After a flurry of activity last week, Seahawks fans can be forgiven for wondering why things have gone quiet all of a sudden. They’ve come to expect excitement. And it’s been at least a few days since something exciting happened…
John Schneider spoke to John Clayton on Saturday with a few interesting nuggets. Above you’ll find the first hour of today’s newly titled ‘Brock Huard Show’ where they replay the interview with Schneider. I found this quote particularly interesting:
“There’s a plan in place here, and there’s several different phases to free agency, so we’ll see how that goes… But in the meantime, we’d really like to just kind of focus on our own guys, our younger players that we’ve drafted.”
It’s time to extend some contracts — and it’s not too difficult to work out who will benefit here.
Kam Chancellor is a free agent in 2014 and he’s set to earn just $1.3m this year. I suspect they’ll feel like he’s done more than enough as a former 5th round pick to warrant an extension. One of the key philosophies within this organisation appears to be a desire to look after players who prove their worth. Although Chancellor didn’t quite live up to his 2011 performance last year, he’s still part of arguably the best secondary in the NFL. I’m guessing they’ll want to keep the band together. Anyone second guessing any decision to extend Chancellor’s contract should click here.
Golden Tate is also a free agent in 2014 with a deal worth $880K. It’s a paltry figure for a player who should remain a key figure within Seattle’s offense (even despite the addition of Percy Harvin). Tate has developed a chemistry with Russell Wilson and the pair appear to be good friends. It’d make sense to tie him down to an extension to make life easier for the young star quarterback. He needs familiarity and playmaking quality. He needs guys who can make something out of nothing. Tate showed last year he can do all of these things. The juking touchdown’s against Chicago, Minnesota and Carolina, the long bomb against the Jets, ‘that’ play against the Packers. Seattle needs to keep this guy around.
They could also look into a possible extension for Earl Thomas, despite his contract expiring in 2015. He’s due $3.5m this year and $5.175m in 2014. A new deal wouldn’t necessarily inflate those figures greatly, but would add years to his contract and ensure he gets paid handsomely over the long term. Thomas has grown into a defensive leader and ended last year as possibly the leading safety in the NFL. He’s staying in Seattle beyond 2014, that isn’t in question. They won’t let him get away. The only question is when they start to talk about a new deal.
The Seahawks have structured the Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett contracts in a way that’ll make it easier to re-sign existing players on the roster. Avril’s deal is actually only worth $13m with incentives according to Brian McIntyre and his cap hit in 2013 is just $3.75m. Which is pretty astonishing. Michael Bennett’s cap hit in 2013 will be $4.8m. As a duo, they’re taking up slightly more room than Matt Flynn ($7.25m).
It basically means the Seahawks have $6.43m in cap space (per Clayton) available this year. The only reason they’d choose not to spend it is to push cap into 2014 to aid contract negotiations. So getting stuff done now really just saves time and rewards 2-3 players that really deserve their money.
The only stumbling block could be the mega-deal signed by Dashon Goldson in Tampa Bay worth $41.5m. He’ll earn $9m against the cap in 2013 and 2014, with earning potential of around $8m in 2015 and 2016. That’s probably the starting point for any new contract for Thomas, perhaps pushing this particular re-sign into next year. An expensive receiver market (Greg Jennings, Percy Harvin, Mike Wallace) could also make for tricky talks with Tate — even if he’s a less established player.
Perhaps one of the reasons we haven’t seen any movement on Alan Branch (or any other defensive tackle or linebacker for that matter) is because they’re waiting to see where they’re at when negotiations for players like Chancellor, Tate and maybe Thomas are concluded. This appears to be an off-season based around priorities and opportunism. The #1 priority would’ve been to improve the pass rush. Job done. Priority #2 would’ve been to get an impact player with the #25 pick. Again — job done (just a month earlier than anyone imagined). Now the third priority might be keeping the core of this team together for the long haul.
It’s a priority that might drift on for a few years yet. As guys like Richard Sherman, K.J. Wright and eventually Russell Wilson become eligible for new deals, that will likely engulf any available spending money. We might not see the kind of calculated moves we saw this year for Avril and Bennett — and we’re very unlikely to see the big splash moves for guys like Sidney Rice and Zach Miller.
In fact you could probably make a case for 2013 being Seattle’s best chance to challenge for a Super Bowl. It’s not such a ridiculous suggestion — they’re in the perfect storm right now. They’ve added key free agents, they can still accommodate expensive veterans like Rice, they can make a big trade for Percy Harvin and they have a group of young Pro-Bowl/All-Pro starters earning a pittance (Wilson, Sherman etc). Soon those players won’t be earning a pittance any more and it’ll start to suffocate the cap. Players like Rice will move on with replacements needing to be found in the draft at a cheap price.
The 2013 Seahawks might be the most talented they’ll ever be. That doesn’t mean it’s championship or bust this year. Far from it. But they may never have such a balanced, youthful and loaded roster like this again. It’ll be almost impossible to maintain from a financial point of view. There will be future off-seasons where the needs extend beyond simply finding a big body to play defensive tackle and a WILL replacement for Leroy Hill. This is a unique year for this franchise.
In other news…
– The Seahawks were awarded two 7th round compensatory picks today. The addition of Matt Flynn and Jason Jones cancelled out the moves that saw John Carlson move to Minnesota and David Hawthorne head to New Orleans. Seattle gets the picks for losing Charlie Whitehurst and Atari Bigby. It means they have ten picks in the 2013 draft — 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 7, 7, 7.
– It’s a big week for Star Lotulelei. He’s expected to participate in Utah’s pro-day on Wednesday and we should find out more about the heart condition that kept him out of the combine.
– I’d recommend reading this X’s & O’s piece from a Minnesota Vikings fan courtesy of Field Gulls on how Seattle can get the most out of Percy Harvin.
– You will notice there’s a new image at the top of the sidebar these days. Seahawks Draft Blog is now pleased to be an associate of the NFL’s official online store. I’ve never asked for any donations from you guys, but the blog does come with monthly running costs that come out of my own pocket every time. So all I ask is if you’ve enjoyed five years of this website and are planning on buying a new Percy Harvin jersey — do it through the link on this site and help me out along the way.
– Some people have asked about San Jose State tight end Ryan Otten. Here’s his tape vs BYU, Colorado State and Utah State:
Hey rob, if I do buy anything from the NFL store I will definitly click through here, I would also recommend checking out Amazon affilite program. I don’t know what you have to do to get signed up but it can be lucrative and they have a much wider range of products then NFL.com and thus there would be more oppertunities to support the website. I really love this website and will be happy to support it with my wallet
I was approached on this occasion and if I’m going to advertise I only want to do things people who visit this site might be interested in. I’ve snubbed countless offers from betting sites and all sorts. I’ve only ever done two pieces of advertising – Jones Soda worked with us when they got the deal at Century Link and now NFL.com. Last thing I want is to fill the site with ads that people aren’t bothered about, cluttering up space.
No doubt rob I just want you to beer warded for the work you put in
Funny enough, I went to buy a jersey here in New Mexico a few days ago. Since the Percy trade, ALL of the jerseys of Wilson and Rice were gone.
Now I believe it was so I can support the awesome site with my dollars. I will definitely order here soon!!
You guys rock, and our team is in the midst of creating a legacy!!! Go Hawks!
It’s just a pity the NFL store is so costly to us Brits.
With regards to Branch, I’m not getting a sense the front office is making a big push to re-sign him. His name is hardly ever brought up in interviews from their side of things and are now here in the above quote specifically mentioned trying to extend their “younger guys” who “they drafted” which doesn’t include Branch.
Unless he takes a discount offer to stay in Seattle, I’m pretty confident they’ll look to the draft to replace him instead of giving him market value, similar to how they treated last offseason replacing Hawthorne at MLB. IMO, It’s always best to draft a replacement instead of overspending in attempt to add that one missing piece (which there is hardly only ever one).
I think we’ll truly find out about Branch after the next stage of free agency which by Schneider’s admission is to extend some of their own guys. When that is done (or not done, as it may be) we’ll know how much cap room is left and we’ll see if they make a move. I could see them waiting to address this in the draft for sure, yet it’s the only existing serious need IMO and if nothing else Branch offers depth at three positions and will be very cheap.
how cheap do you think.
Would it be possible to get him for around 3 yrs 6 m.
I have heard nothing from anyone as far as any kind of a market for him.
I think a year or two at just above the vet minimum is possible. His market is ice cold.
If it’s vet minimum than sign me up. I think it’ll be closer to 3-4 million a year, personally, which is what I think he’s worth, but more than this front office will want to pay. I also think this team wants to add more youth at D line, too.
thank you
I was really pretty sure it would be my estimate at the max based on his market.
I would hope the Hawks jump on that. That would be amazing value.
I imagine they are going to let Branch test the market and bring him back on the cheap if he is still available. It shouldn’t be hard to get a big 3 technique in the draft. He may not be much of a pass rusher, but if he clogs lanes in run defense, everything will be just fine. This offense looks like it could be just impossible to stop. Do you try and contain Beastmode, or put more DB’s on the field to slow the passing game down? It’s going to be fun to watch.
I personally would like a big run stuffer and another LB to come from this draft.
When I look at the team this year, I agree with you Colin. I would love to see our two biggest needs (or most upgradeable at least) be addressed so that we can have the most complete team possible for our run this season. And Rob makes a great point about this possibly being a peak for this team, talent wise.
However, the more I think about it, the more I believe that those are not the positions we should be drafting for. We managed to put together the league’s best defense last season with very little invested at the “big 3-tech” and WIL positions, so why are we all so worried about it? I think the moves that PC/JS have made in their time here are an indication of how they value the positions; not real high on the list.
When you take a step back from the “win right now” mentality and really ask yourself what this team needs to do to sustain success for the next decade, who are we really gonna need in the next year or two? Upgrades over cheap yet adequate performers at positions that have, so far, not been deemed important enough to warrant big free agency dollars, or high draft picks?
Ask any ‘Hawks fan who is most likely to be absent from the roster during the 2014 season, and I think you would get a lot of votes for Sidney Rice and Zach Miller (aside from the obvious choice of Flynn). Aren’t those the positions we should be most worried about? The Ravens showed they were thinking ahead by drafting Cortney Upshaw last year in the 2nd round. Was it their greatest need for the 2012 season? I don’t think so. But it’s looking like a great move this year now that Paul Kruger is off to Cleveland (at an average annual cost of more than 6x that of Upshaw).
It sounds a little crazy to talk about WR as one of this teams greatest needs a week or so after acquiring Percy Harvin, but the fact remains that Pete is always gonna want at least one “big receiver” on the team, and he is not always gonna be able to pay that receiver “big money”.
The one thing I really don’t want to leave this draft without is the heir apparent for Sidney Rice and Zach Miller.
Can’t argue with that logic. But…
The problem is that Miller is a special TE – not easy to find someone who can block effectively while still representing a true receiving threat. Or, put more accurately, hard to find one in the mid RDs or later of this draft.
Ertz? Absolutely. But I don’t see him slipping to 56. Eifert? Not really. He may be a great receiver, but I don’t see him as much of a blocker. Maybe I missed something. Besides, it’s a mute point considering he’s likely to be the 1st TE taken. Escobar? Maybe. He catches well enough for sure. I don’t know how physical he is, and I haven’t seen much of him in a blocking role. But he very well could be available. I’m just not sure he’s worth our highest pick. I suppose it all depends on who else is available.
Fortunately, at least IMO, there are a slew of prospects who should be around on Day 3, guys like Kelce (notwithstanding those character/injury issues Kip recently referred to), Chris Gragg (if he can add some weight), Dion Simms, Nick Kasa (I’m starting to warm to him- he’s got a ton of upside despite his rawness). And don’t forget Darren Fells – Miller’s replacement might already be on the team.
WR isn’t necessarily any easier. Rice may not be as good a receiver as Miller is a dual threat TE, but it’s going to be a lot harder to find his replacement in this draft unless we do it in the 2nd. Could Hunter fall that far? If not, it doesn’t look real promising beyond that. Marquess Wilson? He’s tall, but not really that fast. Da’Rick Rodgers? I dunno. He’s tempting, but those attitude/off field issues scare me. Besides, I like him better as a DB (much in the mold of Sherm). Mark Harrison? On paper and in highlight reels he looks good. But games aren’t played that way, and by most accounts, he disappoints far more than he pleases.
I think Michael has brought to light a very legit concern. Anyone else want to chime in here?
I think Marquess Wilson and Sidney Rice are just about the same speed. From what I can see they had exactly the same 40 times. I don’t know if that makes Wilson his equal in terms of a prospect…I think not. But that’s why he’s likely to be around in round 5.
I think Sidney is very under rated, but I also think the Hawks will find a good prospective heir apparent in this draft.
One thing I’m constantly thinking about with Marquess is that his draft stock dropped considerably after he quit WSU football last year. I wonder, had he stuck around until the end of the season, are we talking about him as a second or third rounder? I’m leaning yes.
He did quit the program and obviously that’s a red flag, but he has his reasons and I don’t necessarily doubt that they are good ones. He seems like he has a clean personality in press conferences and interviews; not the most charismatic guy ever. He’s not going to blow you away like you’re watching Robert Woods; but the point is, he doesn’t seem like a problem child.
Marquess is definitely a sleeper in this draft.
I agree.
Height isn’t as important as ability to leap up and catch the ball above your head while a cb is hanging on you. Or to make the fingertip catch over your shoulder while running full speed Downfield. If you draft for ability instead of for size it all becomes clearer. Swopes, Wheaton, whoever falls to us in the second round.
I’m a cougs fan thru and thru but everytime someone mentions marquis Wilson I get a stiffy thinking about him replacing Rice. His upside is incredible. Just because he quite wsu doesn’t mean his red flags will carry over. If he’s there in the 4th I will be beating my coffee table yelling at the tv for them to pull the trigger. Hands down by far him and Jordan hill are the 2 most under rated players in this draft IMO
The red flags in that story are more about Leach than about Wilson.
Which is why three different investigations cleared Leach of all wrongdoing.
MQW was used to getting the star treatment from his coach – i.e. not working as hard as his teammates. Leach came in and granted him no quarter. He expected him to work just as hard as the walk-on fighting for a roster spot. And Wilson quit.
There was no “abuse” – it was the same treatment players get at other schools – running stairs, doing up-downs, etc. WSU investigated and said nothing was out of the ordinary. The Pac-12 investigated and said “nothing to see here”. Then the NCAA investigated and said nothing was wrong.
My issue is, if he can’t work hard enough to play college ball, how can be successful in the NFL?
Additionally – 9 reps on the bench press? He doesn’t play with any physicality and struggles against press coverage because of it. He really struggled against bigger corners who played him physical – a trend the NFL is moving towards. So I’m not sure from a talent standpoint he is all that.
I don’t want to get into a big tangent about it, but the actual office that should have investigated it was not allowed to investigate. This was a case of the fox guarding the hen house. The investigation was a farce. The man who hired Leach ran the office running the investigation. 100 meters away is the office of human rights and human resources, which is the office that exists for exactly these kinds of investigations and accusations. They were not part of the investigation nor were they allowed to participate. It was a shine job.
Agreed completely. Rice and Miller are costly, replacements need to be found…
You Said-
We managed to put together the league’s best defense last season with very little invested at the “big 3-tech” and WIL positions, so why are we all so worried about it?
And ended up the BEST scoring D, and 4th overall… YES we lost games at the end, Miami, Detroit, Atlanta… but I believe Gus just wasn’t as aggressive in style as Quinn will be… He will stop that, even without new additions…
My thing is Michael- and I totally agree about the receiver situation- with what we’ve done in free agency and how it affects the play of the defense, I think adding a big bodied DT is as important as adding future replacements for Sid and Zach.
We can both agree the offense is likely to be pretty damn scary this year, and with the additions of Avril and Bennett in conjunction with Irvin and the return of Clemons, this is a defense that will be best playing with a lead. So what is the “weakness” ( I use that term lightly)? Not having that lead. If we lose Branch, suddenly we are not so big and stout up front, and we could be subject to being pushed around a bit, and while that doesn’t necessarily concern me for the regular season, if we have to play SF, MINNE or NYG in January, we better be able to shut down the run on early downs, something this defense did not do well down the stretch.
There is no guarantee Red Bryant will go back to 2011 form. I myself want a big run stuffer because if you can’t run on this team on early downs, you sure as hell aren’t going to be able to throw on 3rd and long. This could be a scary good elite defense. Right now, they are very good. But room for improvement is there.
I’m not sure you’ll find WR or TE heirs in this draft. This is likely to be a BPA draft, since there are no glaring needs, but there may not be a ton of value either. The other issue is how can we be so certain Zach AND Sidney will be gone? I will assume one for sure will go unless the contracts can be restructured, but I don’t believe we’ll be in a position of “need”.
We’ve worried about the future long enough. Let’s focus on 2013 and what players in this draft can help get us to the Super Bowl.
I want to draft some competition at the 5 tech as well. Seahawks are paying Red seven million a year for minimal production. He has to step up and do more. Given that Red’s run defense fell off last year, I don’t see why we couldn’t find someone to play the run as well as Red and rush the passer a bit better. We constantly talk of moving the QB off his spot, I think Red’ s position could provide more QB spot movement with a better player.
Red definitely needs to bounce back to his 2011 form if he wants to keep his job. Michael Bennett is good enough against the run to displace Red if he continues to struggle. Hopefully Red’s ineffectiveness was all due to nagging injuries last year, but if not we will be just fine I think.
Rob,
Just curious – are you planning on doing any live chats on/around draft day?
Yep – as in previous years we’ll be doing the live chat throughout the first two days of the draft. I will also be doing a live chat prior to the event too. And we may have a few other things lined up too.
I for one would love more podcasts!
My Dad is – somehow – still a Cowboy fan through all these years who got me the lovely Seahawks “coach Carroll” hoodey for Christmas. I’ll probably return the favor and get him A Dallas one (Rob Ryan size as I like to joke to him) for his birthday coming up next month and will be sure to order through the blog.
Perfect Storm is a perfect analogy, Rob.
BTW our compensation picks were just announced:
Both in RD 7 – #35/241 & #36/242
All I know is that if the Hawks are targeting a DT in the mid-rounds of the draft, they should do so by their Round 4 pick. The Niners just got a 4th round compensatory pick. Which I don’t understand. Who did they lose that merits a fourth round pick? Josh Morgan? Break me off a piece of that Kit-Kat bar!
As I’ve said before I don’t think the Hawks are planning on re-signing Branch. I listened to a phone conference with Schneider and Carroll; when asked about Branch Schneider said something along the lines of: Well we’ve been in touch with his people, and we are evaluating our draft board and figuring that whole situation out. It seems to me that Schneider has seen a group of young DTs in the draft he’d rather scour than take a one-year bargain on a declining d-tackle.
The Hawks are in a favorable position at 56 not just because they don’t have a lot of needs. The Hawks situation is this: yes, they have a need for a 3-tech, run-stop DT. This draft doesn’t have any apparent break-out stars at the position. But it has a long line of guys who have the potential to come in and be serviceable for many years. At many positions, like cornerback for example, there are some very talented cornerbacks up the board through Blidi Wreh-Wilson. Then there is a big fall off a cliff, and suddenly the cornerbacks aren’t so appealing anymore. The tiers at cornerback are much more defined than in the DT class. In other words, if the Hawks drafted a DT in Round 4 who they had been targeting, they wouldn’t be getting a player much worse than one they might have interest in during Round 2. That’s just my perception of things right now.
This situation lays out perfectly because it allows the Seahawks to take BPA at 56. So Khaseem Greene, Zach Ertz, Ryan Swope, Tyler Eifert, Robert Alford, Darius Slay, John Simon, Margus Hunt, Melenik Watson, Terron Armstead, Kyle Long, Markus Wheaton, etc. etc. blah blah blah. These are all players the Hawks can look at for 56 and they don’t have to be handcuffed to a position. A serious luxury.
Seriously, how the hell did the Niners get a 4th round compensatory pick?? According to NFL.com they lost DB Madieu Williams and LB Blake Costanzo who totaled 11 tackles and 3 starts between the 2 of them… As Miles mentioned, they lost Josh Morgan, but they also signed Mario Manningham. Shouldn’t those cancel each other out to some degree? This is freakin ridiculous!
Does anyone have any insight into the rhyme or reason behind these comp picks?
The Niners will not be able to keep all of those picks. I doubt more than 7 make their active roster. They will do what they can to trade them for picks in the future or move up. Still they are going to have a lot of quality players in camp that they have to cut. Many of their high end guys cannot be released because of the cap hit. They are signed to long term deals. The Hawks and every other team will be watching their cut list to pick up guys for our practice squad that can help down the road.
Haha nice post Rock I love it.
Good call on the comp picks, Rob. For any other GM, I’d say those 7th round picks are near worthless, but with John and Pete it’s hard to ever doubt what they can do even with low-round selections.
Schneider has to be absolutely excited about those two 7th’s. He said recently he’d love the draft to go back to being 12 rounds so he could have all those extra picks. And as we’ve seen in the past, he takes Undrafted free agency period very seriously.
Indeed. Basically Schneider puts athleticism in these late rounds at a very high priority. Abnormally high for league standards. That’s why you see him drafting JR Sweezy and converting him from DT to G. At some point near the end of the draft these players lose appeal in a lot of ways but athleticism can sometimes separate the late-round gems from the rest. My hot button player is Onterio McCalebb, RB, Auburn. He’s only 165 pounds, but he can be a change-of-pace back and a returner in the same vein as Leon Washington.
As an FYI, a Browns related blog, Dawgsbynature, is running a series of posts summarizing Mike Lombardi’s public statements over the past couple of years. I thought of Sweezy when reading this:
ML: “I think there is no question that offensive lineman are at a premium. In fact, if I ever got back in the league, I’m not sure I wouldn’t try to draft defensive linemen and convert them into offensive lineman because the talent level in offensive linemen in college football has really gone down. You’re having a hard time finding mid-round offensvie linemen that can come in and perform.”
http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2013/2/5/3957606/from-his-mouth-to-your-ears-mike-lombardi-in-his-own-words
Great quote!
I bet every fan of this site would love the draft to go back to 12 rounds lol
More than likely, Rice is only with us this next year. Could we shop him this year (Colts) and maybe get another 2nd rd pick. Then get a young wr to replace him with a lot of options still with Tate/Harvin/Miller/Baldwin.
2nd Hopkins (WR)
2nd Williams (DT)
3rd Gooden (LB)
4th Mathieu (CB)
5th Wilson (WR)
I’ll just throw this quick mock out there. Here’s where I think we might draft (position-wise) and who I’d suggest the Hawks target.
Round 2: (CB) Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana State
Round 3: (DT) Bennie Logan, LSU
Round 4: (DE) Devin Taylor, South Carolina
Round 5 (2): (WR) Denard Robinson, Michigan (Rob you sold me haha).
(OG/OT) Garrett Gilkey, Chadron State
Round 6: (TE) Jake Stoneburner, Ohio State (Guys make sure to watch his tape. Athletic.)
Round 7 (4): (OT) Nick Becton, Ohio
(OLB) Maliik Bomar, Cincinatti
(DE) Wes Horton, USC
(WR) Brandon Kaufman, Eastern Washington
I am definitely on the Stoneburner bandwagon. He made big play after big play for the Buckeyes even though he had Terrelle Pryor (not good) and Braxton Miller (absoutely awful!) throwing him passes. I would love to hear Rob or Kip’s take on Stoneburner.
Interesting insights to the Sidney Rice future with our Hawks. Basic mathematics spells out this is Sidneys last as a Hawk. While I have appreciated all he has done for us if Indy offered us a #2 for Rice I dont know how you could turn that down.
Whether it happens or not (doubtful), it does make me think about Markus Wheaton as the long term solution as a future #1. He doesnt have the height but Wheaton is a burner and a baller. I love Rob’s moniker of “poor mans Mike Wallace.”
If we came away with Wheaton in R-2 that would be just fine by me.
As much as I really like Wheaton, I have a hard time imagining Pete Carroll fielding an offense without a single receiver cracking the six foot mark.
I don’t think there are any receivers over six feet in this draft that you look at and say, “I gotta have that guy.”. It would be nice to have a talented, tall receiver but I would much rather take a Ryan Swope who has the upside of a skyscraper than a 7-foot bust.
Plus a lot of these guys play bigger than they are. The best option at times is not to look at the measurables but the high jump. If the receiver can get up in that 37″ to 40″ range, you really don’t need to worry all that much about height.
I think Rice and Miller staying will depend on their production, especially Rice.
Miller’s cap number drops substantially next year. As long as he isn’t injured, he’ll finish his contract here. He’s to valuable in both the run and pass game. I think there is little chance Miller isn’t here next year.
Rice is a player I think needs to step up and match his contract’s cost with production. If he gets hurts, he won’t be here long or at least not for the same money. I think he would accept a restructure if that happened because his market value would be low.
I think our peak will be three or four years. We have players locked up at least for the next two years. I think we’ll be able to maintain replacement players for three to four years. As long as you have a high quality QB in this league, you’re almost always in it. I think Pete will not allow this defense to fall off. Under Carroll we’ll always have a defense. Now that we have a decade or better franchise QB, we’re going to enjoy a nice, long run of playoff football.
It should be really interesting to see what happens with who is re-signed and when. My understanding of the Pete Carroll/Win Forever model is that you don’t get attached to any player or player and always be on the lookout for their replacement. In other words, you _don’t_ focus on keeping the band together, and you keep building through the draft.
We’re having success now because we have a lot of amazing talent that we hit on during the draft that’s dirt-cheap? Then we better continue to find amazing talent in the draft for cheap, and depending on who falls to us we’ll have to say goodbye to someone awesome who we’re just not going to be able to afford.
The real question is: can Schneider and Carroll be as ruthless as they were is getting rid of Mora/Ruskell players, or will they — specifically Carroll, if he’s thinking of giving this only another three or four years before retiring — say, “Ah, let’s keep all these guys I’ve mentored, keep the band together, and let the next guy deal with the fallout when RW is due for his payday.”
The Tate resigning/not resigning and for how much will probably indicate how ruthless they’re willing to be, and be the canary in the coal mine for which side they’re going to fall on.
You do want to find new talent. But you also want to retain top talent. You’re not going to find a Richard Sherman or Russell Wilson every draft. You don’t let players like that go thinking you can easily find new equivalent talent.
The Win Forever model is about maximum effort and always looking to improve. Pete has stated his intent is to build the strongest possible roster to make it hard for new draft picks to win jobs. We may always have some turnover, but a few of these guys will be good enough to stick for years. Hopefully Wilson spends his entire career with us and retires as our first HoF QB.
When JS/PC took over there were a couple older vets and a couple of young talent but the rest of the team was made up of old, worn out, high price guys more worried about there stats and pay than the teams winning. We made our run thru playoffs then superbowl and then we slowly fade trying to fill spots with high price FA that just never fit the system. It was time for a change.