2012 NFL Free Agents: Why Seahawks Must Land Both Mario Williams and Matt Flynn

The Seattle Seahawks' late run last season was certainly impressive, but in order to be a true contender, it is obvious that improvements need to be made. Two moves that would make the Seahawks major players in the NFC are signing defensive end Mario Williams and quarterback Matt Flynn.

According to Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times, the Seahawks are likely to be players for both Williams and Flynn in free agency. That sentiment certainly makes sense as well since Seattle needs a pass rusher across from Chris Clemons, as well as a better option than Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback.

Williams, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Houston Texans in the 2006 NFL draft, is sure to be targeted by plenty of teams. Williams missed the majority of this past season with a torn pectoral muscle, but he is among the league's elite sack artists when healthy.

He has racked up at least 8.5 sacks in each of his past four full seasons and was well on his way to the best season of his career in 2011. The Seahawks weren't awful when it came to getting to the quarterback last season as they were 19th in the league in sacks, but bringing in a top pass rusher is an easy way to quickly improve a defense.

As for Flynn, there is obviously some inherent risk involved. He only has two starts over the course of his career, which has been spent as Aaron Rodgers' backup with the Green Bay Packers. With that said, though, he turned in the greatest single-game performance ever by a Packer quarterback in Week 17 as he threw for an incredible 480 yards and six touchdowns in a win over the Detroit Lions.

Jackson had his moments last season, but he isn't the type of quarterback who can lead a team to the Super Bowl. It's unclear whether Flynn has that type of potential, but he has proven to be an accurate passer with mobility in what little game action he has had. Also, he won a national championship while at LSU.

The Seahawks broke the bank last offseason as they signed Jackson, Sidney Rice, Zach Miller and Robert Gallery on offense, and they have more money to burn this offseason. Seattle was rumored to be in on former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, but he doesn't seem to have any interest.

While signing Manning would have been a splashy move to put Seattle on the map, signing Williams and Flynn would be just as good, if not better from a football perspective. Williams is a game-changer on defense, while Flynn looks to have the tools needed to be a quality starting quarterback in the NFL.

The Seahawks already have some good pieces on both sides of the ball as the defense was in the top 15 against the run and the pass last season, and the offense was much better late in the season thanks to the play of running back Marshawn Lynch.

If general manager John Schneider is able to supplement that with the signings of Williams and Flynn, then the Seahawks will be in business. Not only would they be contenders in the NFC West and a likely playoff team, but a trip to the Super Bowl wouldn't be out of the question.