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Schneider doesn’t sound interested in adjusting Chancellor’s deal

August 5, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Not a big surprise: Seahawks GM John Schneider told SiriusXM NFL that the Seahawks do not plan to adjust holdout safety Kam Chancellor’s contract.

Schneider said it’s tough because of the personal feelings he and the franchise have for Chancellor, but the Hawks “have to continue to conduct business the way we always have.”

“We all love Kam. He’s a phenomenal football player, obviously a key core player in what we’re doing here defensively,” Schneider said. “We all miss him. It’s a bummer for everybody involved in the situation.

“It’s personal because you love a guy so much and you have so much emotional and personal feelings for the player. At the end of the day, you have to stick to your plan and your principle. That’s what has to guide you rather than (personal feelings).

“It’s about the team. It’s the ultimate team sport,” Schneider continued. “In order for us to be a consistent championship-caliber team that we’ve been preaching ever since we got here, we have to continue to conduct business the way we always have.”

Continue reading Schneider doesn’t sound interested in adjusting Chancellor’s deal →

CHAWK LINES, Training camp

August 4, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Some observations from Day 4 of camp from those who were there:

Per The Seattle Times, Kristjan Sokoli is now practicing at left guard. That narrows the competition at center to three guys and gives Alvin Bailey another thing to think about as he attempts to nail down the LG spot.

Lemuel Jeanpierre is the leader for the center spot, according to Gregg Bell of The News Tribune, and Tom Cable says it should be decided soon.

Robert Turbin’s surgically repaired hip seems fine; he showed great burst in his return to practice, per Seahawks.com.

Jimmy Graham is loving his first camp in Seattle, Seahawks.com reports.

Seahawks.com passed along three key points from Kris Richard.

On 710 ESPN, Pete Carroll said Graham has impressed him more than anyone. He also talked about the future of his team, tough decisions such as cutting Tony McDaniel, Kam Chancellor’s holdout and the roster battles in this camp.

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Contracts, State of the team

Wagner’s contract gives team some flexibility

August 3, 2015 cc Leave a comment

In the wake of Bobby Wagner’s monster contract, Pete Carroll said the Seahawks face uncertainty next year in the way the team is going to be constructed.

“It is so challenging to do this,” Carroll said, “and particularly as it (the salary cap) changes and you don’t know and you have to predict. … This is a big year now (for Seattle free agents); we don’t know what’s going to happen with the cap. We’ll wait and see.”

As it turns out, Wagner’s contract reflects the uncertainty and also covers the Hawks in case he misses games, as he has the past two seasons.

Wagner’s four-year, $43 million deal reportedly includes an $8 million signing bonus and — rare for the Seahawks — a $4 million option bonus in 2016 that would activate 2019 while giving the team cap flexibility next year and beyond.

Either way, the Hawks will pay Wagner $7 million in 2016 — with a $3 millon salary if they pay the option or $7 million if they don’t. So the cap hit could be $6.1 million or $9.1 million in 2016. If they decline the option, it would make it just a three-year extension. But they surely just wanted to include a second signing bonus to offset cap hits in 2015 and beyond.

The Hawks also included $3.5 million in per-game roster bonuses — $500,000 in 2016 and $1 million in each of the next three seasons. Wagner missed five games last year and two the previous season, so the Hawks clearly want him to earn some of the deal through simple availability.

Contracts, State of the team

Wilson & Wagner are signed; who else can Hawks keep?

August 3, 2015 cc Leave a comment

With Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner signed, the Seahawks can check off their two biggest 2016 free agents.

But what does it mean for the others?

The official numbers for Wagner’s deal are in, and the Hawks are looking at about $14 million in space under a projected $150 million salary cap next year.

With Wilson and Wagner signed and Tony McDaniel released, their key UFAs in 2016 — barring any other extensions — will be Russell Okung, J.R. Sweezy, Bruce Irvin, Brandon Mebane, Ahtyba Rubin, Jermaine Kearse and Jon Ryan. They can’t keep all of those guys for $14 million.

“It is so challenging to do this,” Pete Carroll said, “and particularly as it (the salary cap) changes and you don’t know and you have to predict. … This is a big year now (for Seattle free agents); we don’t know what’s going to happen with the cap. We’ll wait and see.”

Continue reading Wilson & Wagner are signed; who else can Hawks keep? →

Contracts, State of the team, The roster

Hawks had to cut someone; now, what about Chancellor?

August 3, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Once the Seahawks signed Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner to their megadeals, it was obvious someone probably was going to get cut.

While Brandon Mebane (and his $5.5 million salary) had been the rumored candidate for months, it turned out to be Tony McDaniel, whose release added $3 million to the $2 million or so the Hawks had left under this year’s cap. They typically like to have at least $4 million in reserve for practice squad and injury replacements during the season.

Pete Carroll was not happy to lose the 30-year-old McDaniel, who had been a key member of Seattle’s top-seven run defense in each of the past two Super Bowl seasons.

“It is a significant loss,” Carroll said. “Tony has been a really good core player for us, and we really liked him and what he’s brought to our club. This decision sucks, but you know we had to do something. Maybe there’s a chance we can get him back someday; I don’t know how that will work. Unfortunately, that’s what had to happen today.”

It weakens the depth on a defensive line that had looked pretty stout, especially at tackle, and means Mebane and Ahtyba Rubin will have to carry the weight as the run stoppers.

The next immediate roster concern is holdout safety Kam Chancellor.

Continue reading Hawks had to cut someone; now, what about Chancellor? →

The roster, Trades, Training camp

Schneider loves trading with Mayhew’s Lions

August 2, 2015 cc Leave a comment

John Schneider loves trading with the Detroit Lions.

His deal Sunday to acquire cornerback Mohammed Seisay for a 2016 sixth-round pick was his seventh trade with Lions general manager Martin Mayhew since Schneider became Seattle’s GM in 2010.

It was his 35th trade overall and his third this year — although it pales in comparison to the deals for Jimmy Graham and Tyler Lockett.

Continue reading Schneider loves trading with Mayhew’s Lions →

CHAWK LINES, The roster, Training camp

August 2, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Some observations from Day 3 of camp from those who were there:

In the wake of the big deals signed by Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, someone was going to have to go to give the Hawks a little more cap space for this season — they were around $2 million and need to be around $4 million. Rather than cut Brandon Mebane, as had been rumored for months, the Seahawks released fellow defensive tackle Tony McDaniel instead. The move adds $3 million to Seattle’s cap, giving them comfort for the season.

The Hawks — short on cornerbacks with Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon out — also acquired Mohammed Seisay from the Detroit Lions for a 2016 sixth-round pick.

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CHAWK LINES, Training camp

August 1, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Some observations from the first two days of camp from those who were there:

Field Gulls focused on the Legion of Boom, with new corner Cary Williams and without the starting safeties.

For Day 2, The Seattle Times guys kept a close eye on the offensive line.

John Boyle of Seahawks.com says the Seahawks are bigger and deeper at receiver.

OC Darrell Bevell says Tyler Lockett will “be a big factor at wide receiver” (as we have always thought).

Hawk Blogger Brian Nemhauser noticed the receivers, too.

Gregg Bell of The News Tribune says players support Kam Chancellor in his holdout.

Brandon Mebane, 30, says he feels more like 24 or 25 as he comes back from a bad hamstring injury.

Contracts, State of the team

Can the Hawks really please them all?

August 1, 2015 cc Leave a comment

One down. Three to go?

The Seahawks got Russell Wilson signed just in time, but Bobby Wagner, Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett all are unhappy and showing it in different ways.

It’s funny how back-to-back Super Bowls can make people feel entitled — all three of those guys are signed, Chancellor and Bennett very recently, but they all feel like they deserve more than they agreed to.

Basically, they are flipping the script — knowing NFL teams can cut them at any time and trying to use the power of their all-star play as leverage before they lose it. Pete Carroll understands.

“They’re trying to make the most of their opportunity and trying to figure out what’s best for them,” he said after the Hawks finished their first practice Friday. “They’re difficult decisions, and they’re hard for them.

“Sometimes when they sign, they love what they sign, and it just looks different after a while,” Carroll said, referencing how contracts quickly become undervalued in the constantly growing NFL economy. “I’m compassionate towards these guys.”

Continue reading Can the Hawks really please them all? →

Contracts, State of the team

Quick thoughts on Wilson’s contract

July 31, 2015 cc Leave a comment

(Update No. 2: We had it the first time)

Some thoughts on Russell Wilson’s reported four-year, $87.6 million extension:

**The $21.9 million average puts Wilson right behind Aaron Rodgers ($22 million) for No. 2 in average annual salary among NFL QBs.

**The $31 million signing bonus matches the bonus Pittsburgh gave Ben Roethlisberger and the guaranteed money Carolina gave Cam Newton this offseason. Agent Mark Rodgers said they split it up for tax purposes, but it is all guaranteed.

**The $61.5 million in total guarantees is the most Seattle has paid to a player. Richard Sherman received $40 million in rolling guarantees. It also trumps Newton’s $60 million in total guarantees.

**Although Wagner tweeted out an ominous statement — “Can’t keep everyone” — the Seahawks still could afford Wagner if he’s amenable to something like a four-year, $38 million deal with a $10 million signing bonus. Pete Carroll said, “We’re on it. Anything you’ve heard otherwise is wrong. I hope he’s with us for a long time.” Wagner said the deadline for a deal is “now” and said he had considered holding out, a la Chancellor, until a deal was done.

**Now that Wilson is signed, Brandon Mebane might be in danger. The Hawks have around $4 million left under the salary cap; and, if they want to sign Wagner, they might need some breathing room from somewhere to account for practice squad and injury replacements during the season.

**Holdout Kam Chancellor congratulated Wilson on his deal via Twitter, and Carroll made it sound like the Hawks might try to accommodate him, saying: “Kam Chancellor is an amazing Seahawk. We want to make something happen. We want him back immediately.”