Carlos Dunlap is back, Jarran Reed on the way out

Carlos Dunlap is back with the Seahawks

In 2019 and 2020, the Seahawks had to scramble around to address the pass rush.

It was critical they didn’t make it three years in a row.

With the greatest respect to Kerry Hyder and Benson Mayowa, there was a danger history would repeat.

Carlos Dunlap might not be perfect but he was clearly Seattle’s best pass rusher last season.

He has 87.5 career season sacks for a reason. Part of that is talent. Part of it is durability. He’s consistently been available in an 11-year career. That’s important.

Cutting him to save $14m wasn’t a problem as long as he returned. Getting him back was vital. It’s a huge relief that today, without weeks of uncertainty, he’s agreed terms.

He’s only a short-term fix, obviously. He just turned 32. Yet for next season at least he legitimises Seattle’s pass rush and ensures they have someone who can reliably threaten the edge in 1v1 situations.

My points raised in the article earlier today are still relevant.

What exactly is the future at left tackle, right tackle, defensive end, cornerback, free safety and receiver? So many of Seattle’s key players are out of contract after 2021. If they pay Jamal Adams a salary worth $18-20m a year, they simply won’t have much to spend unless they’re willing to shift Bobby Wagner or Russell Wilson.

And let’s be right here — the Seahawks, by not restructuring Wilson’s contract — are leaving the door open to a trade. Until they do that, the possibility of him being dealt (either this year or next) remains distinct.

They can eliminate any lingering uncertainty by re-working his deal, without his permission, to free up millions.

Until that happens, it’s a thing. Especially when, currently, they decide to part with Jarran Reed rather than re-work Wilson’s deal.

Cutting (or trading) Reed, as the Seahawks will reportedly do tomorrow if they can’t find a trade partner, doesn’t put the Seahawks in the black in terms of cap space. So subsequent moves are required.

With only three draft picks — I still think a trade involving someone is realistic.

These are things we have to consider if we want a serious, proper discussion about the Seahawks.

At the same time though, it does at least seem like a lesson has been learned from a year ago.

Bringing back Dunlap and Mayowa and adding Hyder provides a much better rotation of pass rushers than a year ago. Rasheem Green and L.J. Collier aren’t good enough, so Hyder will hopefully be an upgrade at the five-technique. Mayowa’s at his best in a rotational role spelling a DE1. Now, the DE1 is back in the building.

They might not be Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd, Chandler Jones and JJ Watt or Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead — but neither is this group the inadequate unit they began last season with.

They have a chance to create pressure and deliver results. That’s a big plus.

I do think Reed’s departure warrants some reflection.

Signing him to a hefty two-year contract as a priority a year ago, only to burden yourself with $5m in dead money 12 months on, is careless.

I think we all knew what Reed was and wasn’t a year ago. His 10.5 sack season in 2018 was partly inspired by the brilliance of Frank Clark, who had a career year absorbing attention off the edge.

Even with an $8.5m saving, they’re set to pay him $5m to play somewhere else. In a year where the cap is tighter than ever, that’s not great.

Personally I will miss Reed too. He was one of the few draft hits the Seahawks have had in recent years. His play might not have been spectacular but he was solid and produced 22 sacks from the interior. That’s not to be sniffed at.

The trade up to get him in 2016 was, for me, the Seahawks at their opportunistic best. When players fall for whatever reason, they’re good at identifying the moment to strike. We’ve seen that a few times over the years.

They tend to get in trouble when they force needs. It’s strange how the two extremes clash so much with this front office. There’s not a lot of in-between.

He provided intensity and attitude. He was often the man in the middle of a pre-game huddle, rallying the troops.

Cutting Reed to pay for some of the prior free agency moves was a challenging thought. Cutting him to help bring back Dunlap is far more palatable.

There are still big decisions to be made though and positions of need, plus depth, to address.

Other moves are forthcoming. I wonder what they’ll be?

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135 Comments

  1. JLemere

    Well PC is getting closer and closer back to his roots, but there is one more move to make…

  2. Hawk Mock

    Is this at least a definitive answer to losing Reed, or were they going to bring Dunlap back even when they thought Reed would help them out? Happy about having Dunlap back – but what a shit show.

    Paraphrasing one of the last replies from the previous post by Wilson’s team: “we still hate 4/5ths of the line you’ve assembled.” Must go over really well with Shell, Brown and Lewis.

    • James Z

      Shell, Brown and Lewis get paid now and for Shell and Lewis into the future if and only if they play well. Most of their lives has revolved around competing and they’re not going to stop now. Sure, they might harbor some ill-will, but that will get worked out in the club house.

    • arias

      “Paraphrasing one of the last replies from the previous post by Wilson’s team:”

      Sorry but which post did this come from?

  3. Troy

    Fuck yes! Dunlap is back baby! This makes losing Reed sting not nearly as bad. Finally we are going into a season with a bonafide true #1 pass rusher. Thank god, first time I have felt good about this post season.

  4. Isaac

    I just tweeted you this. Crazy! This is the best news so far!

  5. Gohawks5151

    Thank God !!!!!!! Big Los back in the building

  6. DougK

    Yes!!! It never made sense to me Schneider didn’t have a plan. We just didn’t know what it was. Great news. Wonder what is next down the road.

  7. dcd2

    It’s telling that they only needed $4M to get this done and would rather let Reed walk than do anything with RW’s contract.

    • bmseattle

      yes… while fans will be (understandably) excited to get Dunlap back, the fact that they are sacrificing Reed instead of the clear and obvious move of restructuring Russ is an ominous aspect of the whole situation.

    • TheOtherJordan

      It’s been telling for a while. I think its currently above 50% Russell is traded.

    • J

      They still have moves to make.

  8. BobbyK

    Happy Dunlap is coming back. Sucks Reed is gone.

  9. Big Mike

    This at least makes sense now as it concerns Reed. REALLY glad to have Carlos back!
    Now trade Adams and get in this draft heavy.

  10. Eric

    Yooo Baby, dunlap its coming home… What a great News.
    Now i’m wondering, they Will bring a Vet or they Will draft somebody…
    I dont know If in this draft are good DT prospecta… If there are i think our First pick in the 2th should be a DT…

  11. Christopher Scott Chavarria

    Ok…. so what’s the plan at DT now?

    • cha

      Probably Mone at 1T and Collier and Poona platoon at 3T.

      Give Lattimore a look and probably pick up another on the summer market.

      • CaptainJack

        gross.

      • lil’stink

        Also think we could see some NASCAR packages without a true DT on obvious passing downs. Dunlap and Mayowa on the edge, with Robinson and Hyder inside.

        Hopefully Cedrick Lattimore will step up. If the run defense is anywhere as bad as it was in 2019 that’s gonna stink.

    • dcd2

      I think DT is a pretty fungible position in Pete’s defense. Last year, we had Poona and Reed and no one who had even taken more than a handful of NFL snaps. They waltzed through FA and into the draft, where they took zero DT.

      I think they feel like it’s not all that important, or that the difference between good and whatever dude they can find off the bottom of the FA pool the week before the season starts isn’t that much.

      We started the year with 3 DT’s. We added Anthony Rush in mid-September. We brought in Snacks Harrison in October, and released him in December.

      There are currently 44 DT available as FA. I honestly don’t think Pete gives a rip which one, if any, we sign.

      For our rotation, for the time being, I think Cha has it above.

      • Jhams

        Weird for them to give Reed a big contract (and $5m dead cap) if they really view it as unimportant. I’d say it’s more that they have been really good at grabbing guy on the cheap that do well. From Ahtyba Rubin on it seems they usually have a FA vet or UDFA that aren’t Chris Jones but do a really solid job.

        • dcd2

          You might be right. The fact that they’ve been successful in plugging in cheap DT’s and having success likely plays a part.

          In hindsight, I doubt they would give that deal to Reed again. He’s a good DT. He’s better than average. They were set to pay him $13M this year though. That’s a good $10M more than a mediocre DT gets. There are a lot of things that we could do with an extra $10M.

          I was pretty upset (and reactionary) about hearing this news when it first came out. When I think about how they’ve built and value the position, I’m actually ok with it. The fact that they signed Dunlap certainly helps. It wasn’t a great contract to begin with and I think Jarran may have overplayed his hand. I will certainly miss him, but I think he should have just taken the restructure and gone for his big contract next year.

      • arias

        I remember prior to the drafting of Reed the problems that arose from having no interior pressure. It led to opposing quarterbacks able to escape the rush by stepping up in the pocket.

        I believe that’s what led to the need to draft Reed.

        I sure hope the FO is reading the situation right that they have adequate talent on the interior to make up for the loss.

  12. cha

    So strange to roll out the red carpet for Reed with a handsome extension after he gets suspended for 6 games and does pretty much nothing for the other 10.

    But then cut him loose after a very effective 2nd half of the season and a fantastic playoff game.

    • Hawksorhiking?

      Yeah, it was such a strangely high priced contract in the first place.

    • jeffers

      I really doubt they ever cut him if the salary cap hadn’t shrunk so much.

  13. Hawksorhiking?

    Huge signing! the DL looks solid even without Reed. Maybe they’ll get a late rounder for him in the end. Not an A grade offseason yet, but things are looking up.

  14. Troy

    I think some credit is due to Jon here for this signing. Lots of people would have been happy (or at least satisfied) with keeping Dunlap next year for 14 mil. Now they get him locked in for 2 years at 16 mil total. That is amazing. He’s great in our system, he turned the defense around, and we are now getting him for way cheaper than his previous contract. He still has lots in the tank and going into the season with him will be huge.

    The offseason may have not been perfect, but this move gives me hope. Good stuff Jon, keep it up.

    • dcd2

      Yep. Well played for sure on the Dunlap front.

    • Sea

      I can get behind 2 years at 16 million – would’ve liked a third viodable year type contract but still pretty solid.

    • God of Thunder

      I’m pleased JS hadn’t let this drag on. Obviously there’s a plan. Watching it emerge from the mist is kinda cool.

  15. Benjamin Davis

    This just makes the signing of Hyder even better!

  16. cha

    The most they can get out of a RW restructure for 2021 is about $12m.

  17. HaroldSeattle

    Great move by the Seahawks. Got him signed for two seasons for just a tad more then it would of cost for one season if they hadn’t of released him. That took guts because it could of backfired. Hoping they can find a way to keep Reed.

    • Benjamin Davis

      Either keep Reed or get a pick in return.

  18. Rob Staton

    Greedily, I still can’t help but think is the ideal situation to incorporate a pass rusher like Jayson Oweh into the mix.

    No pressure to start. Chance to develop him. Give him some reps and bring him along, with the idea of taking over down the line.

    • STTBM

      That would be really cool. But Carrol likely won’t, he’s going to try to justify Taylor like he’s always doing with Penny, Blair, and Adams–to say nothing of how long he waited to see the light on Tedric Thompson.

      • God of Thunder

        Weird as it sounds … do we know exactly what we have in Penny? I submit that we’re not quuuuite sure.

        First he was a rookie, and as he started to flash, he got injured. Last season was a write off for him. This will be a make or break season for him.

        • Sean

          I agree. I think its still a mystery. Injuries plus early on we tried running him up the gut a lot, which does not seem to be his game. Feels like we still have not seen if he can be effective.

    • Blitzy the Clown

      He is a tempting prospect, isn’t he?

      I don’t know that I’ve seen someone with his size measurables test so well.

      • cover-2

        DE Jayson Owen has crazy athletic profile, but I would much rather have Payton Turner. Turner is a legit committed football player and not just a great athlete. Turner for his size can turn the corner unlike any DE in the last few drafts. Turner puts in the work to become a better pass rusher. Check out a few of his other interviews on YouTube. Turner for me should be our top priority in the draft! I would take him in the top-15 of the 1st round.

        • JimQ

          I agree about Turner, below is why I think he would be an excellent early pick for the Seahawks.

          DE-Payton Turner, Houston, 6-053/270, 84“-wing, 35“-arms, 10-1/4“-hands – “He’s the only edge in the class who boasts run-defense and pass-rushing grades over 90.0. He racked up 31 pressures in his final five games this season after knocking off the rust. Per PFF.

    • MyChestIsBeastMode

      Guy is a lightning bolt. How on earth could he have so little production?

    • Elmer

      DE seems kind of crowded now. It brings up a couple of questions about the DL.

      Where are they going to find enough reps to find out exactly what they have in Taylor and Robinson? Or, unhappily, do they already know?

      Without Reed can they productively move Collier and/or Green inside to DT? If not, are they gone? Does Hyder get reps on the inside?

  19. Ed

    Decent news for a very weak DL. However, the Hawks still need an influx of cheap talent. I don’t think PC will ever truly open up the offense, so take those weapons and turn them into assets you truly utilize. Brown/Wagner/Adams should all be traded as well as Wilson and maybe even Metcalf. Can you imagine the haul the Hawks can get for all 5? PC wants to play 1970’s ball, do it. Get a manage offense type QB, pounding RB and mauling OL. Tired of watching Wilson have to wait until the 4th quarter to pull a win out. Tired of 3 and 1 or 4th and 1, 5 step handoff to Carson that gets -2 yards. Maybe new OC will fix those issues, but as the community and Rob have pointed out, PC is PC and will always be in control. Blow it up Pete, you got to 2 SB and it is appreciated, but it’s been mediocre at best since 2014.

    • Roy Batty

      They will not be trading away one of the top receivers in the NFL, who has a cap hit of $1.25 mil this year and $1.46 next year. He is, quite simply, the embodiment of the argument you are trying to make. Insanely cheap, young talent who is currently a team record holder and on a HoF trajectory at the start of his career. If they ever do entertain the notion of trading him, it would be next year when the cap will increase and they’ve gotten one more cheap year out of him.

      A few in here have speculated that DK would want to leave if Russ is traded. I gotta say I think that line of reasoning is way off. He is his own man. He obviously had a massive uptick in his confidence level from his rookie season, and it showed with his play, attitude and interviews. He often tweets out references to historical African-American figures and past racial crimes. In short, DK decides what DK wants to do. He doesn’t need Wilson.

    • Scot04

      Trading Brown or Metcalf makes absolutely 0 sense.
      1. Adams definitely needs to be traded
      2. Wagner very possible he could be traded
      3. Wilson is probably 60/40 to get traded.

      Would be one crazy offseason if all 3 end up gone.

      • Ed

        DK was more of a joke in that PC won’t ever let RW sling it for a season. RW and DK can be a top 10 QB/WR duo of all time if they stick with the philosophy, but he never will.

        • Roy Batty

          Gotcha. Trading all those stars and locker room leaders means a complete rebuild. Remember, they have very few good players on long term contracts. Therapy Pete has been operating, I would hope they wait until he has retired/fired before even considering that route. A new owner will hire a new coach, and that coach will want his own type of player to fit his scheme. So it would be futile to rebuild early with Pete.

      • Happy Hawk

        That is called tanking

    • God of Thunder

      “Brown/Wagner/Adams should all be traded as well as Wilson and maybe even Metcalf.”

      I’ll say this: if you’re going to rebuild that completely, why stop there? Lockett instead of DK.

      But nah man, just no.

  20. STTBM

    Seattle took a big risk, but one I felt they had to make. So glad they got Dunlap back–on a fair deal for both sides, too. A real Win/Win.

    Reed thinks he’s a 16-20 million a year stud, which he ain’t. But Seattle could easily afford to give him something extra for his leadership, by restructuring Wilson. We all know why they aren’t doing any Wilson restructuring right now…

    Can’t help but hold out hope Wilson and Carrol come to terms, but it’s about the same odds as me winning the lottery–and I don’t buy tickets.

    • Scot04

      I highly doubt Reed viewed himself as a 16-20M a year player. I believe you’re thinking about Adams. Reeds contract had him due to make 11.5
      Do i believe he views himself as 12M per year, likely.
      Seahawks probably see him at around 8M. Or possibly see other DTs on the market, and figure the can get Reed back cheaper or another DT.
      Otherwise it looks like Collier

  21. STTBM

    Forgot to add this (sorry for the multi-post): I’d love to see Blair and Grant get a chance to play, so I’d like to see Adams traded for even a second and third.

    There’s just no dire need for Adams here now, and as Rob has said, he’s not a fit in Carrols D. He’s not Chancellor.

  22. jopa726

    For what it’s worth ESPN ranked Carlos Dunlap as the 16th best Free Agent left available.

    The rest in order (their age entering the 2021 season); Mitchell Schwartz OT (32), Alejandro Villanueva OT (32), Trai Turner G (28), Eric Fisher OT (30), Richard Sherman CB (33), Melvin Ingram III Edge (32), Jadeveon Clowney Edge (28), Eric Wilson LB (26), Adam Humphries WR (28), Golden Tate WR (33), Russell Okung OT (32), Antonio Brown WR (33), Xavier Woods S (26), Sammy Watkins WR (28), Quinton Dunbar CB (29), Malik Hooker S (25), Mackensie Alexander CB (27), K.J. Wright LB (32), Justin Houston Edge (32), Jurrell Casey DT (31), Aldon Smith Edge (31), Brian Poole CB (28), Austin Reiter C (29), Trey Burton TE (29).

    • dcd2

      ESPN is what it is, but I wouldn’t put much stock in their ‘best of’ anything list’s.

      To the Seahawks, Dunlap is worth more than any of those guys.

  23. WestSide72

    I really do not understand why Reed would not restructure as he does not lose money? Things must have gone sideways in terms of his perceived value. The only way this turns disappointing is if no trade can be arranged. A release would bite.

    • BruceN

      Apparently we wanted to restructure and add void years to his deal to free up cap space but he wanted true longer years and security. So something had to give.

      • Scot04

        I thought it sounded like Reed wanted extension, but Seahawks wanted Reed to take a paycut

        • BruceN

          I didn’t hear about the payout but it wouldn’t surprise me. He had a $13.5M cap number which for this year is hefty.

          • BruceN

            Pay cut.

  24. DancingBuddha

    This may well be the plan, but with Darrell Taylor who didn’t accrue a season last year, if I recall right.

  25. DancingBuddha

    He wanted a multi year extension and they werent willing. His tweet probably was designed to sabotage a trade too. From all accounts it got nasty by the end.

  26. cha

    Very strange to my why the Reed transaction was done now.

    Why not get this squared before free agency began? At least you’d know where Reed stood and could plan your moves better.

    We were talking about his contract for 2021 and its implications in the fall.

    • BC_hawk

      I think JS is just going to restructure as we go, as cap room is sought. In the end, why hamstring contracts to future years unless you need cap for a acquisition. In the event you need $$ really quick, you can always use Russ’s contract as credit line per say. Once FA and the draft are done, I think we will then see extensions that actually make sense versus just kicking $$ down the road.

    • Justaguy

      Would Hyder be his replacement?

      • SpennyDunks

        I think a combination of Hyder, Collier and Green taking snaps inside on passing downs, and a cheap vet (Tony McDaniel type) to start in base packages. Seahawks have managed to get a lot out of cheap DTs like Clinton McDonald and McDaniel previously.

      • BigSmooth13

        Why put yourself in that hole when you don’t need to? There should have been some discussion beforehand yes. But no reason to do it until you needed to.

        • BC_Hawk

          I agree Bigmooth; no need to re-structure if you don’t need the $$.

          I wouldn’t be surprised to see them sign Atkins to a very similar 2 year deal as Dunlap. So In essence…prior to yesterday:

          2021: Reed @ 13.975m

          After:

          2021: Dunlap and Atkins; 8.5 Guaranteed + 2.5m in salary + 5m Dead Money (Reed) = 17m
          2022: Dunlap and Atkins; 8.5 Guaranteed + 12.7m in salary = 21.2m

          I could live with that.

  27. Hirschj

    I’m on the trade Adams train but I honestly feel they would rather trade Russ for picks and future cap. Pete would rather pay a blitzing safety than please his franchise QB. If this is the case they need to convince Russ and Miami to work something out…..

    • Positrac

      Maybe work out a deal where RW & DK go to Miami. That would be a helluva trade.

  28. Seattle Person

    Hey Seahawks community,

    I think the team has been very frustrating to watch and follow the last few years. Some of the things that made so much sense, the team didn’t do…The things that didn’t make much sense they did. Fans put up with it when it worked but when it doesn’t and you make no plans to correct it, it’s a problem. Rob and other fans have every right to talk about why and how the team has come to this point…It’s not complaining about wins but why does everything have to be so hard when it’s avoidable..

    With all that said, I think the team has had a solid offseason for this upcoming season. The questions and concerns are still legit going forward with so many holes in the future. I will give the Hawks a solid B or maybe even a B- with all of the moves they have done. If they can find a few pieces in the draft, even better. This is a promising offseason but it can still get better. Make it happen!

    • dcd2

      Apart from this recent blow-up with Reed, I’ve really liked all of the moves this off-season.

      I don’t know what happened with Reed, but eating $5M to free up $8M for a guy who’s been a leader on the team for years seems like things went sideways quickly.

      • God of Thunder

        Me too. A good off-season so far.

  29. cha

    I wonder if there is some silver lining to this.

    It shows the Seahawks will make a decision and swallow some expense if they think that is what the best move is. They signed Reed just last year and are now going to eat a $5m dead cap.

    Here’s hoping they’ve got Adams evaluated and are able to make the same tough decision.

    • DancingBuddha

      I’m pretty sure if they don’t trade him its also because they evaluated the situation and decided he was too valuable to them to lose

      • Scot04

        Problem is that he’s too expensive to keep.
        If they truly value him too much to lose; they should just send another 1st to the Jets for having no common sense.

    • Big Mike

      Fingers crossed 🤞

    • Scot04

      Here’s hoping you’re right Cha; & that he’ll have a good enough market to get us atleast a 2021 2nd & 3rd

    • Blitzy the Clown

      Not to be contrarian, but they could’ve also not resigned Reed lat year, found someone else, and not be eating $5m in cap space this year. I can easily see them doing something similar with Adams.

    • dcd2

      Gut feeling:

      I think Pete would rather trade Russ than Jamal at this point. Either way, I think we’ll find out soon.

      • Hirschi

        This is exactly how I feel. I think Pete would rather put all his money into the D and go with a young serviceable QB on a much cheaper contract where they could allocate more money to the defense. I really think if there is a team that could pull off the trade and be interesting to Russ would maybe be Miami. I think if it does happen it will be right before the draft. We all know how much PC/JS love their draft picks and Russ could get them a haul.

  30. Ky Swift

    Not sure where we are exactly at regarding cap space. Some restructures must be in the works to open up cash flow. I’d love to see us go for Geno Atkins as a replacement for Reed. Not sure how expensive he might be, but would be great to reunite Geno and Dunlap. Jurrell Casey could be a cheaper option. Just some thoughts I had as we need to fill out the DT position.

    I’m excited for the 3rd down pass rush lineup of Mayowa, Hyder, Dunlap, Robinson/Taylor(maybe)

    • Gohawks5151

      Was thinking the same about Geno. Maybe they are thinking Alim McNeil or Togiai or Twyman if the get another pick

  31. Canadian Hawk

    Damn Rob.

    No were not the Rams, 49ers or Cardinals, – who may be the best of the best – but this DL – better than most?

    • Rob Staton

      but this DL – better than most?

      Really????

      • Blitzy the Clown

        C’mon, who else has the fearsome twosome of Green and Collier?

      • BruceN

        Weren’t they one of the top sack leaders in the entire NFL after adding Dunlap?

        • God of Thunder

          Yes, I *believe* the team’s 37 (?) sacks in the second half of the season led the league.

          • Roy Batty

            Against some of the worst offensive teams in the NFL.

            • BruceN

              Rams at #3, WFT at #6, Niners at #9 and Rams at #12 say hello. These are OL rankings per PFF at year-end for 2020.

      • Canadian Hawk

        Sorry…missed the part where they lost Reed.

        Damn.

        That hurts.

    • GerryG

      LMOA

      They have achieved solid DL status at best. One true pass rusher (Dunlap), one true pro DT (Poona) a solid high effort DE (Hyder) and a some potential at DT (Mone, Lattimore) with zero depth. Two below average DE (LJ, Green), solid pro rotational LEO (Mayowa) and two second year guys, one of whom has barely ever managed to practice. This is not a top DL.

      • GerryG

        I will add though 1) it’s huge improvement 2) it’s the best DL depth we’ve seen in a while

        • Scot04

          It would have been an improvement if they kept Reed. Collier or any other DT on the roster is a downgrade at the position. We improved our DE depth, but weakened our depth at DT by quite a bit. Yes his cap hit was over 9M, but replacing his production will be tough. We still have too many holes and not enough money. If they’re going to try to trade players it should be players we already have someone on the team to play the position.
          Adams & Wagner make the most sense.
          Somehow PC is infatuated by Safties and LBs over the D-Line.
          So we’re stuck with the Reed decision.

  32. Ryan Mallady

    — “They tend to get in trouble when they force needs. It’s strange how the two extremes clash so much with this front office. There’s not a lot of in-between.” —

    Why do I get the feeling that one extreme is John and the other is Pete.

  33. SamprasSultanOfSwat

    WOW!!!. John Schneider is on a roll. I hate to see Jarran Reed go. Monday morning pass rush was a huge concern. Since then John Schneider has brought back both Benson Mayowa and Carlos Dunlap. Plus JS snatched the 49ers leading sack machine for 2020. Yes the Seahawks have other concerns. But for me the two biggest Seahawks two biggest off season concerns were Chris Carson and Carlos Dunlap. JS signed Carson at his(Seahawks) number and he didn’t break the bank to bring Dunlap back into the fold. There still are other areas that have to be filled. But I am glad JS is in charge.

    WOW: Both Chris Carson and Carlos Dunlap. Fantastic.

  34. SamprasSultanOfSwat

    Now in regards to trading Adams. Adams will decide jf he is traded. I am sure John has a certain figure of Adams worth. If Adams agrees to that figure he will be a Seahawk. If not he probably gets traded. John Schneider has a value on a player. And he sticks to it. Schneider is a tough negotiator. When it comes to negotiating that is when Schneider is at his best. Schneider gets players signed on his price tag. Schneider is the best in the business.

    • GerryG

      A certain line from “The Wolf” in Pulp Fiction comes to mind, when Vincent and Jules think they are out of the woods, but haven’t dealt with the car yet

    • Hughz

      His value on players is suspect IMO. He’s always been a bargain shopper but when he does splurge it’s at a position that doesn’t need splurging on. I love Wagner but there’s no reason a middle LB is worth $18M a year. I’m afraid he’s going to do the same with Adam’s. IMO it’s only worth splurging on a QB, DE, and OT. Three hardest positions to replace with great talent.

      • dcd2

        The question is – was that John’s call, or did it come from Pete to get the deal done. I don’t doubt that John negotiates everything to the best of his ability. I also don’t doubt that Pete has Veto power on every big deal we do.

      • BruceN

        “ I love Wagner but there’s no reason a middle LB is worth $18M a year.”

        You are right. But the darn Jets messed up the whole pay scale right when we were about to extend Wagner by giving Mosely the biggest contract at $17M/year for a LB (giving him a hefty raise over the highest paid LB at the time at $12M/year, Kuechly). Needles to say that GM was fired a year later. But we got stuck with this contract.

    • dcd2

      So, do you think John valued Jamal at 1,1,3 & MacDougald? Those picks are golden to a GM.

      In a vacuum I think John would stick to his valuations every time. I think getting Jamal and the ridiculous price paid is 100% on Pete though. I also think that whatever John values Adams at isn’t going to matter if Pete wants to keep him.

  35. Van Gogh

    DL: Dunlap, Mayowa, Hyder, Taylor, Robinson, Collier, Ford, Mone, Green, Lattimore ….. we’re set.

    At 56 I like WR Brown from SC. Ripped and Good Genes.

  36. Ukhawk

    JS putting on some moves, finally, love it!

    Many of the DL moves make so much sense (refreshing) and it’s impressive given it feels JS has been able to actually execute a plan they wanted (hoping).

    KJR Huard comping Hyder to Mosesbread72 – not on that hype train yet but like the idea of true? Dunlap on 2 on 16 is great value esp compared to other vaunted DEs in the NFCW ? Is The Reed move the start to shifting the defensive money to better value positions?

    Wondering if adding a Clowney or KMack is next ?! One can only dream…

  37. Ukhawk

    Rob. Been thinking about the Adams situation.

    Do you think that there is a possibility they keep him and alternative scenario that it may actually somehow make sense??

    I’m more or less of the mind it was in line with the Frank Clark trade as top 5 dumbest moves in franchise history but again trying to figure out why they did it and why it may continue it.

    I’m wondering if the Hawks pay too much attention to things like PFF WAR and the fact that after QBs and WRs, safeties are the 3rd highest rated position and highest defensive position. Furthermore, Before last season JA had a PFF of 77 over the 2 previous seasons which was obvs very good for the positional ranking. . Finally the comp for a “franchise”, game tilting safety is A LOT more economic than other positions like the key ones you list – LT, CB, etc. Are these the things that could have driven them to try to build around JA in terms of their nest allocation of spend in defense??

    Do you think it may be a case of too smart for their own good coupled with Pete “go for it” mindset and penchant for DBs ??

    Again random thoughts in trying to figure out their mindset and possible outcomes….

  38. line_hawk

    Hawk fans standards have gone so low. This is like our dline has gone from the worst in the league to may be 20-25th ranked and some people think we killed it! 🤷‍♂️

  39. Jhams

    It’ll be interesting to see if they manage a trade for Reed. At this point I’ll take anything to avoid getting nothing for $5m dead cap.

    Geno Atkins, Jurrell Casey, Kawann Short are all available, as well as DaQuan Jones from the Titans who I don’t know but seems to be good.

    Still hoping KJ can come back. And bring back Sherm if he’ll calm down in the locker room.

    The Chief’s center they cut is still available. He’d be an upgrade over Pocic, low bar though that is.

    • Scot04

      That’s the problem. There are other good DT options out there. If we get a 5th I’ll be thrilled

      • Jhams

        In fairness, all of them are older and don’t offer the same upside as Reed. But we need the cap space/pick.

    • BruceN

      I wouldn’t mind taking a flier on Jurrell Casey.

  40. Sea Mode

    Jamal Adams
    @Prez
    ·4h

    THAT’S BIG TIME #43!! @Carlos_Dunlap
    #Prez

    Quote Tweet
    Russell Wilson
    @DangeRussWilson
    · 6h

    LETS GOOO!!! @Carlos_Dunlap Back!
    💪💪💪

  41. Sea Mode

    Whew, what a sigh of relief to wake up to Dunlap on a very reasonable extension.

    Jarran Reed still hurts cause I like his production paired up with an actual edge rusher. But I guess what can the Seahawks do if he’s insisting on a long-term deal at a big number? Say he’s using his current $13.5m as a starting point and wants 4 years at that number. Is he really worth that? Can you really blame the Hawks for moving on if that’s the case, even with the $5m dead hit?

    I fear though that his desire for a big extension will keep us from getting anything at all for him in a trade. If there is any team willing to give him that kind of money, they’ll just wait for his release and secure him with their contract bid.

    P.S. Not sure why, not even sure he would fit there, but for some reason the Patriots popped into my head immediately when I heard he was moving on.

  42. Trevor

    If he wants that type of $ he has little or no trade value. But they the Hawks just gave up a 5th rounder for a guy the Raiders were going to cut in Gabe Jackson.

    • Sea Mode

      Well, we wanted Jackson on our team and presumably there were others willing to give up a R6 or R7 pick to get him and/or simply outbid us if he did reach the open market. our chances at securing a veteran guard as solid as he were dwindling, so by flipping the pick we avoided the risk of missing out on the opportunity.

      The difference is precisely the contract situation. We knew we would have him for 2 years on his current deal. Whereas anyone willing to trade for Reed has to be willing to meet his long-term contract demands right away. My guess is that there won’t be many teams eager to throw that kind of money at a DT, so they won’t feel the need to flip the pick to secure him from competing offers. (Obviously, I’d love to be wrong…)

      • Trevor

        I thought Reed was under contract this year? Has he said he won’t play without a new deal?

        • Sea Mode

          He is under contract this year. It’s not him who has said he won’t play (as far as we know), but the Seahawks who can’t afford to have him play on his current $13.5m cap hit.

          So when they approached him to restructure for cap purposes (which would presumably pay him the exact same amount without adding any more years), he tried to leverage their need for cap maneuvering into a new long-term deal by refusing to restructure. And the number he asked for long-term was too much for the Hawks so they said “no thanks”.

        • Sea Mode

          Oh, now I see what you mean: would another team flip a pick for a 1-year rental of his services at $8.075m?

          That definitely seems more possible. I forgot that he would be cheaper because we eat that $5m chunk of signing bonus. So I guess a team could get one cheap year and then either decide to extend him or net probably a R4 comp when he hits FA next year. That could definitely be worth a R5 or even R4 pick this year.

          We’ll know in the next 4 hours…

  43. GoHawksDani

    I’m not a huge fan….getting back Dunlap is not a great move, it was a MUST. As for DTs, who are we excited about? Ford seems nice, but apart from him pretty much no-name, rotational, backup guys. Reed can win one-on-ones, he sometimes command double teams. Pair him with Ford and Dunlap and he can bring 6-7 sacks I think. That is really good from the inside. Not a ton of injury concerns, still relatively young, good motor, leader. His contract might be in the upper end of the numbers, but I think it’s an OK contract for both parties. Unless he beat the table that he wants an extension and a raise, I have zero clues about this move.
    And to me cutting Reed might mean that they wanna keep Adams. Which is bad.
    But I also think that Adams trade value is much lower than many anticipates and maybe that’s why they might keep him.
    Adams positives:
    Cheerful, might be a leader type
    Provided sacks
    Young
    Adams negatives:
    Bad at coverage
    Sacks were manufactured for OTT blitzing numbers
    Was injured like 2-3 times last year
    Will break the bank

    So PCJS might pitch him as a highly effective safety who can provide sacks, athletic, young
    Trade partner could say to that, that he blitzed crazy numbers, would cost a huge amount of money, sucked at coverage, couldn’t make INTs when he got the opportunity, was injured multiple times.
    I think the ceiling is mid R2 for him.
    Who would wanna give up an R1 and R3 for example to have a coverage liability costing 18m APY and the need to manufacture opportunities for him? Only GMs who are desperate maybe…
    And I think PCJS won’t trade him for a lonely R2 or high R3. They’ll rather pay him 17-19m

    • Sea Mode

      Some of the negatives though are magnified by trying to force him into a scheme that doesn’t make the best use of his skillset. (blitzed crazy numbers, sucked at coverage)

      The injury risk and the feet for hands would certainly remain, but a potential trade partner who is running a different defensive scheme would know that they could better mask his weaknesses and take advantage of his strengths.

      He could be a star in a different system, totally worth $16-18m, and that’s why another team might give up a R1 and a R3 to get him.

      • GoHawksDani

        That is possible….but imagine this convo between PCJS and a trade partner:

        PCJS: “So how about an R1+R3 for our boy Jamal?”
        GM: “Uhh, injuries, dropped ints, manufactured sacks, not that great pressure#, bad pff grade, bad in coverage. I’ll give an R2 for him”
        PCJS: “C’mon, our friend Mr GM, that’s only because we’re a bad scheme fit for him”
        GM: “Are you sure? If it’s only because it’s a bad fit how come you trade for him? He was a bad fit for the beginning… Or you’re saying you weren’t able to teach him, he wasn’t able to pick up your system? Hmmm, that is not good, he might need to do a bit different here, and he might not learn it, how about an R3 now”

        So yeah, while a trade partner might know he’d be a better fit for them, they can drive a harder bargain, because PCJS cannot say, that Adams only sucked because he was a bad scheme fit (as they didn’t changed their scheme a lot…and what changes they made only helped Adams).
        We’ll see…I really hope they trade him, and I’d be over the moon if they’d even get a mid-R1 for him. If a mid-R1 and an R3, then I’d call this offseason a huge win

  44. Mick

    Dunlap would have been good news if we kept Reed. With a different DT next to him, we’re gonna see how much Dunlap can produce. I wonder what the plan to replace Reed is: new signing, draft or someone we already have on the roster.

    • Tree

      Great move by the Hawks and what I was hoping for at the start in terms of tough choices (Reed v Dunlap). Their patience paid off this year (and really last even though they were lucky to get Dunlap to save their defense). A $5 million cap hit for Reed is not bad compared to the cap hits for all guys we hoped we signed last year on the DL (most of those deals are terrible capwise this year). I think Collier at DT is intriguing since he is a plus athlete there (he showed a bit of that in that safety against the Cards). I wonder if D Taylor can play a little SAM (assuming he can play at all) with the sudden glut of DEs.

      • Justaguy

        If DT shows anything is a huge question, if DT shows up hold up…

  45. JD

    Hey @cha

    Do you mind explaining void years in simpler terms?

    I think I understand that it spreads the cap hit over multiple years but what about when the guaranteed money is more than the year 1 cap hit? I would be interested in seeing all the Seahawks signing’s contracts and all the details and how that affects each cap year.

    I think the one that confuses me the most is Ethan Pocic is 1 year $3mil fully guaranteed but his cap hit is $2mil. Since it spread out over 2 years, is $1mil locked into the 2022 cap hit?

    • Sea Mode

      I’ll try. You are correct on Pocic. It’s $3m all fully guaranteed which breaks down like this:

      $1m 2021 base
      $1m 2021 signing bonus
      $1m 2022 signing bonus (void year)

      So we take $2m of the cap hit in 2021 and defer $1m of the cap hit as dead money in 2022.

      I think you’ve understood all there is to get about the void years: it’s just a way to spread out the signing bonus over a greater number of years. The amount spread over the void years automatically turns into dead money the year the contract is voided.

      So, for example, say we had wanted to lower Pocic’s cap hit even less this year. We could have spread his signing bonus out over four years instead of two, like this:

      $1m 2021 base
      $0.5m 2021 signing bonus
      $0.5m 2022 signing bonus (void year)
      $0.5m 2023 signing bonus (void year)
      $0.5m 2024 signing bonus (void year)

      That would have made for a $1.5m cap hit in 2021 and a $1.5m cap hit in 2022.

      • Sea Mode

        Good opportunity to post the details on Mayowa’s deal which just came out in full:

        Aaron Wilson
        @AaronWilson_NFL
        ·2h

        Benson Mayowa (Seahawks) four years (23-24 void automatically), $7.62M, $4.1M gtd, $3M signing bonus, salaries $1.1M (gtd), $2.5M; $1M sacks escalator 2022, $510K per game active roster bonus annual

        That’s a lot of different parts with the roster bonus and performance bonus, so it’s easier to look at in table format on Spotrac instead of trying to write it out here:

        https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/seattle-seahawks/benson-mayowa-13495/

      • JD

        Thanks Sea Mode!

  46. bk matt

    as a Cuse man I think we are seriously underselling Alton Robinson, dude had some nice moments as a rookie and has the talent to develop into a key piece in our D.

  47. JJ

    FYI… fournette told josina over facetime that he is signing with bucs.

    • Sea Mode

      Haha, looks like she’s upgraded from SMS to Facetime…

      About half the cost of Carson. Makes me think teams aren’t so convinced of Fournette’s character after what he pulled in JAX.

      Ian Rapoport
      @RapSheet
      ·4m

      The full deal for the #Bucs and RB Leonard Fournette: It’s a 1-year deal worth $3.25M with a chance to make $4M including incentives. It took a while, but it ended as it should — with Fournette back in TB.

      • Jhams

        Less character more production i think. He was really bad most of last year.

  48. Sea Mode

    Javonte Williams on GMFB.
    https://twitter.com/gmfb/status/1375447697705086983

    Nastiness comes from playing LB up through Jr. year in HS.

    Models his game: “Mix of Kamara and Nick Chubb”.

    Received offers to Yale and Harvard.

  49. TheOtherJordan

    So it’s now highly likely QB’s go 1, 2, 3. The Dolphins are then for sure going to get one of Chase, Sewell, or Pitts at 6. Seems like the Dolphins really need an athletic, blitzing safety for their defense!!!!!! They could trade #18 and change for Jamal Adams and walk from this draft with Pitts at #6, Adams, and a WR at 36 OR Chase at #6, Adams, and Freiermuth at #36. Either scenario would be a heck of a haul.

  50. Justaguy

    Mac Jones is a grade above Jimmy G

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