Heaps: The underrated pending Seahawks free agent who will ‘command a lot of interest’

This offseason will be a critical one for the Seahawks in a number of ways.

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Naturally, the focus will start with what the future holds for star quarterback Russell Wilson, head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider. But the Seahawks will also have some other key decisions to make.

Seattle has a number of players set to hit free agency, including Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs, left tackle Duane Brown, cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Sidney Jones, tight ends Gerald Everett and Will Dissly, as well as running back Rashaad Penny.

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But there’s one other pending free agent who former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps believes will have a larger free-agent market than most would expect him to have. He explained why during Wednesday’s edition of Jake and Stacy on 710 ESPN Seattle.

“This is going to be a surprising one for both of you, but it is going to be (defensive end) Rasheem Green,” Heaps told co-host Stacy Rost and producer Curtis Rogers.

Green, like Penny and Dissly, was a member of the Seahawks’ 2018 draft class and is wrapping up the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. Green has been one of the Seahawks’ better defenders in 2021.

“Rasheem Green has quietly been able to put together a resume here that I believe is going to draw some interest from around the NFL,” Heaps said. “Why? Because of the unique aspect of his age. He is still a very, very young player.”

Despite wrapping up his fourth NFL season, Green is just 24 years old and doesn’t turn 25 until May. Green was just 20 years old when Seattle selected him in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC, and he played his rookie season at 21 years old.

“He was a very young player developing and growing,” Heaps said of Green’s first four NFL seasons.

Heaps said that Green hasn’t been “lights out by any means” during his NFL career, but that this 2021 season shows the ability he has.

Entering Week 17, Green is tied for the team lead in sacks with 6.5 and he also has six tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits and 42 total tackles while playing 66% of Seattle’s defensive snaps. All of those numbers are career highs for the young edge rusher.

“That uptick in production is going to draw a lot of eyes from around the league, so if the Seahawks want to retain Rasheem Green, I think they’re going to have to put forth a a great deal of effort in order to do so,” Heaps said.

Heaps said Green isn’t set up for a massive payday, but if former Seahawks defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson was able to have a large market before signing a two-year, $18 million deal with the Buffalo Bills, then Green should do just fine on the open market.

“Rasheem Green is far better of a player than what Quinton Jefferson (was),” he said. “I think that Rasheem Green has quietly built a resume that is going to command a lot of interest around the NFL.”

Listen to the second hour of Wednesday’s Jake and Stacy at this link or in the player below.

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