Daron Payne. Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Commanders star headlines potential free-agent haul for Seahawks

Free agency begins March 15 at 4 p.m. ET.

Positional needs for Seattle Seahawks: Safety, defensive Line, linebacker

The Seahawks head into the offseason with the seventh-most cap space at $31 million, according to OverTheCap.com. That could allow them to bolster their needs and keep them in the playoff hunt. 

Most of their cap space will be used to bring back quarterback Geno Smith. His Pro Bowl season means Seattle must pay to keep him or franchise him. Smith's paltry $3.5 million cap hit in 2022 will increase dramatically.

Jabrill Peppers, safety, Patriots

Seattle may have to replace both starting safeties as Ryan Neal is a free agent and Quandre Diggs is a potential cut. Given the team’s need to spend money elsewhere, Peppers could be a safe and cheap option for the secondary.

While he hasn’t lived up to the billing coming out of college, the former first-round pick has six years in the league and started 64 games. For the Patriots in 2022, he started five games and racked up 60 tackles.

Daron Payne, defensive tackle, Commanders

Seattle likely will use one of its two first-round picks to improve on the defensive line. Payne, coming off a Pro Bowl season, would be a huge addition. He is in line for a big payday after registering 11.5 sacks and 20 QB hits. 

Seattle has the cap space to land Payne, who sported a lime-green jump suit when cleaning out his locker earlier this month.

Per Spotrac, Payne -- Pro Football Focus' 11th-ranked free agent --  has a market value of a five-year deal at $97,461,155, an average annual salary of  $19,492,231.

Kyle Van Noy, linebacker, Chargers

Van Noy started slowly in his NFL career with Detroit but has become a solid starter since. He’ll be 32 next season, so the contract length will be short, but he can provide stability in the unit. For the Chargers in 2022, he had 47 tackles and five sacks.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Mets' Kodai Senga diagnosed with triceps inflammation, shut down
Watch: Luka Doncic hits game-winning three-pointer as Mavs take 2-0 lead over Wolves
Rangers outlast Panthers in Game 2 to even series
Yankees star Juan Soto has eyebrow-raising comments on upcoming free agency
Bears defender shares advice he gave QB Caleb Williams after 'frustrating' day
NCAA settlement might make college athletics more competitive
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers insists focus has been football, not politics
Heartbreak for Heim, Honeycutt as Sanchez wins Truck Series race at Charlotte
Draymond Green shares tone-deaf take on fines from NBA
USWNT coach Emma Hayes instilling right mindset ahead of Olympics
Winnipeg Jets officially name head coach
Injury bug bites Orioles again as another starting pitcher lands on IL
Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner under fire over Juan Soto comments
Lonzo Ball shares eye-opening details about his knee injury
Hurricanes general manager steps down, leaving front office in flux
Travis Kelce echoes Patrick Mahomes in response to controversial kicker
Cowboys QB Trey Lance details how he has changed since 49ers stint
Historic NCAA settlement reached allowing schools to pay players
Celtics dominate Pacers in Game 2, take 2-0 ECF lead
Cavaliers fire head coach J.B. Bickerstaff