At the time of writing this NFL teams are able to contact and negotiate with agents of players but are not able to sign any player until Wednesday, March 9th at 4 p.m. Eastern. As with all NFL teams, the Seattle Seahawks have their fair share of free agents and will experience some roster turnover. It will be up to Pete Carroll and John Schneider to figure out who to keep and who to replace. I’ve identified 3 key players who will dictate how Carroll and Schneider go about free agency and the draft.

Russell Okung (LT/UFA)- The biggest problem with Russell Okung is not his talent but his inability to stay healthy. During his career with Seattle he has yet to complete a season without missing a game. This is what gives me pause when thinking about Okung’s future with the Seahawks. I’m not doubting his talent, I’m just nervous about giving a huge contract to an injury prone player. When healthy, he is a monster of a LT but injuries have hampered his consistency.

There is one wildcard with Okung. During training camp he fired his agent and decided to represent himself, an unprecedented move. While I have no idea if this move helps or hurts his chances of landing a mammoth contract, I believe this could be the start of players representing themselves. Okung is one of the biggest fish on the market and I expect his phone will be ringing off the hook. Spotrac, a salary cap and contract site I use regularly, has calculated his average salary to be around $8.9 million dollars, a price I don’t mind Seattle paying to protect Russell Wilson’s blindside. The problem I see is the $10+ million inflation of the 2016 salary cap. With this inflation, teams who are in dire need of a quality LT now have the ability to throw even more money at Okung. He may receive more than one outlandish contract from one of these teams. If this happens it will be up to Okung to make the choice; either take the big contract or take less money and remain an integral part of a championship level team.

Bruce Irvin (DE/OLB/UFA)- A trait I find highly valuable is versatility. My reasoning being, the more positions you can have an impact from the better. Bruce Irvin has the ability to put his hand in the ground and become a speed rusher. He can also switch it up and play as a linebacker who can cover running backs and tight ends. I love his ability to fluctuate between positions and I’m sure Pete Carroll, as well as Chris Richard, do too. This is why I think he won’t be back with the Seahawks. Teams will be lining up around the block to offer a player of his versatility a contract.

Before the 2015 season, John Schneider and Pete Carroll decided against picking up Bruce Irvin’s 2016 team option of $7.75 million dollars. In all honesty, he didn’t deserve that kind of money. Let me put it this way. K.J. Wright makes $6.25 million and Bobby Wagner makes $6.1 million in 2016. There is no way I would pay Irvin more than either of those players. While Irvin had his option declined, his closest positional comparison had his option picked up by the San Diego Chargers, Melvin Ingram. Ingram was taken 3 picks after Irvin thus linking them together. After having his option picked up, Ingram had his best season as a professional. Amassing an impressive 10.5 sacks along with 52 total tackles and 3 forced fumbles. I’m assuming these are the types of numbers Carroll and Schneider were expecting from Irvin in 2015. While I wouldn’t break the bank for Bruce, he is a useful player who I want back but only for the right price. If Seattle could get him back for $5.5 million or less then I would be happy. If not, good luck and thank you for everything.

Jermaine Kearse (WR/UFA)- It’s all but official; Jermaine Kearse will be leaving the Seattle Seahawks. I think this decision will benefit both sides. Seattle will save a bit in cap room and elevate rookie sensation, Tyler Lockett, into the 2^nd receiver position. I’m very excited to see how his chemistry will Russell Wilson grows. Kearse will receive much more money on the open market than he ever would have received in Seattle. His numbers will also increase, just look at Golden Tate’s stats since he left for Detroit.

First, let me say thank you to Jermaine Kearse. I’ve been a fan of his since his days at the University of Washington and will continue to support him no matter where he ends up. It’s been incredible to watch him grow, as a player and a person, since his freshman year at UW to now. I will miss him but Seattle doesn’t generally like to pay their WR’s. Carroll and Schneider have done an excellent job finding diamonds in the rough. Kearse, along with Doug Baldwin and Ricardo Lockette were all undrafted free agents yet have developed into useful NFL players. I have high hopes for the other undrafted UW receivers Kevin Smith and Kasen Williams.