Report: Seahawks to tender RFA Phil Haynes

The legal tampering period of the annual NFL free agent frenzy is set to begin Monday, and for the Seattle Seahawks the future looks very different than it did just a few days ago. Tuesday March 8 is a day that will not soon be forgotten by fans of the team, as they watched the last two remaining players from the Suoer Bowl XLVIII squad depart, with Bobby Wagner being released after Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos.

With that fresh in the memory, many Seattle fans will be happy to learn that it appears fourth year offensive lineman Phil Haynes appears likely to return to the team in 2022 after a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero that the Seahawks are set to use tender the restricted free agent.

Haynes has played just 137 regular season snaps on the offensive line in his three seasons in the NFL, so the $2.54M price tag might seem a bit much for a player who seems buried on the depth chart behind Damien Lewis and Gabe Jackson. However, with the Hawks appearing to enter a rebuild, it might not be a shock if Jackson is traded for a late Day 3 pick in the weeks between now and the draft. In addition, with Lewis and Jackson on the roster, the tender may have been necessary to prevent Haynes from leaving, as it’s very likely Haynes might have a better shot of grabbing a starting role with another team.

In any case, it appears Haynes will be back this season, and over the next few days fans should learn the futures of Duance Brown, Ethan Pocic and Brandon Shell.