Haason Reddick would add speed and pass rush
I will be hosting a live stream with Robbie Williams at 1pm PST. Log onto the blog or YouTube to watch along.
The Seahawks need an injection of quality.
It doesn’t matter if their preferred method is to go bargain shopping in free agency. It hasn’t worked.
They have one playoff win in four years — against an Eagles team who won the NFC East by default and had Josh McCown at quarterback.
A number of disappointing draft classes should be forcing Seattle’s hand. Whether Russell Wilson stays or not — they need more talent.
The cheap and cheerful approach produced the following results a year ago:
— Spending $4.2m on Branden Jackson and Joey Hunt, squandering money that could’ve been used elsewhere in the first few weeks of the new league year
— Spending $9.2m on B.J. Finney, Cedric Ogbuehi and Brandon Shell. Meanwhile, all-pro right tackle Jack Conklin cost the Cleveland Browns $8m in 2020
— Using $13m on ageing players Greg Olsen and Bruce Irvin. Both missed most of the season through injury
— $12.1m was spent on Benson Mayowa, Jacob Hollister, Quinton Dunbar and Mike Iupati
The Seahawks ended up blowing about $50m and didn’t add a single difference maker.
This kind of depth filling is fine if you have a loaded roster and continue to draft well. When you’re not doing either of those things, wasting money on backups and fringe starters isn’t a pathway to success.
The Seahawks will likely try to capitalise on a unique market and let things come to them again this year. It’s a perfectly plausible plan given the economic circumstances. It might work.
But when’s the last time the market did come to the Seahawks?
When was their last great recruiting job? 2013?
Will they just continue to overplay their hand, missing out on the best options?
Will they end up going into training camp and the regular season with huge needs again? Banking on last minute trades or dragging guys off the couch?
It’s time for a more pro-active approach. Despite a 12-4 record last season, the Seahawks weren’t close. The playoff defeat to the Rams brutally exposed their flaws.
They only have a few draft picks, including one in the first three rounds. That’ll change if they trade Russell Wilson — but that in itself will only increase pressure on the Seahawks to improve the overall quality of their roster.
They don’t have any long term answers at left tackle, cornerback or defensive end. They have a highly dissatisfied franchise quarterback.
Their main investment has gone into the safety and linebacker positions.
None of this is good.
You’re not going to find 8-10 year solutions at the key positions on the open market but at least you can try and add some real quality.
They need to be creative, somewhat aggressive and mix calculated moves to take advantage of the market with at least a couple of pro-active splashes.
They did it in 2011 — adding Sidney Rice and Zach Miller. It’s time to do it again.
Can they legitimately go after the best names available? Perhaps not. They haven’t made the moves necessary to shift resource from linebacker and safety to the trenches — so I’m not anticipating anything big.
If you looked at my off-season plan, you’d know that’s exactly what I would be doing. So far though, their only move has been to cut the best pass rusher on the roster to save money.
They’re not back in the draft and at the moment will pick just once in the top-130. How do they improve with one high-ish pick and bargain shopping in free agency?
They have to do more. Frankly, it’s absurd to trade as much as they did for Jamal Adams (the ultimate aggressive move) only to stick so steadfastly to an approach in free agency that has simply delivered below average players.
Admittedly it could be difficult to sell a top free agent on joining the Seahawks with Wilson’s future up in the air. This feels like a dysfunctional franchise at the moment and with nobody addressing a story that has dominated the NFL’s news agenda for five weeks, short of a resolution in the next 24 hours they will not be putting their best foot forward to prospective signings.
Fans deserve some hope too. The silence over the Wilson issue might be the best plan if you’re trying to win a PR battle with your franchise quarterback. Yet the mystery surrounding this situation has just left fans in the dark — wondering what’s really going on.
Equally fans see a roster littered with gaps, limited cap space, not much to look forward to in the draft and a playoff shellacking to a division rival still lingers.
Clarity is needed for this team. Where are they heading? How are they going to get there? Some answers need to emerge in the coming days.
Here are some of the names I would target. I’m not suggesting they land all of the names below. I know that’s not possible. Two or three would at least show some initiative:
Corey Linsley (C, Green Bay)
I don’t care how likely it is. This is the type of move they should be making. You’ve got to block Aaron Donald at least twice a season. You’ve had a revolving door at the position for years. Linsley had a PFF grade of 89.9 in 2020. It’s time to actually make the line of scrimmage a big priority. O-line and pass rush. This should start with a big splash and be followed up with a high draft pick at left guard. Alternatively go and get Joe Thuney and draft a center. They should also create the resource to upgrade the D-line. There’s no point doing the same thing that hasn’t worked for the last few years. Time to make the trenches a focal point.
Add proper pass rushers
Rasheem Green and LJ Collier aren’t good enough. Seattle’s pass rush was abysmal last season prior to Carlos Dunlap’s arrival. The Seahawks have done an appalling job with their pass rush over the years and that needs to be sorted pronto. The Super Bowl should’ve been a wake-up call with the way Tampa Bay played. The Seahawks need to sign two players. Getting Dunlap back would be a start but if not — they need to do what they should’ve done last year. Add quality. There are plenty of names out there — Dupree, Lawson, Hendrickson, Clowney, Dunlap, Judon, Ngakoue, Okwara, Floyd, Smith. Fix it, for goodness sake. Add two and pair them with an expanded role for Alton Robinson. Alternatively, if they do end up back in the draft — there are plenty of athletic edge rushers available in this class that would appeal to the Seahawks, as you can see in my horizontal board:
Haason Reddick (LB, Arizona)
I’ve long been a fan of Reddick’s and the chance to weaken a rival and improve your own roster is appealing. He’s only 26 and just had a 12.5 sack season for the Cardinals. He has the length (33 inch arms), quickness (1.59 split) and explosive traits (36.5 inch vertical, 11-1 broad) that Seattle loves. He’d be a real asset as a SAM linebacker who can move up to the LOS for passing downs. If they plan on running more bear fronts moving forward, he provides flexibility there. Reddick improves your speed, pass rush and physicality.
Aaron Jones (RB, Green Bay)
I know — don’t pay running backs. Here’s the thing — I don’t think anyone is going to pay them. I suspect there’s a chance the ones in this market might be left looking at short-term contracts similar to Melvin Gordon’s two-year deal worth $8m a season. The Seahawks don’t have much in the way of draft picks and it’s not a great class for runners. Javonte Williams will be off the board by the time they pick in round two and if they get Chicago’s #20 — do you really want to use that on him? Jones is one of the best players on the market and the Seahawks need some reliable quality at the position. A short-term commitment wouldn’t be the end of the world financially.
Any legit #3 weapon
Regardless of who is playing quarterback, any modern NFL team needs an arsenal of weapons. Two isn’t enough. You need three or four these days. So whether they invest in a dynamic tight end such as Jonnu Smith or Gerald Everett, a dynamic outside receiver such as Kenny Golladay or Will Fuller or a potential X-factor such as Curtis Samuel — the Seahawks need to add someone. Then they need to get back in the draft and add another — with appealing options at both TE and WR in this class.
Richard Sherman (CB, San Francisco)
Despite a lot of talk about wanting to be the bully, the Seahawks are not a physical football team. They don’t have an edge. Nobody fears playing them. Teams like the Giants march into Seattle and kick their arse. Signing Sherman alone won’t change that but it’s a start. They need some attitude and intensity.
Meanwhile, there’s a little update on Wilson today. Ian Rapoport says interested parties are expecting to discover ‘in a day or so’ whether the Seahawks will trade him. Mike Florio says the issues between team and player have not been resolved.
If you missed my interview with Payton Turner on Friday, check it out here:
You can now support Seahawks Draft Blog via Patreon by clicking the tab below.
Juszczyk staying in San Francisco:
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/14/49ers-set-to-re-sign-kyle-juszczyk/
Or maybe not…
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1371107480038703105
I have to admit, as much as i don’t want to believe, your really exposing this team for the incompetently run team they are. I hated to accept the bitter truth that my beloved franchise was that far out of touch, In John and Pete we trust just no longer plays.The cold reality is a bitter pill to swallow, one you forced us all to choke on. I think that’s why so many people resented you for popping their happy little delusional bubble, I know i did for quite awhile! I turn to sports to escape my shitty existence, not get to get a cold dose of ugly reality. I get too much of that already.But you can only ignore reality for so long. I think Pete is just too old to change his ways. As long as he is running the show we will be mediocre. He struck gold once and will chase that glory until he is run out of this league in disgrace. I have zero confidence in this franchise to turn the tide. There was an apt saying we had in the service, embrace the suck! I think I’m finally ready too embrace the suck, no matter how much it hurts.
The thing is, they don’t have to suck
But if they keep repeating mistakes, keep making bad decisions — you will not succeed to the level this team and staff hope to
At the start of every off-season you have a chance to right the ship. On Monday, their latest opportunity will begin
Let’s see what happens. But the same plan from the last 3-4 years won’t cut it
Once again, you’ve nailed everything except Richard Sherman.
#1 – he doesn’t have the same fire he had when he was playing in Seattle so he’s not going to be a bully. Richard has become more of a statesman now. He isn’t picking fights with players – he’s friends with everyone.
#2 – No one is going to be intimidated by a 33 year-old cornerback who cannot keep up with speedy receivers. Unless you get him for real cheap, there’s no reason the Seahawks should bring him back. The money needs to go towards younger players who can make a difference on the field.
This isn’t the time for sentimentality – you’ve pointed this out for other players but Sherman appears to be a blindspot for you, Rob. You’re going against all of the principles you typically use for your analysis (which is usually spot-on).
How do you know?
We’ll see about that
I’m not being sentimental
No, you just have a different opinion. Perhaps you have the blindspot?
Nope, I just want them to re-sign Richard Sherman. I’ve explained why in great detail.
And I’m allowed to have that opinion.
My ideal Monday starts with Linsley, Skura or Andrews, Thuney or Zeitler and ends with announcing an extension for our #3.
Reading this article reinforces the bad feeling that is building inside of me towards free agency. Unless this Russ trade goes down really soon then like you illuminated we are in a really bad position between how many needs the team has vs. the lack of cap money and poor/lacking draft capitol. Something has to give, a ground shaking Russ trade or some restructuring of contracts/extensions to give us something to do some real (needed) work with in free agency.
But back to my opening – it’s very difficult for me to envision Pete and John deviating from the norm of not borrowing much from the future while looking to go mainly in-house and later wave/cheaper in free agency along with hoping for deals or trades to fall into their laps later on. Add in the allure of more deals to be made in this cap backwards year and out side of either Jonnu or an interior o-liner to try to appease Russ i just can’t envision a satisfying outcome from Pete and John.
The only slightly good thing i could see coming out of the next month or so is maybe we’ll all be so pissed that we’ll have enough new mismanagement to rant on with to where we can finally start to let go out last off-season’s distasteful disaster. But I digress- in the end it’d only be piling on more to the years of wasting this team’s talent and future away. As many of us have said of late : I sincerely hope to be proven wrong in all the above.
Something’s got to give
Man, doesn’t this simple sentence completely sum up the current situation!! So far there’s been no restructures, no extensions, no trades. No proactive moves in other words, with free agency nearly upon us! Very disappointed in this ultra conservative approach!
Anyone getting a Clowney ‘sit on their hands’ vibe with this Wilson situation?
We have all been expecting some kind of news about this situation all week and nothing concrete has emerged. I have a bad feeling that the Bears extending Mack is a signal that they’re sick of waiting for the Seahawks to make a decision/holding out for a better offer that’s not there. The deadline for this is today, either you’re moving on from your QB or you’re doing something to signal that he’s part of the future and gearing up for the aggressive free agency you’ll need.
Has it ever been confirmed anywhere that any deal with the Bears and getting Mack was actually in place?
No
Mack has just been us spitballing proposals
Yeah I’m just speculating and using that as support for my ‘bad feeling’.
I’ll take all your suggestions
I’ll also LJ Collier one more season before a give a total thumbs down
Why? We know what Collier is by now
Don’t judge Collier until 2034. There’s time. I predict an Aaron Donald and JJ Watt type run in his future and there’s still time for him to win three time NFL Defensive Players of the Year awards.
I believe in building thru the draft, it’s why I’ve been a huge fan of this site for over a decade. I hate free agent splash moves, or any trade where you lose draft picks for how difficult it becomes to afford your roster. It’s can’t be avoided this year with the dearth of picks. I have zero idea why on earth they rolled the dice on letting Dunlap check the market, the amount of different he made last year was night and day. Holding my breath for the genus of that idea to reveal itself. I doubt Linsey would be to stoked about signing up to play NFC west defensive lines every week, beyond the fact RW makes his oline look horrible. You wanna pad your stats as an oline man you certainly don’t want to come to Seattle. Probably the least appealing destination for an oline man in the league.
Especially after the “leader” threw them under the bus recently. Why would anyone want to play with someone like that?
A friend of mine recently told me that the Seahawks we one of two teams in the NFL to have both their starting offensive tackles grade in the top 16 in pass protection in 2020. The Seahawks and Browns. But Wilson would rather throw them under the bus.
Too bad the OL requires five players. If you look at the entire line’s ranking, it’s shite.
So Brown and Shell are going to accept the criticism because the LG and C sucked? What about Damien Lewis? He’s just supposed to get thrown under the bus and not care. I thought he was actually a good building block.
They may have taken a shotgun approach to the Oline, but it showed promise it was headed in the right direction this year. Hit on another guard in the draft and you won’t need an all world center to have a pretty good line.
Actually, it started well and got progressively worse
Pocic’s final PFF grade was poor
They collapsed at left guard
Shell wasn’t the same after the injury
And the reality is they have one player who might be a long term piece. One player.
A very onsided approach imo. I believe that SuperBowl winning team requires the right mix of cost controlled rookies and quality veterans. Building such a team is where the Seahawks excelled at in the first half of the decade but failed miserably at recently.
Sometimes (esp. when having a star QB) you need flashy trades and signings to put your team over the edge. Just look at the Chiefs who signed gamechangers in Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu which made the KC defense viable. Ofc you can argue these moves from a cost standpoint but they won a SB, didn’t they?
The Dunlap release obviously causes Seahawks fans to believe they are once again left without a decent pass rush come training camp. However many decent pass rushers of similar quality (Kerrigan, Ingram, Clowney) or above (Dupree, Ngakoue) are also hitting the market and probably settling for team friendly one year deals. I believe the Seahawks can play this market.
You question whether Linsley would be motivated to play for the Hawks? Question should be why not? A lot really depends on the outcome of the RW saga. But assuming RW stays with Hawks, he would be blocking for a star QB for start. The argument that he would be going toe to toe with the NFC West lines does not count. He would be able to compete with the best. That’s what playing in the NFL is all about. Competition.
Jack Conklin also signed with the Browns and neither the Steelers nor the Ravens have been bad at rushing the passer and field one of the best DLines in the league.
I don’t buy guys really want to play against the best as a motivating factor. Guys want good stats, because that determines how much money they make. RW holds onto the ball way to long on average, making it much tougher to win those match ups.
I think guys want their money. Offer Linsley the best contract and they likely get him. I’d rather overpay a couple million for a Linsley, than overpay in trade like we did for Adams; or spread our resources out over a bunch of depth players like last year.
If he is really all about the money then he is no fit for the Hawks. The players who want to compete are the players Pete can coach up where he is actually good at.
Never great to overpay someone, esspecially because personalities then start to clash as evidenced many times in the Seahawks organization.
Sure, many play for the big contract however I do believe that the majority of players love the game and competition. There are a lot of players such as Brady, Cousins, Stafford and other QBs still play despite having earned 100+. Now I don’t know how you feel when you habe earned millions but I guess for them money is not money but a symbol of how clubs value them as players. TB12 doesnt even care about that. He just wants to win.
RW also does not care about the money, he cares about his legacy. Which is determined by plays not every QB is able to execute, but also involves risk of holding on too long and getting sacked.
Imo players who just care about the money fade away quickly. What happened to Albert Haynesworth??
Really cherry-picking your arguments there. Haynesworth and Brady? Could there be two more extreme examples? One was outright lazy and actively tried to get cut so that he could cash in on another signing bonus. The other is married to a billionaire.
“RW also does not care about the money” Good one. He cared so little that he had to be the highest paid QB in the league when he signed his latest deal.
Guys aren’t looking for the situation that will offer them the best competition in which to ‘prove’ themselves. What sane OL wants to come to Seattle right now? Guys want to be paid and have a shot at a ring. Not play for a ‘thrifty’ pretender who has to face a guy who will outright embarrass the best lineman in the league.
Yeah, I chose the obvious examples for fadeaway candidates, you can also mention Josh Norman or Dez Bryant or countless others who declined after earning that second contract.
Gisele is not a billionaire btw.
RW3 is also married to a millionaire and played out his second contract. At that point he was set for life from playing in the NFL, not to mention commercial deals. Becoming the highest paid QB must have been just a symbol of appreciation. you can’t tell me that the 2 mill p.a he has on Matt Ryan or Aaron Rodgers really make a difference, ofc I can only assume, perhaps he needs the money to cover his bills…
Of course you can argue that no sane OL wants to play for Seattle but thats not the player Seattle needs nor is able to afford. You cant bid against the Jags, Jets or other rich teams. You need the insane one who settles for a fair deal and actually wants to go up against Aaron Donald. Perhaps Linsley is not the one but there sure is someone who has that attitude.
Maybe we shouldn’t expect any news today. I read somewhere that if the deal is announced during the draft also 2024 draft picks could be dealt. So maybe a deal is in place already, but it won’t be announced for now.
So you want to waste free agency?
A trade like this isn’t being announced on draft day
But would our free agency change that much? The Hawks will know what they will have on draft day already now and would enter free agency as if the deal was announced today. The only difference will lie in the perception of potential FA targets towards the franchise maybe.
That’s quite an impact though
If they do end up holding on to Wilson for another season, I wonder how much cap room they can open up by restructuring him like Brady and Mahomes? Are we talking $17M like the Chiefs?
Current Cap: 17.1 million
Wilson brings in 12m, so not a ton, but could open up space for year one cap hit for a top free agent.
Other Restructures:
Bobby: 6 million
Jason Meyers: 1.8 m
Easy to hit total cap space: 36.5 million
The hawks could extend/trade Lockett, Reed, Brown, Diggs, Adams or get creative and add voidable years combined with a restructure to get more space.
The above restructures plus a couple of extensions (Reed and Lockett), trading Adams, and cutting Shell they would be at 60 million in cap space, but 2022 would start to look a little tighter. Seems to late for extensions right before FA.
Rob, what are your thoughts on Chris Rumph as a LEO or SAM?
I think he’d have to be a SAM. He has quickness but he’s like wet toilet paper trying to set an edge
Nailed it again with this post Rob. We knew last years free agent period was dreadful but looking back it has to be the worst use of $50 mil cap space of all time.
If the Hawks were to move on from Bobby + Adam’s via trade and let KJ walk. Then in free agency.
Linsley- Lead the OL once Duane Brown moves on. Need a dominant Center facing Arron Donald 2x a year.
Reddick- ideal SAM and young legit pass rusher if used properly. Much better use of $ than Adam’s IMO.
Golladay – Ideal WR to go with DK and Metcalf. If too pricey Curtis Samuels would work as well.
Pass Rusher – I would prefer Dunlap if we keep Russ, if Russ is traded go with a younger option on a long term deal like Floyd.
The roster would look so much better by just reallocating resources from LB, Saefty to the OL, Pass Rush and a weapon.
How much of an impact on trying to lure FA’s to the Seahawks would the RW saga have until it is resolved?
I would imagine quite a lot
Florio did us a favor and listed most of the available pass rushers in free agency:
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/14/plenty-of-pass-rushers-are-available-in-free-agency/
Still hate the fact that the dynamic duo released Dunlap.
I don’t think it was a bad move to let Dunlap test the market. But I would like to see them resign him on a three year deal. Hopefully John Schneider is staying in touch with his agent.
I think the Seahawks said that they would release him if they couldn’t come to an agreement.
The depressing news below has no silver lining. A real owner would say, “WTF?!” and want answers to how this could have been a competent “plan.”
“The cheap and cheerful approach produced the following results a year ago:
— Spending $4.2m on Branden Jackson and Joey Hunt, squandering money that could’ve been used elsewhere in the first few weeks of the new league year
— Spending $9.2m on B.J. Finney, Cedric Ogbuehi and Brandon Shell. Meanwhile, all-pro right tackle Jack Conklin cost the Cleveland Browns $8m in 2020
— Using $13m on ageing players Greg Olsen and Bruce Irvin. Both missed most of the season through injury
— $12.1m was spent on Benson Mayowa, Jacob Hollister, Quinton Dunbar and Mike Iupati
The Seahawks ended up blowing about $50m and didn’t add a single difference maker.”
It’s laughable how people fresh off an offseason like the one above could have gotten contract extensions for those “efforts.” Not only did a proven injury prone machine like Dunbar cost the salary, he also cost a 4-year cost effective draft pick. A fifth round pick – which I trust these guys with fifth rounders more than I do first round picks.
In other news, I remember you (Rob) really liking Reddick a number of years ago. My worry if they sign him would be not playing him to his strengths. It seems when Pete took over all those year ago he’d take a guy like Red Bryant and create a role for him to excel and now he takes guys and plug them into doing things “his way”. Then when he does get creative, he’ll do it for a SS that costs the future. He’s so weird and unpredictable now and not in a good way.
Holding pattern ownership doesn’t work.
The sooner the economy recovers and Vulcan can progress with the long process of identifying a quality new owner, the better. But that’s likely years away unfortunately.
He’ll change the entire defense for Jamal Adams, shift to bear fronts and double their blitzing.
But won’t adjust the offense to do what the quarterback wants. The same quarterback they gave $35m a year to. To the point said quarterback wants to leave.
If Pete and John actually “self scout”, they would have fired themselves after looking at the above list of signings.
I’d love to have a beer with John and get his honest assessment of what has happened the past few years.
More and more I find myself surprised that he resigned here.
This is shaping up to be as maddening an offseason as last year. This team had done little in the lead up to free agency ( with their one move being questionable) and their silence regarding Wilson puzzling. They seem intent on keeping “their guys” and then rolling out the tired “we’ve got to train them up” nonsense. This roster has far too many below average players to be competitive in the year(s) ahead without some major shakeups. This front office doesn’t seem to have the appetite to do what needs to be done. Complacency is a killer.
Maybe worse
Because at least a year ago there was a draft to look forward to
They *must* trade Adams and get back into this draft.
A Linsley signing makes so much sense no matter what direction the QB position takes and it helps so many issues……which is why the Seahawks won’t do it. After last offseason, I’ve learned to not get my hopes up.
The Seahawks need to go all in on the pass rush. Barrett likely too expensive. But get a young pass rusher in his mid 20’s with upside (Ngakoue, Lawson, or Okwara) and pair him with a veteran (Dunlap or Kerrigan) along with Alton. Can’t go into yet another season hoping retreads, injuries, and rookies work out. They need to identify who they want and go aggressively after them early.
Rams are still $34m over the cap with 3 days to get their homework done. Interestingly they are carrying $34m in dead money this year. Poetic.
Just about the only thing they can do is convert salary to bonus and push money out. But their 2022 cap room is only $22m. With no first round picks for a while they’re going to be in a bind next year too.
Schefter announcing a trade and trolling a bit at the same time…not bad
Classic troll tweet
Bet Schefter chuckled to himself as he pressed send
The silly old goose
FWIW…
…not gonna happen : (
I’m not sure I’m buying this fella
I’m pretty sure a deal like this… you ask the Seahawks want they want and you work from there
It’s not going to be the Bears make an offer and the Seahawks spend a week drinking sambuca, playing pool and wondering what to do
Idk, I get the impression they’re incredibly unsure about this and expected a bigger offer. Hence the Clowney vibe I’m getting where theyll just keep waiting sure things will turn their way.
Well all the reports are saying the Bears were preparing/have made an offer the Seahawks couldn’t refuse.
And they are absolutely desperate as we’ve discussed.
So I doubt they’ve made an underwhelming offer
So what do you reckon the hold up is then?
Why suggest there’s a hold up?
It’s going to be one of the most complex trades in NFL history. It’ll take time if it’s happening
Ideally it’s done before the new league year starts if it ever does but we’ll see
I would suggest it needed to be done by the end of today, free agency effectively begins Monday.
Preferably yes
Definitely? No
Having gone through 3 separate massive corporate deals in my career, I can tell everyone that patience is the way this gets done. Placating the anxiety of fans is the last thing on their mind, if, in fact a deal is being negotiated.
I would love to go to bed tonight knowing that it is either happening or dead in the water. Don’t hold your breath. If the last month has shown anything, it is that Pete and John are probably covering every single aspect of this deal, multiple times over. For all we know this will be a last second agreement that has simply been hinging on player contracts, and informing relevant players on the trade. Not to mention talking to the NFLPA about the final outcome. Unions like to know what is happening to their members. My best bet is Monday, mid-morning. Probably around 9 or 10 am PST, which is 11-12 CST.
Then again, past history could repeat and we all lose are minds over the sheer incompetence.
Honestly, the first scenario seems the most plausible to me, even though I have lost faith in the decision making the last few years, to a certain degree.
But if we’re tea-leafing it would appear that the Seahawks have spent a couple days dropping lines in the water to see if they can get another fish on and sweeten the deal. Which would make sense that the Bears has presented a strong offer and the Seahawks doing some due diligence.
What they could have done was include Mack in the offer. I strongly doubt Hawks didn’t want him – how could they? – and I wouldn’t bet on getting the deal done. Especially if there’s someone in Seattle who thinks can make things work between Pete and Russ – JS?. But maybe it’s all wishful thinking.
More cap space musing for free agency, lot of it is been long talked about about but interesting nonetheless.
2020 cap space at the start of free agency: 1.381 billion
2021 cap space at the start of free agency: 786 million (assuming all teams over the cap get to to 1 million in space)
Decrease in total cap space from 2021-2022: 496 million from cap limit change, meaning there is another 100 million less than even just the change due to COVID impacts, imagine a lot is dead money incurred trying to clear cap space.
There’s a lot more players available than usual due to the cuts, curious to see if anyone has #’s on how many more quality players are available.
Will be an interesting start to FA! Teams with low flexibility for 2022 cap will have a tough time and I imagine we’ll see lots of very low year 1 cap hits.
If the hawks plan to try to wait out into phase 2, they better bring real $$ as they’ll be lots of deals to be had, but the rest of the league will be right there with them.
Rob what % do you think this trade happens by:
Today:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Friday:
Draft Day:
Next Year:
I have a feeling the Seahawks trade him next year because they believe they can solve the issue this year with a new OC. Only to realize it he problem is much bigger than just an OC and the drama with Russ only gets louder and louder as a result. Eventually forcing them to trade him.
It’s gone way beyond the Seahawks thinking that
On Friday Tony said they’re ready to move on as much as Wilson is
Expectation league-wide that the Bears take a ‘big swing’ at Russell Wilson, per Jeremy Fowler.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1371146930726785029?s=19
Rapoport on NFL Network
“In the next day or so…”
We had a common gag going on the FC Barcelona forum during transfer season where we called our club “FC In The Next Few Hours/Days” because supposedly all the rumors were going to become known in that timeframe. (obviously hardly any ever did)
If the Seahawks have seriously not responded to any of those calls is that not grossly irresponsible?
Let’s just let free agency start and hope it all turns out alright in the morning. That doesn’t seem like a sound play, unless they think they can paper over things with Wilson. I don’t see that as possible, but understand they might differ! 🙂
It’s my opinion that PC/JS have no intention of trading Wilson and are playing their passive-aggressive game not only with RW but also with any teams interested in negotiating with them. Carroll knows what he’s got and knows if he lets Wilson go, his legacy, such as it is, will be shite. It’s like he’s holding RW ‘hostage’ while miring the team in a good, but not good-enough mode through shear force of will, AKA-stubbornness.
I don’t think it’s this at all James
One would have to consider that a hold up to a trade may be acquiring a replacement for RW. I don’t believe free agency is an option and the rest of the league is aware of the situation so that’s going to bump up the asking price for any trade. A move up in the draft is probably out of the question. Is it a possibility that this will be a three team trade to include RW’s replacement with the Bears maybe footing the bill?
I think there are a lot of things in play here. I’m hoping PC and JS sitting on their hands isn’t one of them.
Rob. Do you think Chicago has been in contact with Russell Wilson during all of this?
If so, that’s tampering.
I have no idea
But teams and players and agents talk all the time (unofficially)
So here’s the latest then:
Florio says the issues between Seattle and Wilson haven’t been resolved
Rapoport says interested parties expect to find out in a day or so whether Wilson will be dealt
Interested parties could conceivably increase their offer and find out sooner.
I get the impression the offers that are out there are suitably good
It’s just everything else. The subsequent move for a QB, stuff like that. Whether they genuinely want to do this. Maybe one final conversation with Wilson
Do you think we have another firm offer than the one from Bears?
No idea
There is so much chatter about this now – between all the insiders/experts you hear things that could lead you to believe that either resolution is coming.
What I’d like to know more than any other factor right now – is whether the Hawks and Russell have spoken. I don’t see how you conceivably fix things without that coach/GM/QB conversation happening.
Florio said on KJR the other day that Russ has ‘spoken to the Seahawks organization’ recently.
I do still think there’s a way out of this – and that most of Russ’ actions this off-season were a flex for more power/control within the organization and not a demand to leave town.
But if the front office does nothing to address those concerns, then I think even if he’s on the roster, things will deteriorate quickly, trashing the season and diminishing his trade value.
What bit of the passive aggressive trade request, the Cowherd sourced rant about him being done with Carroll and Brandon Marshall saying he just wants to find a classy way to get out made you think he’s actually fine and dandy to stay put?
I don’t dismiss Cowherd/Marshall, but I also don’t take their reporting as gospel. He also hasn’t requested a trade – despite there being plenty of precedent around sports these days for stars doing that. There also hasn’t been anything near a public trashing of PC/JS/Seahawks culture, etc. by Wilson, and you tend to see that too when things have blown up beyond repair.
Of course I’m not saying it can’t or won’t happen – it very much may end up that way. But until bridges are burned, I still believe what I noted above.
Jesus this is hard work sometimes.
You don’t have to take their reporting as ‘gospel’. You just have to acknowledge who they talk to and what they say having spoken to those very obvious sources.
His agent literally went on the record to the #1 NFL insider to tell him which teams he’d happily be traded to.
(face palm)
What do you honestly expect though? A press conference? Wilson doing a powerpoint presentation outlining all the things he hates about Carroll?
He has spoken publicly through his top source:
“Russell Wilson, I can tell you this, isn’t happy with Pete Carroll”
“He likes his team mates, he likes Seattle — it’s a Pete Carroll thing. The offense is outdated. I’ve had three different Seattle players tell me they feel like they’re running a 1980’s offense”
“The offensive line has been suboptimal since they traded away Max Unger and Russ doesn’t believe he’s given the respect he deserves.”
“What is happening in Seattle is, the offense is outdated but the defense is no good and that’s Pete’s speciality. In the last five years, Seattle’s defense has gone from 5th to 11th to 16th to 26th to 22nd. And too often, Russell Wilson feels like a life preserver for a franchise that can’t stop anybody.”
Look, believe what you want pdway.
I’m not doing all of this because I want Wilson out. See: my off-season plan.
I’m trying to help people cut through the BS and understand what’s really going on here. Which is why we were talking about this in December, a month before the shit hit the fan, when everyone suddenly acted surprised. But we knew better.
I can only do so much.
Cliff Avril saying Russ will stay. So hopefully some good news there. He’s never struck me is one to gossip, be reckless with his words or speak on issues that he doesn’t know.
https://mobile.twitter.com/710ESPNSeattle/status/1370826918719713281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1370826918719713281%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fseahawks.net%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ff%3D2t%3D172869
https://mobile.twitter.com/710ESPNSeattle/status/1370826918719713281
Sorry about that messy link above
Let’s be clear here
We all like Cliff Avril
But he is not privy to what the Seahawks are planning in any way, shape or form
But neither is Brandon Marshall, nor Mike Florio nor any other the other media types that have piled on. In the end, this is all about clicks and creating drama to create $$. Dead Time in the NFL = need something to talk about.
Both he and Olsen are still close with current players on the team, and offer good insight.
If you honestly believe that then I’ve got some magic beans to sell you
Starting price a thousand dollars
Get them while you can
Magic guaranteed every time
I’ve said/thought this as well. Lol where does Rob get the idea that Brandon Marshall is so plugged in. Dude references Marshall any chance he gets because “he has no reason to lie”. It fits his thoughts so it’s gospel.
I have literally never said ‘he has no reason to lie’.
The reason I put faith in what he says is because it’s been consistent with everything being reported by the key connected sources to the Wilson and Seahawks camps. People were laughing at him after the Super Bowl about his suggestion that Wilson wanted a classy way to move on. It was never disputed and has since been reinforced by others including Mike Garofolo, Mike Silver, the Athletic and Cowherd. Wilson knows Marshall. He would’ve asked him to redact everything immediately if he was making stuff up. He was telling non-complimentary stories about the two of them with Carroll. He went in on Carroll.
Neither is anyone else.
Yes, yes they are
To suggest otherwise is to be in complete denial I’m afraid
Those that do not want a Wilson trade (understandable given his talent) will dismiss media sources they do not like and clutch at any that contradict it (Avril).
To see this evolve and how people process information so differently based on subjective goals (rather than what is reality) helps you understand how some can make a lot of $$$ in stock. 🙂
Well if that is the case, surely you would not concede, Rob, that Rapaport is one of the most connected in the business, yet he says nothing has been happening. Just that the Seahawks have taken calls and nothing else. So how does this reconcile with the other media types?
He literally said teams are expecting to find out in a day or so whether he will be dealt
Here’s the thing Belfast. I don’t go down blind alleys. I’ve gone to great lengths to break down Florio’s connections, Cowherd’s connections, Mike Silver’s connections. I don’t need to break down Schefter’s because they even talk to him ON THE RECORD. Certain journalists are especially connected to certain people in Seattle. Rapoport is not one of them.
I think there’s a certain word choice that Rapaport makes that clues that in that he’s not connected…
He’s qualifying his statement that nothing is going on according to his sources. His sources in Seattle aren’t as strong and obvious as Silver’s or Cowherd’s, so I know who I’d be listening to.
Now that doesn’t mean Rapaport is wrong, and that a trade is being filed to the league office as we speak.
But it also doesn’t mean he has the definitive report either.
Rapoport is not a known breaker of Seahawks news unless it’s a confirmed signing. He seems to be connected to agents who deal with him as the NFL’s in-house insider. But he’s not one of the ‘when he speaks we should listen’ types when it comes to Seattle
100% true
I’m not in denial. There’s obviously a lot of smoke. But to suggest one reporter/former player/ has a finger on the pulse is disingenuous. At this point, it’s still all speculation. Reporters will say things for clicks and if what they state doesn’t happen, they always have the caveat of “things change” or “the situation is fluid”. No one (Wilson, PC/JS, etc) is going to show their hand at this stage. Which makes it all the more frustrating from a fan’s perspective
Come on Ben. The ones who have their finger on the pulse support the narrative that he is getting traded. Keep up!
It’s not that at all.
Does Florio speak to Mark Rodgers? Yes
Does Cowherd have close contacts to Wilson, Rodgers, several Seahawks players and have the ear of many people in the league? Yes. He was invited into a teams draft room in 2018 to see how it all plays out
Does Mark Rodgers speak to Adam Schefter? Well duh
Does Jason La Canfora speak to Mark Rodgers. Patently yes.
It feels like some people are just so desperate for this not to be true that they’re unwilling to be honest with themselves
I never wanted this. Read my off season plan
But it’s not, as Avril suggested, a fuss over nothing. That’s clearly bollocks
Of course it is bollocks, but is Brandon Marshall an any more creditable source? Yet his ideas aren’t dismissed out of hand. And let’s face it, he is hardly a Leviathan of NFL journalism.
I wouldn’t want to speak for everyone but I know personally I am not that desperate that I am not being honest with myself.
I do think it is fair to say that there is another narrative that this trade isn’t a fait accompli and there are people who believe that there have not been substantive talks. Per Rapsheet and Peter King, who is, I believe, connected and tipped the Frank Clark trade before it happened. It is fine to believe Florio and Cowherd, of course they have sources. But I think the other ones are connected too.
Maybe, maybe not. But here’s the thing with Marshall. What he said (Wilson wants a classy way to move on) chimes with everything the clearly sourced reporters are saying.
Cliff Avril’s comments contradict what they’re saying. He is trying to claim it’s a fuss over nothing and we know that not to be true.
So personally I’m more inclined to trust Marshall, given his comments are consistent with what’s being reported by the big beasts of NFL reporting with connections to the Seahawks
Glad to hear it. Many are that way, however.
I never said it was a fait accompli. Last week I said 50/50. I still think 50/50.
Peter King has a relationship with John Schneider but no track record of breaking Seahawks news. As I’ve stressed many times before — Mike Silver is the one to listen to if you want to know what’s going on from Seattle’s perspective. He has a proven track record and appears to be their trusted source.
You see, this is the kind of wording I take issue with. ‘It’s fine to believe Florio and Cowherd’.
It’s more than fine. You’re doing yourself a disservice not to listen to them because they have a proven, consistent track record of delivering information from Wilson and the Wilson camp. You’d have to be in total denial to do anything other than believe them.
You don’t have to like them. But we have to appreciate who they talk to.
Sorry Ben but this is just bollocks
You’re just repeating the stuff the in-denial fans are saying
‘Clicks’
‘Bloody media’
‘Speculation’
Come on
Sorry I can’t reply to your post to me, so I am having to do it here.
Peter King called the Frank Clark trade in his pre draft column.
I am not sure why you have an issue with “It’s fine to believe Cowherd and Florio”, I am endorsing what you say?! But I will rephrase it if you like “It’s more than fine to believe Cowherd and Florio. Listen to them and you’re in complete denial if you don’t”
I just struggle to believe that Rapsheet would say that Seattle had not negotiated if they had. I mean maybe he has connections in Chicago if he is not connected to certain people in Seattle. One of the biggest potential trades in the NFL’s history? I am just surprised he doesn’t know if they were talking and thought that was worthy of comment.
Jay Glazer broke the Clark trade news. I know, because I can remember where I was sitting when it happened. And I remember having to write a full article on my phone when it happened.
King might’ve speculated about a Clark trade but so was everyone else. Look — you’re going to have to trust me on this one. Part of the benefit of writing 2-3000 word articles every day, many of which are based on these kind of reports, is I tend to have a grip on who is sourced and who isn’t.
Because nobody needs to say ‘it’s fine to believe them’. It should be automatic.
I’ll repeat myself. He literally said interested teams expect to find out in a day or so whether he will be dealt.
He isn’t connected to Seattle. We’ve already addressed that.
Listen to Mike Silver. He is connected. He is a proven Seahawks source:
https://twitter.com/MikeSilver/status/1369013546332413953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1369013546332413953%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fseahawksdraftblog.com%2Fis-a-russell-wilson-trade-coming
“There absolutely are trade talks”
Rob,
I am not saying there are trade talks or not. I am saying Rapsheet says there isn’t. I am just repeating what he says.
We are also discussing different things. You are responding to me saying Rapsheet says there has been no talks with he said teams expect to find out in a day whether he will be dealt. So do you disagree with me saying that Rapsheet says there have not been meaningful talks to date or not? Or are you just going to reply with what he says will happen not what has happened?
I also have no idea how connected he is to Seattle or not. You do though and say he isn’t. You have addressed that. Kindly. I said he may have connections to Chicago.
I also didn’t appreciate the difference between speculating news and breaking news. Thank you. Does that mean when Silver was predicting the end of the LOB he was speculating that or breaking it? Because if you are using that to underpin his credibility as a Seahawks insider (and quite right too), I don’t see how using a Peter King article where he called the team and comp can’t be used to underpin his credibility.
He also said teams expect to find out whether they’re trading him or not in a day or so. Bit of a contradiction.
I don’t know if the Hawks will pull the trigger. I do believe that Russ thinks his desire for greatness isn’t happening under Carroll and I believe Carroll has a strict philosophy for winning that he will be woe to change because his QB demands it. I think the Bears will come with a large offer and if Carroll and Schneider believe they can ultimately win another SB by doing so then they will jump on the offer. If they are not 100% convinced then their reputations (particularly Schneider’s) is at stake and I think they try to win this year and hope that Russ buys back in. Given their roster I think that would be wishful thinking but I’m sure they thought Adams was going to push them over the top this year. No resolution will occur until the Hawks think the best offer they can get is on the table. That should come sometime this evening. Until them I’m checking out and enjoying my Sunday.
They won’t be able to ‘hope’ Wilson buys back in.
They either cede to some or all of his demands or they trade him
Bizarre stat. Per an article in The Athletic, Pete and John (though this is attributed only to John, in the piece) have never signed a free agent in the last 10 years with an average salary per year of $8 million or higher. Virtually every other GM has, but not these guys.
The most expensive free agent signing? Ziggy Ansah, at $7.8M per.
Based on that history, doesn’t bode well for signing a splash free agent in 2021. Then again, desperation is a good motivator, or should be.
A well crafted plan that has helped deliver a total of one playoff win in four years
And Blair Wash was the lone win before that. Pathetic. Blair Walsh and Matt Stafford. LMAO
https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1371178330221912074
Good luck with that, Philly
Aren’t the Seahawks one of the teams inquiring about Ertz? I can already smell the press statement announcing the deal… pro bowl talent, great locker room presence, bargain 11m apy.
Finally, a credible weapon for Russ, and much better than a serviceable center… how could he still complain, Brock will ask.
Everyone’s going to want to wait and get a bite of the TV deal pie next year.
“In the $10-12m/apy range”
https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1371170499540176897
Will be happy to see Griffin playing somewhere else next season. He’s a somewhat solid player who is going to get WAY overpaid on the open market.
100% agree. Never quite reached the heights we all were hoping he could at Seattle.
For me he’s a CB that needs to play on the other side of the field against WR # 2’s. And he needs to work on his mental focus. He’s just not worth good money.
My take on Russell Wilson is that if he really wants to be classy and move on then he should offer to pay his remaining signing bonus money back if he leaves Seattle. Somehow I doubt that will happen. The best thing I can say about him is that he is a frustrated man that is driven to succeed.
Eh, it’s not his fault that PC/JS have handcuffed themselves. I’m always amazed at how fans crap on RWs salary cap hit but not the garbage team building and waste of resources by PC/JS.
They are adults. They can sleep in the bed they made.
That’s part of why Houston is so recalcitrant on Watson.
They cut him a signing bonus check for $30m six months ago.
Put that back on the table and he may find it a little easier to find an exit.
There is zero chance that Russel Wilson is giving back a cent of his signing bonus unless the team that trades from him makes up the difference.
I love Russ as a player and absolute can’t stand his off the field social media crap and cheesiness. In fact I am all for trading him if you can get a great haul.
That being said I would not blame him one bit for not wanting to give back a signing bonus because no one works harder and he has earned his money.
Since Brock & Salk finished their daily show I listen to a lot less seattle radio, but when I do the hosts always seem to be of the belief that the Seahawks are super close to being a superbowl contender and that all they need to do is to add a center or a guard and the NFC is as good as ours. It blows my mind. They are forever talking about Schneider as if he is one of the best in the business who is above criticism. Has no-one watched the last 4-5 seasons? If anyone says anything that portrays the Seahawks in a negative light a significant number of people immediately dismiss it as nonsense or click bait. I’ve never come across a fan base that looks at their team with such an uncritical eye.
Aaron Jones back in GB on a 4 yr, $48 mil dollar deal. Have to think this makes a Corey Linsley return extremely difficult.
Tough to get Carson back, he’s gonna want a similar deal.
Will definitely miss him for those 10 games he actually plays in next year.
Yep
What a shame. I would’ve loved to have had Jones. Not that I thought for one second the Hawks had a snowball’s chance at him, but please, let me have my fantasies.
I wonder if Pete and John are waiting for the legal tampering period to see if they can come to enough suitable agreements with free agents to be able to appease Russ and if not then maybe they’ll be willing to trade him before Wednesday? All the while hoping any Russ trade proposals might get sweetened a bit.
I’m just not so sure they’ve received that offer that has blown them away(and i fully believe it would have to be crazy in order for Pete to risk his legacy/future and embrace it) and in my personal opinion no matter what a team like the bears are willing to give up overall I have a bit of an issue with any deal that does’nt include a first round pick that’s at least inside of the top 10 of the draft. I mean that team will be fielding Russ thereafter so you can be pretty sure that outside of a freak injury you’ll be getting only later first round picks with any future concessions and we all know how the Hawks have fared with late first round picks, and for perspective three first round picks at say just pick 25 don’t even add up to pick number 3 by trade value charts and I am all but certain that’s how Pete and John got fleeced royally by the Jets for Adams – we had to match his originally drafted value.
Rob, do you think what Olson is saying has any merit or carries weight in this situation?
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/10/greg-olsen-on-russell-wilson-odds-are-hes-back-in-seattle/
No
I’m pretty sure PCJS aren’t checking in with Greg on this, filling him in
Come on Rob you know Greg is in the inner circle.
If anyone has been reading any of comments all of this offseason, we need someone who can run some gadget plays on offense, and be an umber 3, and I totally believe that Curtis Samuel can be that guy. I’d be all for going for him.
Another WR Id love to take a look at would be John Ross. I cannot remember a more magical year from a WR than Ross in 2016 for the Huskies. Come home john!!!!
Samuel would be a great WR3 option if Waldron runs an offence similar to the Rams.
Samuel is going to cost too much for a #3 WR
The people in this thread that are fighting Rob on sources and such have not been paying attention. Rob has detailed all of this on his podcast and on the Blog. Silver, Cowherd, Marshall and Florio are all plugged in one way or another with either Russ or the Hawks or Rodgers. It is laughable to say Russ hasn’t requested a trade. His AGENT went to the media with 4 specific teams. That is a quasi trade request. Yall are in denial if you think that trading Russ isn’t on the table. He has said what he wants, and Seattle either caves and makes moves to appease him, or they don’t and we deal with a pissed off RW for the next year.