The 5 players most affected by whoever the next coach is

The Seahawks have decisions to make, to be sure, but so do several of the players.

The Seattle Seahawks will embark on a new journey next season, armed with their first new coach in a decade and a half.

There are a number of players who will be most affected by Pete Carroll’s departure and a new coach at the reigns. Here are the top five.

Jamal Adams

This is the most obvious by a mile. Pete Carroll was, if possible, strangely supportive of Adams this season. They let him play almost all year even though he was never 100% healthy. By the end of the year, he was placed on Injured Reserve, whether you believe it was entirely health related or not.

The actual release will be a John Schneider decision, but it will also be because Carroll’s not able to defend Adams – whether he would or wouldn’t have we’ll never know.

Adams’ contract and inability to stay healthy or productive is not something a new coach would fight for.

Leonard Williams

Seattle was one of the places Williams agreed to be traded, halfway through 2023. With the absence of Pete Carroll comes an entirely new atmosphere, one which Williams care about before signing with the team in free agency. He was unquestionably effective for the duration of the season the Seahawks did nothing remotely fun on defense. If a promising coach arrives with either a scheme, leadership style or personality that gels with Williams, it would go a long way to convince him that remaining here does give him an opportunity to make the postseason.

Darrell Taylor

Taylor’s a restricted free agent next year. The late-round tenders for RFA’s are relatively cheap, but I do wonder if a new face would be either enamored by Taylor’s 9.5 sack sophomore season or bewildered by his complete lack of run-stopping ability.

A new coach might want exactly what Taylor provides as a pass-rush specialist, or they may need somebody who can actually play other downs and voice a preference to move on.

Quandre Diggs & Tyler Lockett

For similar reasons, Lockett and Diggs may have played their final game with the Seahawks. 30 and 31 years old respectively, they are at the point when players begin to make decisions. Both players have had catastrophic injuries earlier in their career. Neither have much to prove. Both are friends and loved the unique culture that Carroll provided.

Diggs is certainly more of a cap casualty candidate, while there is some slight rumbling about trading Lockett. For both of them, the decision to remain with the team might not be their own, while a fantastic fit might keep one in Seattle, especially Lockett.

If John Schneider brings in a defensive coach who simply doesn’t gel with Lockett, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he hangs it up. If it was somebody with familiarity, success, and an intriguing pass game – like Tampa Bay OC Dave Canales, formerly QB coach for the Hawks – Lockett would be a much stronger candidate to stay.

Bonus theory: Any Tight End

The once-formidable room from earlier in Shane Waldron’s scheming fell to a crashing halt in 2023. New Dude needs to decide if he wants to keep any around, as Will Dissly is the only one under contract and the least effective at this point. Whether they’d want to re-sign either Noah Fant or – more preferably – Colby Parkinson, or start from scratch, would be high on the list for a coach with a nearly empty tight end room.