and presenting an open target in timely fashion. Meanwhile, Wilson was among the NFL’s worst starting QBs on third down in 2021, making Ridley’s type of playmaking an ideal match.
Adding Ridley would give the Seahawks the best receiver room in the NFL, no question. The move would come with considerable cost and risk, though. Ridley could get Atlanta a first-round pick in return and Seattle doesn’t have one this year, which means they might have to mortgage another future first-rounder. Ridley is also in the last year of his rookie contract, so keeping him after 2022 would likely require a major extension.
We think it’s at least worth a call, but let’s open this up to a vote. Should the Seahawks call the Falcons about Ridley or try to help Wilson in other ways?
