It turns out that idea about using the transition tag on Sheldon Richardson is not quite as good as we thought it was.
We recently posited the idea that John Schneider might prefer the transition tender to the franchise marker because (1) it is cheaper, (2) Richardson could shop himself, (3) Schneider still could match and (4) Seattle still could get a third-round comp pick in 2019 if Richardson left.
That all still applies, except No. 4. It turns out the NFL recently changed the rule and transition players no longer qualify for comp picks. This was discovered by Nick Korte of Over The Cap in 2016, as related to Miami rescinding the transition tag for Olivier Vernon. (We usually do the right research to get facts straight before posting anything, but we missed this change.)
It takes away some of the leverage we thought Schneider might have if he chose the cheaper tag.
Continue reading Correction: Transition tag not as great as we thought
In the next week or two, we’re going to find out a whole lot (OK, at least a little) about the Seahawks’ offseason plans.