Seahawks' Offseason Guide Entering 2021 NFL Season

The Seattle Seahawks took the first step to improving their offense this offseason by parting ways with Brian Schottenheimer on Tuesday. 

The 47-year-old was the team's offensive coordinator for the last three seasons. His offense faced some struggles at parts of the season and was unable to produce enough points to win a postseason game. 

The search for a new offensive coordinator will be the priority to start the offseason process for a team that is going to have to take a unique approach to making improvements. 

Pete Carroll's team has little draft capital and needs to find a way to keep some key pieces in the Pacific Northwest to make a run at repeating the NFC West title in 2021. 

Find the Right Offensive Coordinator

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Seattle did not have one of the worst offenses in the NFL, but it struggled to get going in key points of the campaign. 

The Seahawks were stuck on 20 points in three of their final four games. Two of those contests were won thanks in part to a defense that held the Washington Football Team and Los Angeles Rams to 24 combined points in Weeks 15 and 16. 

The offense was much more effective at the start of the season, when it produced over 30 points in seven of the first eight games. 

However, the approach became more stagnant as defenses keyed in on Russell Wilson and the team failed to develop a consistent rushing attack to complement the franchise quarterback. 

Wilson finished as the team's second-leading rusher with 513 yards, and no Seattle player recorded over 700 rushing yards. 

Part of that was caused by injury issues to Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde, and the players who were plugged into their roles were not as effective as they could have been. 

The Seahawks need to find an offensive coordinator who can improve the rushing approach and continue to develop Wilson's game.

Seattle faces a larger challenge to achieve those goals than most teams since two of the NFL's best defenses reside in the NFC West. 

However, if they find the right person for the job, they could work throughout the offseason to find ways to counter the pass rush of the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers to install a more balanced offense and remain on top of the division. 

Figure out Jamal Adams' Contract Situation

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Jamal Adams came to the Seahawks with two years left on the four-year deal he signed with the New York Jets in 2017. 

Back in September, the two parties agreed to not discuss a possible extension until the offseason, but Adams said he wanted to retire in Seattle, per ESPN.com's Brady Henderson:

"The plan is to retire here. That is my plan. But obviously those things handle themselves. All you have to do is just go on the field and perform, do the right things on and off the field and those things will take care of itself. I'm very excited to be here. I know the rest of the guys is excited to have me and the coaching staff and everybody else. So again, we'll worry about that when the time comes."

Adams is due for a significant pay increase on his current deal. He is scheduled to earn $9.8 million in 2021 after he had a base salary of $3.5 for the 2020 campaign, per Spotrac.

The 25-year-old more than proved his worth in the 12 games he played in the regular season. He led the Seahawks with 9.5 sacks and produced single-season bests in quarterback hits and tackles for loss. 

It would make sense for the Seahawks to extend Adams this offseason before he hits the open market as an unrestricted free agent. 

Seattle has to find a way to extend Adams while not constraining itself on the salary cap more. It has six players scheduled to make more than $10 million next season. 

The good news for the Seahawks is that number drops to just two players for the 2022 campaign, so if they manage a way to distribute Adams' contract money to help their cap situation, a deal can be done. 

Find a Way to Add Players Without Many Draft Picks

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Seattle mortgaged some of its 2021 draft capital to acquire Adams. 

The NFC West side is without a first- and third-round selection in April's draft. Its only pick in the first three rounds will come in the second round. 

At the moment, the Seahawks have around $6 million in salary cap space to work with to make additions for the 2021 season.

Much of their money for next season is tied up with Wilson, Bobby Wagner, Carlos Dunlap, Tyler Lockett, Jarran Reed and Duane Brown. 

All of those players are still key contributors, but only Wilson and Wagner are under deals for the 2022 campaign. 

With that in mind, the Seahawks could make some additions to prepare for any potential departures, or draft smart enough to find low-cost replacements this offseason. 

In previous years, Seattle has been able to find gems in the second round and beyond. Golden Tate, Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, K.J. Wright and Lockett are among the players Carroll and his staff have drafted after the first round. 

If the Seahawks make the right moves that suit their financial situation in free agency, they could hone in on a few positions with their four draft picks. 

If they can add contributors at a low cost, it should give them some relief on the cap with plenty of big names on large deals.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference

Contract information obtained from Spotrac