Seahawks Show ‘Interest’ in Signing Former Jets $40 Million Starter

Getty Former Jets guard Laken Tomlinson at MetLife Stadium on November 06, 2022.

The Seattle Seahawks are overhauling their roster under new head coach Mike Macdonald. While Seattle has just over $2 million in cap space, the Seahawks are not done making moves.

While former New York Jets starter Laken Tomlinson was floated as a possible addition following his release, it’s a legit possibility. Tomlinson, who signed a three-year, $40 million contract ahead of the 2022 NFL season, was a cap casualty in the team’s restructuring. The Jets cleared approximately $8.1 million by cutting the Pro Bowler.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler posted on Monday, April 1, “The Seahawks have shown interest in Tomlinson,” which turned some heads. While they don’t have a ton of cash, beefing up Seattle’s interior line is a top priority. SI’s Corbin K. Smith also listed Tomlinson as a “name to watch” for Seattle.

🚨RUMOR:

With the little cap space the #Seahawks have. The team is not done bringing in offensive line. The team could be eyeing veteran G Laken Tomlinson, per Brady Henderson. “I could see him being a fit.”

[📸: Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports]

The Athletic’s Mike Dugar wrote, “Seattle’s projected starting interior offensive line is currently left guard Tremayne Anchrum Jr. (one career start), either Nick Harris (four starts) or Olu Oluwatimi (one start) at center and right guard Anthony Bradford (10 starts). That’s setting up to be an inexperienced offensive line with players who haven’t put much on film to suggest that they’ll be elite players at their respective positions.

“Offensive line coach Scott Huff has his work cut out for him in his first year coaching the position in the NFL, even if Seattle uses its first-round pick on a guard.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Tomlinson, 32, participated in 1,099 snaps last season. The former first-round pick from the 2015 NFL draft earned an overall 55.0 grade in 2023, allowing 7 sacks.

The Seahawks ‘Discussed’ Making a Free Agency Visit With Former Bears Guard Cody Whitehair

Fowler also noted on Monday that Seattle “discussed bringing (Cody) Whitehair in for a free agent visit. Several established guards on their radar.” Whitehair was also released as a cap casualty following eight years as a starter with the Chicago Bears.

The Pro Bowler appeared in all 17 games last year and made 11 starts. The versatile interior lineman, who took snaps and left guard, center, and right guard, earned a 45.0 overall grade from PFF, allowing 3 sacks in 2023. During the 2022 season, he took every snap at left guard, earning a 65.9 overall grade. In 2020, he split his snaps between center (490) and left guard (409), earning a 76.3 overall grade.

The former second-round pick from the 2016 NFL draft signed a five-year $51.2 million extension ahead of the 2019 NFL season. Releasing Whitehair saved the Bears $9.15 million with a $4 million cap hit in 2024 and $1.1 million in 2025.

Seahawks News: GM John Schneider & HC Mike Macdonald Commented on Adding to the O-Line

GettySeahawks general manager John Schneider, general manager (L) and head coach Mike Macdonald (R) on February 01, 2024 in Renton, Washington.

Speaking to reporters during the NFL’s annual league meeting last month, Macdonald made it clear they were still working on the offensive line.

“It’s a work in progress,” Macdonald said, per SI. “We’re not done by any stretch of the imagination. There’s some great competition going to happen in that room, and we expect high-level play this year from those guys.”

“We’re at work at it. We’re not hitting the panic button or anything like that; we don’t play until September. A lot of time to figure out who the right guys are and the right opportunities to make the team the best we can.”

Seahawks general manager John Schneider also acknowledged the holes on the o-line. During a March 29 appearance on Seattle Sports, “We’re going to be bringing a couple veteran offensive linemen through (for visits during) this second phase of free agency and then (be) comparing that to what the draft looks like,” Schneider said.

“Anytime you’re just drafting for need – that is a need on our team right now, I think it’s fairly obvious – but we like so many young guys (like Raiqwon) O’Neil, McClendon Curtis. I mean, there’s some guys in there, some younger guys that we like, too, that we’ve added… There’s some young players that a fan may not necessarily know, but that we’re excited about in the mix.”