The Seahawks don’t trade their drafted players very often. What’s happened over the years when they’ve done that? Let’s look at the results.
The NFL Draft is three months away, but that’s not stopping us from doing loosely related draft content right now!
We’re entering the 15th season of John Schneider as Seattle Seahawks general manager, but the first one without Pete Carroll by his side in the front office. Carroll will occupy neither a managerial nor coaching role this upcoming season, which gives Schneider the control of the roster and coaching staff. What Schneider does with his first full season in charge will be one of the big storylines in the months to come.
Out of sheer curiosity, I wondered how many Seahawks players drafted under Schneider—UDFAs like Jermaine Kearse do not count—were eventually traded by Seattle. Out of 127 selections, the total to date is exactly 10.
How many could you name prior to reading this article? I bet you wouldn’t get 100 percent accuracy because I’ve honestly forgotten some of these deals. Russell Wilson is the highest profile trade, followed by Frank Clark, but what about everyone else? And what did the Seahawks get in return? Let’s explore together. We are going in chronological order, which means you already know who’s wrapping this one up.
1. OL John Moffitt (Round 3, Pick 75 in 2011) – Denver Broncos
Trade made: August 20, 2013
Trade details: A straight swap for DL Sealver Siliga.
Player(s) acquired through pick(s) received: N/A.
Summary: Moffitt started 15 games in his first two seasons with the Seahawks, but he wasn’t very good, had multiple legal problems, and was suspended for PEDs. Prior to the 2013 regular season, Moffitt was initially traded to the Cleveland Browns but reportedly failed his physical. Moffitt never played an offensive snap with the Broncos and retired midseason.
Siliga never suited up for the Seahawks in the Super Bowl season and spent most of the year on the practice squad. He returned as DT depth in 2016 for a handful of games.
2. RB Christine Michael (Round 2, Pick 62 in 2013) – Dallas Cowboys
Trade made: September 6, 2015
Trade details: Conditional 2016 seventh-round pick.
Player(s) acquired through pick(s) received: DL Quinton Jefferson, WR Kenny Lawler.
Summary: I genuinely did not recall Michael getting traded; Robert Turbin was the one released instead of dealt, and I mixed those two up. Seattle used that seventh-round pick from the Cowboys to trade up into the fifth round to take Quinton Jefferson. The Seahawks gave up the C-Mike conditional pick and a 2017 fourth-rounder to the New England Patriots for the pick that would eventually become Q-Jeff, as well as a 2016 seventh-rounder that was used on wideout Kenny Lawler. The more you know!
3. WR Kevin Norwood (Round 4, Pick 123 in 2014) – Carolina Panthers
Trade made: August 30, 2015
Trade details: Conditional 2017 seventh-round pick.
Player(s) acquired through pick(s) received: WR David Moore.
Summary: Alabama is a pretty good place to look for wide receivers. Unfortunately, the Seahawks picked Kevin Norwood, the Amara Darboh of his time. His entire career stat-line happened as a rookie, when he caught 9 passes for 102 yards and 0 touchdowns.
The condition of that draft pick was Norwood making Carolina’s roster on cutdown day, which he did, so the Seahawks received a seventh-rounder. That pick turned into David Moore, who had some solid seasons in Seattle as a third option at receiver, and has found his way back in the NFL via the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
4. LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (Round 4, Pick 132 in 2014) – Kansas City Chiefs
Trade made: July 28, 2017
Trade details: A straight swap for LB D.J. Alexander.
Player(s) acquired through pick(s) received: N/A.
Summary: KPL was mostly a special teams guy in Seattle, and apart from the 2020 season with Washington, he remained that way throughout his career. I can certainly think of one special teams moment in a playoff game he’ll unfortunately be remembered for! Alexander was also known for special teams and blocked a punt during his one season in Seattle. KPL was last with the Houston Texans in 2022, while Alexander’s career ended in 2019.
5. DE/OLB Cassius Marsh (Round 4, Pick 108 in 2014) – New England Patriots
Trade made: September 2, 2017
Trade details: New England’s 2018 fifth- and seventh-round picks.
Player(s) acquired through pick(s) received: OL Jamarco Jones, P Michael Dickson, WR Marcus Johnson.
Summary: Forget about Marsh’s meh career in Seattle (except for that one GIF) and his unenjoyable experience in New England and let’s focus on the insanity that was this seventh-round pick—Seattle took Jamarco Jones with the fifth-rounder and he’s not on an NFL roster right now. This seventh-rounder (No. 250 overall) was hot potato’d like you wouldn’t believe.
- In August 2017, the Seahawks traded a 2018 fifth-rounder and received a 2018 seventh-rounder (No. 250) from the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as tackle Matt Tobin, who was brought in after George Fant tore his ACL.
- Pick No. 250 was flipped to the Patriots for cornerback Justin Coleman.
- New England traded No. 250 back to the Seahawks for Marsh.
- In March 2018, Seattle traded Michael Bennett and No. 250 to the Eagles for a fifth-rounder and WR Marcus Johnson.
- The Eagles traded No. 250 to the Patriots, moved up to No. 233 and took star offensive lineman Jordan Mailata.
- The Seahawks used the fifth-round pick from the Bennett + No. 250 deal to trade up with Denver and take superstar punter Michael Dickson.
Did you follow all of that? I hope you did because we’re done with this section.
6. DE/OLB Frank Clark (Round 2, Pick 63 in 2015) – Kansas City Chiefs
Trade made: April 23, 2019
Trade details: The Seahawks received Kansas City’s first- and third-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, as well as a conditional 2020 second-round pick. Seattle also sent a 2019 third-rounder to the Chiefs.
Player(s) acquired through pick(s) received: DL L.J. Collier, LB Cody Barton, G Damien Lewis, DL Demarcus Christmas, DE/OLB Alton Robinson.
Summary: Up until 2022, this was the biggest trade involving a Seahawks draft pick in Schneider’s tenure. Seattle’s native pick, through a series of trades, eventually resulted in DK Metcalf. The Chiefs picks? Well… Seattle stayed put at No. 29 and took L.J. Collier. In a trade up from No. 92, the Seahawks swapped third-rounders with Minnesota and took Cody Barton, and selected Demarcus Christmas with the sixth-round pick from that same trade. Can’t say this was a home run set of circumstances.
The 2020 pick at No. 64 overall was traded to the Carolina Panthers, while the Seahawks moved down to No. 69 for guard Damien Lewis. Seattle also got a fifth-round pick from Carolina, which was used on Alton Robinson.
Clark won two Super Bowls in Kansas City, although you could argue he never truly lived up to his $139.5 million contract. Seattle reunited with Clark in 2023. Anyway, moving on…
7. DE/OLB Jacob Martin (Round 6, Pick 186 in 2018) – Houston Texans
Trade made: August 31, 2019
Trade details: Seattle sent Martin, LB Barkevious Mingo, and a 2020 third-round pick to Houston for Jadeveon Clowney.
Player(s) acquired through pick(s) received: N/A
Summary: The Seahawks traded Clark away and waited until the end of August to realize how bad their pass rush situation was. Martin flashed promise as a rotational player, but the Seahawks needed an upgrade and went for Clowney, who ended up not re-signing after a single season in Seattle. Martin played in Houston until 2021, which was his only season as a primary edge rusher. He spent 2023 with the Indianapolis Colts, registering two sacks on 191 snaps.
Clowney might win a Super Bowl ring in Baltimore, where he’s reborn with a career-high 9.5 sacks.
8. TE Nick Vannett (Round 3, Pick 94 in 2016) – Pittsburgh Steelers
Trade made: August 31, 2019
Trade details: Seattle received a 2020 fifth-round pick from Pittsburgh Picks acquired: 2020 fifth-round pick.
Player(s) acquired through pick(s) received: CB Quinton Dunbar.
Summary: Vannett was deep in the depth chart for his first two seasons, but after Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson left, Vannett had his career-best campaign in 2018 with 29 catches for 269 yards and 3 touchdowns. With his contract expiring and Will Dissly clearly the top TE option, the Seahawks sent Vannett to the Steelers.
A month prior to the 2020 NFL Draft, used the fifth-round pick to acquire cornerback Quinton Dunbar from Washington. This did not go very well for a variety of reasons, and Dunbar never played in the NFL again. Vannett is still in the league, having signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.
9. CB/S Ugo Amadi (Round 4, Pick 132 in 2019) – Philadelphia Eagles
Trade made: August 15, 2022
Trade details: Seattle swapped Amadi for WR/TE J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
Player(s) acquired through pick(s) received: N/A.
Summary: Amadi fell out of favor as a nickel corner, but instead of releasing him, the Seahawks found a trade partner. Eagles draft bust J.J. Arcega-Whiteside bulked up to be a tight end, so the Seahawks got a look at JJAW, famously taken seven spots before DK Metcalf. Arcega-Whiteside was stashed on the practice squad and is now in the CFL, while Amadi was with the New Orleans Saints as a reserve for the 2023 season.
10. QB Russell Wilson (Round 3, Pick 75 in 2012) – Denver Broncos
Trade made: March 16, 2022
Trade details: Wilson and a 2022 fourth-round pick went to the Broncos in exchange for Denver’s 2022 and 2023 first- and second-round picks, a 2022 fifth-round pick, QB Drew Lock, DL Shelby Harris, and TE Noah Fant.
Player(s) acquired through pick(s) received: OT Charles Cross, OLB Boye Mafe, CB Devon Witherspoon, OLB Derick Hall, OLB Tyreke Smith.
Summary: Not much really needs to be said. Wilson’s probably not a Bronco in 2024, and the trade was a disaster for Denver. From Seattle’s side, Cross, Mafe, Witherspoon, and Hall are the only ones who figure to be locks to be on the 2024 team. Lock and Fant are set to be free agents, while Harris is on the Cleveland Browns, and Smith is with the Arizona Cardinals.
Honorable mention: CB Jeremy Lane (Round 6, Pick 172 in 2012)
The Seahawks tried to trade Lane as part of the Duane Brown deal in 2017, but Lane failed his physical so he never actually went to the Houston Texans. Lane never played in the NFL again.
Honorable mention: The Tim Ruskell picks
Schneider did trade Tim Ruskell draft picks CB Kelly Jennings, CB Josh Wilson, DE Darryl Tapp, DE Lawrence Jackson, C Max Unger, and LB Aaron Curry away. Let’s go one-by-one on what they netted:
- Jennings traded to Cincinnati Bengals for DT Clinton McDonald.
- Wilson traded to Baltimore Ravens for a 2011 conditional fifth-round pick, which was traded to the Detroit Lions in a big ol’ pick swap that eventually ended with Seattle drafting OL John Moffitt, WR Kris Durham, CB Richard Sherman, and DE Lazarius Levingston.
- Tapp to the Philadelphia Eagles for DE Chris Clemons, 2010 fourth-round pick used on DE E.J. Wilson.
- Jackson to the Detroit Lions for a 2011 sixth-round pick, used on CB Byron Maxwell.
- Unger (and a 2015 first-round pick) to the New Orleans Saints for TE Jimmy Graham.
- Curry to the Raiders for a 2012 seventh-round pick and 2013 conditional fifth-round pick, used on OL J.R. Sweezy and CB Tharold Simon respectively.
How does this stack up relative to the rest of the NFL? I don’t know and don’t really care or have the time to comb through every roster during that span. I’m only focusing on what the Seahawks have done. This is all infotainment… and maybe a foreshadowing of any possible trading Schneider might (or might not) do with drafted Seahawks players who are under contract. He has not done a lot of dealing with the recent classes compared to, say, 2014, but it’s a big unknown as to what we’ll see now that Pete is no longer by his side.
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