Free agency 2014: Seahawks Live Blog & open thread

Updates and instant reaction as it happens until 5pm PST

The new league year is under way. Here are the first moves to be made:

— Clinton McDonald is leaving the Seahawks to sign a four-year with Tampa Bay. Shame.

— Walter Thurmond is visiting with the Jaguars.

— Dallas released Demarcus Ware. He’ll turn 32 in July and had only six sacks in 2013.

— Cleveland signed 49ers safety Donte Whitner. San Francisco will sign Antoine Bethea in replacement.

— Indianapolis are signing Ravens defensive lineman Arthur Jones.

— Miami are looking to sign Texans defensive tackle Earl Mitchell. He’ll visit the Dolphins facility with the intention of getting a deal done.

— Jacksonville signed Denver guard Zane Beadles.

— Lamarr Houston will sign for Chicago after they missed out on Michael Bennett.

— Eugene Monroe is set to stay in Baltimore.

— Brandon Albert agreed a contract with the Dolphins. No shocks there.

— The Raiders signed Roger Saffold to play guard apparently. Despite allowing tackle Jared Veldheer to sign with the Cardinals for less money.

— Dexter McCluster is swapping Kansas City for Tennessee and a three year deal.

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It’s a pretty stunning set of events involving the Raiders.

A team with more cap space than anyone else in the NFL is going to watch Jared Veldheer and Lamarr Houston walk away and sign with other teams, and yet they’ve added an injury-prone guard to their roster for $42.5m.

Madness.

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It’s no big surprise Clinton McDonald was snapped up quickly for $12m over four years.

The Seahawks were unlikely to pay $3m a year — and he did enough in 2013 (5.5 sacks) to warrant attention.

It’s easy to forget he was cut by Seattle and re-signed before hitting his best form.

Walter Thurmond will visit with the Jags. He might be a player they just can’t afford to keep with so much business to be done elsewhere.

There’s still no word on any of Seattle’s other free agents.

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A sign of a lack of interest by Seattle?

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Another Seahawks departure…

O’Brien Schofield provided nice depth for Seattle last year. But again, at $8m over two years the Seahawks were never going to match that.

It’s time for players like Benson Mayowa to step up and fill out the depth on this team.

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More on Walter Thurmond visiting with the Jags…

Thurmond enjoyed something of a break out campaign last year before his suspension.

Yet his role in Seattle remained limited once Byron Maxwell took ownership of the starting spot across from Richard Sherman.

If there’s one position this team can keep churning out players its cornerback. No reason to worry here.

Still no news on Golden Tate, Breno Giacomini et al.

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Atlanta have signed defensive tackle Paul Soliai, end Tyson Jackson and guard Jon Asamoah.

Soliai gets five years, $33M, $14M guaranteed and $11M in year one. Jackson is earning $25m over five years.

Compare that to Michael Bennett’s deal. The Seahawks got an absolute bargain in comparison. The Falcons are in full-on panic mode.

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Another comparison to compound the Raiders madness.

Left tackle Eugene Monroe has now re-signed with Baltimore for $37.5m. That’s $5m less than Oakland is paying often-injured Roger Saffold to play guard.

Saffold has four starts at guard.

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Wow… didn’t expect this…

Finley is still awaiting medical clearance so he can play football again after neck surgery.

He’ll need to be checked out before any signing. It’s interesting though, that the Seahawks are even bringing him in for a visit.

It doesn’t mean he’s going to sign. But what if he checks out medically? Where does this leave Zach Miller? Are they looking for a replacement?

Remember, Seattle re-signed Anthony McCoy yesterday.

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Some more high profile signings…

— Vontae Davis re-signed with the Colts. It’s not that long ago they traded a second round pick for him. He’ll get a similar deal to Sam Shields in Green Bay — four years, $39m.

— Malcolm Jenkins leaves New Orleans to sign for Philadelphia for $16.25m. He was a corner at Ohio State but always projected to safety in the NFL.

— The Broncos will sign Cleveland safety T.J. Ward.

— Giants defensive tackle Linval Joseph is signing with the Vikings.

— Darren McFadden will re-sign with the Raiders for $4m.

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More on the possibility of Jermichael Finley to Seattle…

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Interesting…

As much as people want to hammer Gabbert, a year working with Harbaugh could save his career.

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News of another visit to Seattle.

Price is a former third round pick from 2010. He’s 6-1 and 195lbs. He’s been with the Jaguars since leaving New England.

And he only has five career receptions.

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Our first Golden Tate sighting…

If he’s taking visits, prepare for the worst.

Yet nobody can complain if he ends up getting a deal worth $7m a year. The Seahawks can’t overpay for the sake of it.

Trying to replace Michael Bennett with a rookie would’ve been impossible. Replacing Tate? This is a terrific class of receivers in the draft.

Whether they want to go after a bigger receiver (Pete Carroll’s apparent preference) or a Tate clone — both are available this year.

It will be a sad day if/when he moves on, however. He’s come on leaps and bounds the last two years. He gets under the skin of NFC West rivals (particularly St. Louis) and has a knack for making big plays.

He’s not an every-week contributor, but when he has an impact it’s usually game-winning. That’s tough to replace.

If Tate leaves, they better hope Percy Harvin can stay healthy. Not only is he capable of making similar plays — but they also made quite a statement paying Harvin a year ago, while possibly letting one of their own walk away.

And while one player potentially departs Seattle…

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Here’s something to monitor… Jairus Byrd’s market.

Despite a lot of talk in the week about wanting $9m a year, he’s currently en route for a visit to cap-limited New Orleans.

Even if he doesn’t sign for the Saints, it seems like he isn’t going to get anywhere near $9m a year.

That’s crucial for Earl Thomas’ earning potential. Clearly the Seahawks will re-sign Thomas this off-season, it’s simply a case of when and for how much.

If Byrd was getting a major contract, Thomas’ deal would’ve been even higher.

If he takes a more modest contract, the Seahawks can breathe a sigh of relief.

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One player who might not be leaving Seattle is…

He had a big impact last year. An underrated impact.

Providing they can get the deal done at a decent price, this would key a key signing.

Again, I’ll stress what a good draft this is for receivers. It’s not quite as good a draft for defensive linemen. So keeping Bennett and McDaniel would theoretically allow the Seahawks to go OL and WR with their first two picks.

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Some early thoughts on how the day one moves impact the draft…

— The Raiders allowing Jared Veldheer to walk, while spending big on a guard, could be a hint that they intend to draft a left tackle at #5 — building a new offensive line. One of Jake Matthews or Greg Robinson will almost certainly be available.

— Tampa Bay going defensive line early fills their biggest need. If they sign Anthony Collins, it fills their other big need (left tackle). The Buccs are putting themselves in position to potentially go after one of the top receivers at #7.

— Pittsburgh almost certainly won’t draft a safety in round one after keeping Troy Polamalu on a new deal and today adding Mike Mitchell.

— Dallas’ critical condition on the defensive line continues to grow. Surely they won’t go in any other direction in round one after being forced to cut Demarcus Ware?

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Another player visiting with Seattle…

Hatcher turns 32 in July. Ex-Dallas. 6-6 and a shade under 300lbs. He had 11 sacks in 2013 — his best year in the pro’s by some distance.

If he’s hungry to win, while working in a system with similar concepts to Monte Kiffin’s in Dallas, Seattle is the place to be.

He’d fit like a glove in the D-line rotation. But I wonder if it’s an either/or situation with McDaniel?

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Here are some Jermichael Finley highlights, as he prepares to visit with the ‘Hawks:

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I’m going to wrap up the live blog for tonight. As news breaks this evening, feel free to use this as an open thread.

120 Comments

  1. Vin

    Finally…1pm PST. DeMarcus Ware released. Could he be an option? Still hoping for Jared Allen. Golden Tate on Lions radar. Im a liitle surprised that I havent heard any news regarding our other FAs besides Bennett & Tate. Go Hawks!

    • Arias

      I’m not sure that Ware is the type to be going anywhere for a discount, even to a championship team. I’m pretty sure what he turned down in Dallas was probably 7-8 million instead of the 12 million he’d make next year, which would bring him in line with the top DE contracts handed out so far this off season. So would he really be willing to come here for 4-6? I sincerely doubt it unless he’s got no other suitors, which I don’t think is likely either.

  2. Ralphy

    I trust the Hawks and I know with Kearse improving Tate is somewhat expendable but I sure will be sad if and when he leaves. He plays as hard as anyone and he has provided us with a ton of the most memorable plays over the last two years.

    • CA

      As soon as I start to think that letting Tate walk is a good idea, I remember how much he reminds me of Heinz Ward. Theres a spot on any roster for a guy like that.

      Having said that, we’ve got Kearse, Baldwin, Lockette, Harvin, and don’t forget about our unproven Chris Matthews. I wouldn’t say Harvin is a must have. 5 mil

      • CA

        I wouldn’t say Tate is a must have*

  3. RJ

    Here is a cool little free agent tracker.

    http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/freeagency/?year=2014&team=26&type=-1

    I didn’t realize how many free agents we have. Time for JS to shine!

  4. Madmark

    Saw a report that Randy Starks may be looking at Seattle. Have no idea if this is true but he is a 3 tech that got franchised last year and made his money.

    • Vin

      That would be cool…replace McDonald with Starks.

  5. Hawkspur

    Why are the Raiders paying more for Saffold than what Veldheer got from the Cards? He must have wanted out, i guess.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Great pickup for the Cardinals.

      • RJ

        The Raiders actually signed someone? They are going to have to really overpay for anyone they want. Can’t say i’m thrilled to see the Cards get a LT.

      • Hawkspur

        Let’s hope it takes them a good few years to find a QB. The rest of the team is shaping up to be irritatingly solid. I’m quite happy they lost Dansby, though.

  6. shamus mcgee

    Clinton McDonald gone to the bucs on a 4yr deal… bummed, but good for him

  7. Beanhawk

    Wow… with Schofield and McDonald picking up some nice contracts (and Thurmond soon likely), there actually might be a comp pick or two coming Seattle’s way regardless of what happens with Tate, McDaniel, Hauschka, etc.

    Of course, that depends on how Seattle counters in their signings.

    • Beanhawk

      And, there goes Thurmond. Good luck in Seattle SE!

      • Beanhawk

        Whoops… maybe jumped the gun here. Though I would imagine that this is where he ends up.

    • Attyla the Hawk

      Signing your own free agents doesn’t factor into comp pick calculation

      • matt509

        He never said anything that had to do with that. He said based off of what already happened they should get compensation regardless what happens to the remaining FA.

  8. me

    Can I just say how happy I am it’s other teams poaching our roll players on overpays projecting them to step up into bigger roles to plug holes on their rosters?

  9. Burner

    Jermichael Finley rumoured to be visiting Seattle. Thoughts Rob?

    • Beanhawk

      I wonder if this is a due-diligence visit and perhaps a way to gain leverage with Miller in restructuring. Finley could be a weapon if he actually checks out and is cheap.

    • Rob Staton

      Worth a look at the neck. No harm in doing a medical. To me it suggests they might be willing to reduce the cost of the tight end position. No shock there. You can’t pay Miller $7m a year and lose other guys who would cost much less.

      • Burner

        How good a blocker is Finley?

        • Rob Staton

          He’s not a blocker. This would be a move to get a pass catcher down the seam. Pure receiving tight end.

          • Michael M.

            I’ve never really been sold on Finley. Below average hands/concentration for a guy who doesn’t make up for it with decent blocking or elite speed (ran a 4.82 at his combine despite his 236 lbs frame at the time.) Honestly he kinda looks to me like a version of Anthony McCoy that doesn’t block. Does anyone have any empirical evidence of this “elite athleticism” I’m always hearing about?

            I’m sure the ‘Hawks have genuine interest, but this could also partly be a leverage move to get Miller’s cap hit down a bit. Given the choice, I’d take (a slightly cheaper) Miller than a banged up Finley any day.

          • Arias

            If he’s not a blocker I don’t know how he’d fit into their plans. Someone’s gotta fill that role from the TE position without Miller unless they’re planning on McCoy stepping into Miller’s shoes which would seem premature. Unless they’re not happy with what Willson provides even though he’s cheap in his rookie contract.

            • bigDhawk

              We might pick up a blocking TE in the draft.

            • SHawn

              Why not trade for Martellus Bennett?

              He is an excellent blocker, AND wants to play with his brother, so he would likely be open to a contract restructure if necessary.

  10. David Ess

    Hmm… RT @RapSheet: Jermichael Finley’s first visit is set to be the Seattle #Seahawks, per source.— Curtis Crabtree (@Curtis_Crabtree) March 11, 2014

  11. RJ

    Too much money sloshing around right now. Something tells me we will be sitting on the sidelines waiting for the market to come to us once things quiet down. If Shoefield is getting 4m a year you know shiz is out of hand! Gonna be lots of old hungry vets that are gonna want to play for us.

    • sdcoug

      Agreed. I think we see a repeat of last year’s MO….let teams throw the big bucks…filling up spots and using up cash…then we rummage through the value or prove-it pile (or even ask Clem & Miller to restructure) once the market is depressed.

  12. dave crockett

    The Raiders and Falcons have front offices that are FULLY aware that they must win now or else.

    With the Raiders, I’ll at least give benefit of the doubt on letting Veldheer go. Either they didn’t like him, he didn’t want to be there, or both. As for the Saffold deal, I won’t kill it until I know the particulars. How much of the $42m is guaranteed? Still, this does not look good. This looks like the kind of flier a GM takes when he knows he’s about to get fired.

    The Falcons seem pretty committed to addressing their run defense, but the market rarely seems to be short on run-stuffing tackles. So $14m in guarantees for Paul Soliai, who is a nice run-stuffing tackle, seems steep. (I’d be stunned if Tony McDaniel, a comparable run-stuffer gets even $7m guaranteed. Tyson Jackson may actually have a reasonable deal underneath the $5m avg., but I also wouldn’t be shocked if this is another major overspend.

    • Colin

      The Raiders can’t win now and if ownership thinks that they are just as clueless as they were in the late Al Davis years.

    • Arias

      In what universe are the Raiders in “win now” mode?

      Maybe you meant that the GM is in “make an impact or be fired” mode, in which case signing Saffold to a gargantuan contract is not it.

  13. JeffS

    JS makes a stupid TE signing every year. Finley would be the next one.

    • Rob Staton

      So Luke Willson was stupid? Looked pretty good to me.

      Or are you referring to Kellen Davis, who was completely harmless?

    • Belgaron

      Winslow, Jr? Also no harm no foul, cut before he cost any draft picks.

  14. Colin

    I’m just baffled that the Vikes gave Everson Griffin the money they did. They must be banking on him becoming a stud. Given the underperformance of their defensive choices the last 3 seasons, there is no reason to expect that to pan out in their favor.

    Schneider is a genius.

    • kevin mullen

      Can’t fault them too much, they are losing Jared Allen and the team has a cap floor to spend. They probably feared losing them both so they balked and over pay Griffen.

  15. RJ

    Demarcus Ware sure would look good in Seattle. What if we repeated our master strokes from last year and picked up Ware and Allen for supercheap short deals. Not in the least bit likely but I can still dream!

    • Rob Staton

      As noted in the live blog earlier, reports are saying Denver are the only team interested in Allen and his price is too high.

      Seattle may be keen to just roll with Clemons. There’s never been any suggestion they wanted to cut him. Just speculation.

    • bigDhawk

      Ware is broken. He has had back surgery and elbow surgery, and his performance on the field suffered significantly because of it last season. Serious physical red flags for me. Super cheap or no way.

  16. Brandon

    Hi Rob. Long time reader, first time commenter.

    I hope that people understand that the NFL is a business first and foremost. As it would be sad to lose key pieces to a very good team, what seems to be lost is the fact that they are only doing whats best for themselves and their families.

    As for the hawks… I trust JS and PC to build this team with the “Win Forever” mantra in mind at all times. I would personally love to see Jermichael Finley come in and be a big red zone target right next to a Kelvin Benjamin, or a Brandon Coleman via the draft. What are your thoughts on Jordan Matthews being around at 32?

    Any who just wanted to take some time to let you know that what you do for the Seahawks community is Grade A.

    Thanks Rob. Keep on keepin on!

    • Rob Staton

      Thanks for the kind words Brandon — and thanks for commenting. The #1 reason I love writing this blog is the community we have here. Great debate every day — never gets too heated. Perfect.

      I totally agree on the red zone point. Imagine having Finley and another big body in there? We all saw what Wilson is capable of in the 2013 Pro Bowl. Give him a big target and he’ll go to town in the red zone.

      On Matthews — I have to confess I’m not a big fan. Very finesse, very much a slot receiver for me. His size and speed is a bit of a red herring because on tape he doesn’t play like a 6-4, 4.4 guy in the slightest. He has as many bad drops as great grabs. Personally I think he’s a R2-3 type and a #3 in the NFL. But I’ve been wrong in the past and could be again with Matthews.

      • Mylegacy

        …”never gets too heated.” Ya, well Brandon is ALL WRONG! Rob is NOT “Grade A” – he’s Grade A+ – so there. How’s that for some “heated” debate.

        • Rob Staton

          Ha ha — thanks man.

  17. diFuria

    Finley!!I know Miller is a reliable player and a great blocker, but we need a guy we can throw to when he is not open (ala Anquan Boldin). Dude is a match up nightmare. Knowing JS, Taylor Price is next years breakout star. Imagine if we get Bitonio and another stud receiver in the 2nd, together will a healthy Percy Harvin – our offense will be cooking with gas. And maybe Randy Starks on the Dline, too? I think Harbaugh just pooped his $9 khakis a little bit.

    • Rob Staton

      He’ll have to send Blaine Gabbert to Walmart to buy some new ones…

  18. Beanhawk

    Yeah, Tate taking visits would seem to indicate that he likes the numbers (more than those Seattle is offering) enough to head somewhere else.

    The only way he heads back to Seattle now is if he decides the team culture isn’t a good fit.

    If he does get 7m per year, more power to him, and I’ll wish him the best of luck.

    • Beanhawk

      Not that ODB will make it to Seattle’s pick, but if they had a sense of the market for Tate, it would further explain their interest (beyond the fact that ODB is a really good player).

      He would be another player for which I wouldn’t mind moving up. I’m really interested in seeing how these big receiver signings shake out as they could really affect the draft. For instance, I doubt the Lions would go receiver first round should they sign Tate (that would be a lot of financial capital in that position).

      • Rob Staton

        ODB would be the perfect like-for-like replacement for Tate.

        • red

          Rob

          What are your thoughts on WR Ellington from South Carolina? Heard he was similar to Tate.

          • Rob Staton

            Decent athlete. Maybe not quite as battle hardened or sturdy as Tate.

            • dave crockett

              I think Tate is a pretty good comp. Like Tate, Ellington made the switch from RB in college. He turned himself into a tough receiver and very good returner (kickoffs more than punts). Probably faster in the 40 than Tate but a bit less elusive, and doesn’t have Tate’s vice-like hands.

              Ellington has had some nagging injuries, but I think some of that is due to overuse from playing basketball and not getting proper rest. By the way, he was the WORST starting guard in the SEC.

  19. Madmark

    Tony Gonzalo TE for Atlanta released by Atlanta. He said he was retiring but hadn’t turned in his paperwork so he was released to save money. I heard he was brought in as a commentator for some network but was wondering if it would be possible to talk to him about a 1 year deal to maybe get him a ring in Seattle.

    • Rob Staton

      He talked about joining a contender in week eight just to get a ring.

      He’s the anti-team player. Just wants to ride the coat tails for a ring.

  20. smitty1547

    There the Viking would u sign to play there for any less? The like the M’s got to over pay Cano 240 mil!

  21. Frank

    I just hate losing Tate’s run blocking and grit. That block on Sean Lee was epic. I only think of two guys that compare, Anquan Bolden and Steve Smith. Id take Smith for half the money of Tate. I know he isn’t as great of blocker but he still plays violent.

  22. Frank

    Why no mention of Henry Milton? I haven’t heard of him being on anyone’s radar.

    • Rob Staton

      Very quiet.

      • Attyla the Hawk

        Very quiet. Although Seattle does tend to look for guys whose stock is deflated. I’d keep an eye on him

        • Colin

          Especially since DT could be a bit of a priority if McDaniel and McDonald both leave. Everyone seems to be caught up on bringing in a Demarcus Ware or Jared Allen, but I’d rather have Melton for 1 year than either of those two.

          • Rob Staton

            I would agree with this as long as his knee checks out. We can’t rule out some concerns over his health potentially hurting his market. There could be a reason Chicago’s gone from franchising him one year and seemingly ignoring him the next.

    • Chris F

      Actually, I think the Cowboys are interested in Melton. I read somewhere that they were meeting with him soon and that the “interest” was mutual. Sorry I don’t have a link, I can’t remember where I saw that.

  23. James

    Man, you would think that GMs would know enough NFL history to understand that two average players @ $7 mil combined do not equal one elite player and a rookie backup. Can you believe that Schofield and McDonald got the same salary as Michael Bennett, who actually outplayed Geno Atkins at the best pass rush DT in the league? Thank God we don’t have to watch the Seahawks indulging in this cap carnage?

    re the TE position, Zach is a steady and reliable player, but not a play-maker, and is overpaid by about $5 mil/yr for his level of production. Remember the lob pass from RW where Miller was run down from behind by Kellen Davis, who was trying to block, despite having a ten yard lead? And the DBs, from 20 yds away, finally caught Zach before the end zone? Flood the offense with playmakers and start planning the design of the second SB ring.

    • Rob Staton

      If the offensive line can stay healthy, the need for a great run blocking TE isn’t such a requirement. Playmakers at TE and better play from the OL is a nice combo for an offense, even a run-first offense. If cutting Miller and signing Finley helps them keep Giacomini — plus draft a guy like Bitonio — it’ll be interesting to see if it has a major impact on the O.

      • Mylegacy

        Rob – I sort of agree…

        The Hawks didn’t pay Miller 11 big ones just because he could block. They expected him (as did I) to be able to handle both jobs well. Unfortunately, for the Hawks, and Miller, the OLine got injured (and underperformed) and Miller Time was spent almost exclusively within a yard or two of the line of scrimmage. Where he excelled.

        Had the OLine not disappeared for long periods of the season we would have a much better idea just how capable Miller is at running routes and catching. What we did see was usually pretty good…

        Personally, I am a bit upset that the failures of other guys, who were not doing their jobs, may cost Miller the chance to show us just how good a receiver he is. I will be perturbed if he goes some where else and becomes an Ace. It`s very rare to find a great two way TE – if it turns out he becomes one on a team where the OLine is good enough to chew bubble gum and tie their own shoelaces (two glaring areas of weakness for them here in Seattle last year) I will be pi**ed!

        • Rob Staton

          Great points there.

          I will say this though — it’s abundantly clear Miller is one of the slowest tight ends in the league for his size (255lbs). Knowing how this team is built, I suspect they want to add more playmaking and athleticism to the position.

          At the same time, Miller made several clutch plays (usually on third down) in 2012-2013. That’d be hard to give up. And with Tate also potentially leaving, you’d hate to lose two reliable catchers and replace them with Finley (a guy who’s had drop issues) and an untested rookie.

          These are the big decisions this team was always going to face going forward.

          Anthony McCoy is key in all of this too. He genuinely flashed first round level talent at USC and only fell for character issues. Carroll clearly see something in him still. And he has that two-way ability going forward. He has a ton of potential despite his injury last year, and he’s still 26.

  24. Cameron

    If Tate leaves for a multi-year contract averageing 7 million, and we make a few more modest moves (or prove it contracts), we should be inline for a few comp picks, no?

    Guys that have signed Multi Year deals for mid level money:

    McDonald
    Schoefiled (wow)
    Tate? Likely
    Thurmond?

    It tickles me to see guys like Schoefild leave for decent money. Someone *cough* Dan Snyder *cough* needs to hurry up and give Chris Maragos a multi year deal.

    • Rob Staton

      Yep Seattle should get some comp picks in 2015 at this rate, depending on what they bring in. But without losing a top dog to major money, we shouldn’t expect any high picks.

  25. David M

    DT Jason Hatcher is also expected to visit the hawks this week

    • Michael (CLT)

      Hatcher intrigues me. Bennett part deux?

  26. Von

    Rob, who do you think is the best OG that’s still on the market that they may be interested in? Some seem undervalued to me at this point.

    • Rob Staton

      Honestly, none of the guards remaining in free agency interest me in the slightest. Beadles would’ve been the only one overall I think anyway. I’d much rather look at Joel Bitonio at #32 and plug him in at left guard… the next Logan Mankins.

      • Turp

        Rob, I’m loving this pick more and more as FA continues. Bitonio at 32, Brandon Coleman at 64 is my new rooting interest for the draft. It would finish up a very complete team. I’m hoping Byrd gets 7.5mil/yr, to keep ET around 10/yr

        • Rob Staton

          Sounds good to me.

          • Kenny Sloth

            DL @128?

          • Kenny Sloth

            Also, realllly liking Walt Aiken’s tape. What kind of projection is there on this kid?

            • Chris F

              I like Aiken too. Another CB that I like is Phillip Gaines.

              • Kenny Sloth

                Haven’t gotten to any Gaines tape, yet. Haven’t focused much on corners this year.

        • me

          Ugh, I wouldn’t touch Coleman in the 5th. He’s the exact opposite of pissed off for greatness. Content for average, maybe? He’s a big, physically talented, disinterested bad football player.

          • Colin

            And you know all this, how?

            Oh, and he’ll be LONG gone by round 5.

            • Miles

              If press conferences and interviews are indeed valuable to indicating a players’ character, then Brandon Coleman could be a pretty apathetic guy. Cordarrelle Patterson had interviews like Coleman before the draft, but at least he smiled.

              The best interviews I’ve seen from this year’s draft class so far are from Jordan Matthews. He seems to be a high-character player.

          • Rob Staton

            I must be watching a different player.

  27. Robert

    So happy for McDonald. After he was cut, he got one more chance and wow, did he make the most of it! But Hill can probably step into that roll as a young, cheap player with upside. McDaniels might be a priority. He was a big upgrade over Branch and there is a well documented reason (that escapes me) for why PC must have a big and very long player at 3T. Schofield was paid much more than we would have matched. Love Tate, but all it takes is one desperate team to over pay. Thurmond’s on the edge of a 4 game suspension, which will cost him over a million per year! Sherman has praised Akeem Auguste, who will challenge for the nickel corner spot. I see Scruggs as great 5T. There are a lot of young guys who will contribute this year and a few will probably step up and be great!

  28. Vin

    Julius peppers released. I wonder if he’s an option? Does the additions of Peppers and Ware to FA drive down Allen’s asking price?

    • Rob Staton

      Ware will have an impact on Allen for sure.

      Peppers could be finished for me. I doubt he gets much interest.

      • oz

        What about Peppers Inside alongside Bennet on passing downs?

        • Miles

          He had 7.5 sacks last year. I wouldn’t want to say he’s done. But he is 34 (which is like 85 in football years).

  29. David M

    Watch this video of the hawks vs rams in 2012, keep an eye on McCoy as he is an actually a lot better blocker than I thought. He held up Robert Quinn no problem, that’s tough to do…..

  30. jake

    @AdamSchefter 2m
    While Denver focuses on DeMarcus Ware…Vikings free-agent DE Jared Allen is talking with the Bears and Seattle Seahawks, per league source.

  31. Vin

    Aints just signed Byrd to 6/$54 mill. The bars been set for ET. All the saints fans are thinking Byrd is the missing link to SB. Think they forgot that half their team got cut to sign him and keep JG. I hope hawks can sign Allen, but would that come at the price of losing CC? I wonder if the hawks can restructure Miller and use that to sign Allen? I don’t like the idea of signing Finley as I see it as stunting the growth of Willson. Go hawks!

    • Arias

      No question that signing Allen would come at the cost of CC. I think signing any of the DL free agents they’re bringing in would set that ball in motion.

  32. CC

    It is hard to see some of our guys go, but I’m happy that they can go get some cash! This is a tough business and while I’ll miss guys like Tate, Obi, McDonald – I’m happy for them. This is real life and we all have taken new jobs for more money, so I don’t begrudge them at all. They will always be part of the Seahawk SB team and I will wish them well and success – except when they play Seattle.

  33. jake

    @incarceratedbob: **UPDATED NFL NEWS**Source: Seahawks and Jared Allen deal could be real close , some late night movement.

    Not sure if this is real or not.

    • Colin

      Sounds like somebody stretching it, IMO. Probably just talks, but you never know…

    • Arias

      If it were true I could only see it happen at a heavily discounted rate which he obviously didn’t seem too keen on giving to Denver. His signing would have to be at the cost of CC. I’d prefer Hatcher though.

      • Miles

        Who is incarcerated bob? Is he incarcerated? If so I would not take his tweets seriously.

        • Rob Staton

          If I can ask one favour from this community, it’s not to link to Incarcerated Bob. Don’t believe anything he “reports”. He’s a time waster.

  34. Kenny Sloth

    Is Jeremy Lane going to be our Nickle corner? Or will ByMax slide inside in nickle looks?

    • Colin

      I think Maxy is gonna stay on the outside… don’t fix what isn’t broke.

      Lane really doesn’t strike me as a slot guy, but that is a possibility.

      • Arj

        Jeremy Lane played primarily Nickel in college.

    • David M

      Lane, Simon(which I doubt) or Auguste. Which I see Auguste being the man for the job. Sherman has really praised him in the latter part of the season.

      • Rock

        They will pick up one in the draft if WT3 leaves.

    • Robert

      Akeem Auguste will challenge for the spot. Late in the year, Richard Sherman was raving about his play on the practice field…

  35. Forrest

    I know this isn’t about the draft but I wanted to throw my “ideal” first to picks of the draft out there…

    1st round-Trent Murphy
    I personally think this guy is a beast who would immediately help the d-line/linebackers (not that they need help), but I’m thinking future starter…maybe even day one stater. He’s a little raw, but that’s good because that means we can mold him into what we want him to be.

    2nd round-Jared Abbrederis
    A) Russel Wilson connection B) Great route runner C) 6’1″
    He is not a immediate starter, but I think he’s really underrated, and if we lose Tate, we’ll probably need a little help. Also, I’m not really sold on any of the “reachable” 1st round WRs…this guy has football smarts, and a Russel Wilson connection…I think we draft him.

    Thoughts?

    • Rob Staton

      I think you might be able to get both players in round four.

      • Forrest

        I see what you are saying. I just personally think these two would be steals, and they look like players that are molded to be Hawks. Hopefully we get them both!

  36. red

    Breno visiting Jets

    • Arias

      Breno is gone man. Signed with the Jets.

      • Robert

        Google news doesn’t even know that. If you have a just in source, give us a link???

        • Radman

          Adios, Breno. Sooner or later.

          Divergent interests- Breno is in the wheel house of his earning power, while Hawks need to leverage every cap dollar. RT isn’t high leverage enough to justify on Breno. Hawks trim the budget. Breno seeks dollars.

        • Arias

          I’m sorry, my bad for not double checking. I was going off the fieldgulls listings of who was signed who had been signed elsewhere already and who was visiting other teams. Breno appeared to be mis-listed.

      • Ben

        He’s not signed yet. Could very well be soon, but isn’t yet.

  37. David M

    Chris Maragos to the Eagles.

    Will need to draft a Free Safety to back up ET now. Or pick up one in Free Agency

    • John_s

      Maragos was a backup FS in name only. He was not very good when he played on D after Johnson got hurt.

      Deshawn Shead is more than capable of playing both backup spots IMO plus you have Jeron Johnson as well.

      • Belgaron

        Totally true, ‘Hawks were in trouble if ET needed backup.

        They will continue to draft/sign DBs when they match what they are looking for. They were very high on Mark Barron and would have drafted him (even with ET/Chancellor already excelling) if they were in the right spot. This led to questions of whether they would have moved Chancellor to LB and they said no. They clearly view their nickel/dime packages as their starting defense, so even a third safety might be counted as a starter.

  38. Belgaron

    Ware signed with Broncos.

  39. Mylegacy

    McDaniel resigned…no info on money or years yet…

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