Seattle Seahawks miss out on great opportunity to land top free agent that would’ve helped them get back to the Super Bowl
The Seattle Seahawks have done a good job this offseason, but they missed the boat on a very good player that would’ve upgraded a noticeable weakness.
The Seattle Seahawks have done a solid job of keeping the roster competitive enough to the point where a Super Bowl return is more than feasible in 2026.
The left guard position is a bit of a question mark with current starter Anthony Bradford manning the spot, however. The former fourth-round pick had a very up-and-down 2025 season that featured more downs than ups.
He’s shown he’s better off as a backup than a starter over the course of his three-year career. Therefore, the Seahawks could stand to upgrade the position or bring in viable competition that could open the door for a change.
That’s obviously hard to do at this point in the year and the Seahawks just missed out on the perfect opportunity to actually upgrade the position thanks to former Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio’s retirement.
Bitonio missed out on his own opportunity with the Seahawks
Rumors had been swirling around the seven-time Pro Bowler’s potential retirement, so the ultimate decision was left in his hands. At the same time, money talks and there could be a world where Bitonio heads West if the dollars and cents were there.
It’s honestly a missed opportunity for Bitonio, as well. He played for the Browns his entire career – one that spanned 12 seasons. 10 of those seasons were losing seasons and he was even on the 2017-2018 teams that notched a grand total of one win in two years.
Bitonio and the Browns made the playoffs just twice during his tenure. So, he definitely received the short end of the stick, there.
That would’ve obviously changed if he joined the reigning Super Bowl champs. The Seahawks are poised for another big year, and possibly years, and would’ve given him a legitimate shot at a ring.
He would’ve been a good fit in new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury’s scheme, as well. Some of Bitonio’s best years came when he played in Kevin Stefanski’s zone-based offense and that’s the kind of philosophy Fleury is expected to instill.
The good news is the Seahawks did draft Beau Stephens, but obviously expectations should be kept in check when talking about a fifth-round rookie. We’ll see if Bradford can hold down the fort or if he becomes a liability like he was for most of 2025.