Category Archives: Contracts

Best move on Sheldon may be transition tag

Logo -- Free agencyIn December, we suggested the concept of Seattle using the franchise tag on Sheldon Richardson in order to then possibly trade him. John Clayton and Joel Corry recently talked about the move as an option, too.

But, the more we think about it, the more the transition tag seems like the better option for John Schneider and the Seahawks.

Yeah, we know, the last time the Seahawks used the transition tag, it was a disaster. But there are no more poison pills. And Schneider obviously would be fine with losing Richardson if he did use the transition tender.

Here’s why it might be better:

Continue reading Best move on Sheldon may be transition tag

Latest free agency rumors & tidbits

Logo -- Free agencyThe NFL year begins in a month, and the rumors and speculation are heating up across the league as free agency and the trading period approach.

In addition to the usual free agency chatter, there is a lot of speculation about what the Seahawks are going to do with veterans Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett — all signed for 2018.

Barring value trade offers, we expect all three to be back — Thomas with a new deal and Sherman and Bennett likely playing their final seasons in Seattle.

Here’s the latest scuttlebutt on Seattle’s top pending free agents and some players who have been mentioned in connection with the Seahawks:

Continue reading Latest free agency rumors & tidbits

Carroll, Wilson exchanging messages?

Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson plan to be clapping about their offense a lot this season (Getty Images)Pete Carroll has sent his message, accused by some of power tripping, and now some insiders think Russell Wilson is using his own power play to deliver a message to the Seahawks.

Bob Condotta and Brock Huard, who both know a little something about the inner workings of the Seahawks, are inferring that Wilson’s orchestrated trade to the Yankees is meant as a reminder that Seattle needs to do all the right things to keep Wilson beyond the expiration of his contract in two years.

Quite obviously, this is not a threat to leave the Seahawks to play baseball. But Condotta and Huard think it is perhaps agent Mark Rodgers’ subtle way of reminding the Hawks that Wilson controls his destiny and destination.

Continue reading Carroll, Wilson exchanging messages?

12-step program for Schneider’s offseason

John Schneider (via Fresh Files)The third bird was a charm.

The Eagles managed to do what their feathered NFC friends the Falcons and Seahawks could not — finish off the Patriots in yet another high-flying Super Bowl. And now we are officially on to the NFL offseason (which has started with a bang thanks to Josh McDaniels).

The Seahawks, of course, have been finished for a month — enough time for Pete Carroll to perform a major shakeup of his staff (eight coaches gone, five arrived). Now it is John Schneider’s turn.

Continue reading 12-step program for Schneider’s offseason

Hutch poison pill: The rest of the story

Hutch KJRSteve Hutchinson is back in Minnesota this weekend for another big opportunity, 12 years after he left Seattle in one of the most infamous free agency moves in NFL history.

As he waits to learn whether he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, making the media rounds in Minneapolis, he has discussed his off-field legacy almost as much as what he did on the field.

Most of the Hutch Poison Pill story is well-known by Seahawks fans, but Mike Holmgren and Hutchinson got together on KJR on Thursday and revealed some more details of one of the most dramatic stories in NFL free agency history.

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Will Schneider pay to end Curse of Hutch?

Salary cap logoAs former Seahawk Steve Hutchinson waits for the Hall of Fame to come knocking this weekend, it is a reminder of what the Seahawks once had — and what they need to build again.

The big question some fans have: Will John Schneider do what Tim Ruskell would not and pay an All-Pro guard?

As longtime fans (pre-“12s”) will recall, Ruskell (Seattle’s GM before Schneider) chose not to franchise the All-Pro Hutchinson in 2006 and ended up losing him to Minnesota.

Hutch and Hall of Famer Walter Jones keyed the best line in Seattle history in the early to mid-2000s, but Seattle has not been able to field a strong line since Ruskell’s huge mistake. We’ve called it the Curse of Hutch.

Continue reading Will Schneider pay to end Curse of Hutch?

Safeties ‘n’ numbers

Salary cap logoBoth of Seattle’s star safeties are at career crossroads — one seemingly talking about walking out, the other about holding out.

The short of it: Yeah, it looks like Kam Chancellor is done, but Earl Thomas is not going anywhere.

Chancellor’s Instagram post Friday was seen by most as a message that he is leaning toward retiring — or at least not playing again. Unlike Cliff Avril, he has been silent about his neck injury, but all signs point to the No. 1 Legionnaire of Boom likely being finished.

The only question has been whether he would make the team put him on injured reserve so he could collect his injury guarantees, which amount to $12 million over the next two years.

Meanwhile, there is no question that money is at the heart of Thomas’ concerns. Late in the season, he started rumbling about his contract and possibly playing for Dallas. This week, at the Pro Bowl in Florida, he doubled down on the contract talk with a subtle threat of a holdout.

Continue reading Safeties ‘n’ numbers

P-Rich about to get paid by some other team

P-RichPaul Richardson’s name came up all over the place Thursday, with a lot of chatter about his situation as he prepares to hit free agency.

Richardson was on the radio in his hometown of L.A., talking to the loudmouth with the goofiest name in broadcasting. Asked about possibly leaving Seattle for a passing offense, P-Rich said, “I do think about it. I think about it a lot, especially with my situation coming up with free agency.”

Richardson probably senses he will be leaving. The Seahawks apparently are willing to pay $5.5 million a year, per John Clayton, but Richardson seems likely to get at least $7 million from another team.

Continue reading P-Rich about to get paid by some other team

Avril teases about return, but what if he can come back?

Salary cap logoCliff Avril has been teasing Seahawks fans with some wishful thinking for his return from a serious neck injury.

For the second time this month, Avril hinted that he might return to play.

“I believe so,” Avril told NFL Network on Monday. “Right now it’s all about recovery. I had surgery. I’m in the process of recovering. It’s a long process, a long journey. When I get to the end of that, then I’ll figure out what’s next.

Continue reading Avril teases about return, but what if he can come back?

Report: Hawks are willing to pay Thomas

Salary cap logoSeattle is willing to pay Earl Thomas top of the market, Bradley McDougald is 70 percent to re-sign and Michael Bennett is 70 percent to be let go, according to “nuggets” from Davis Hsu, a reliable champion of Seahawks scuttlebutt on Twitter.

Also from Hsu’s source: Cliff Avril has a better chance to play again than Kam Chancellor, it looks like Byron Maxwell will return and Malik McDowell apparently has made some progress as he recovers from his ATV accident.

Continue reading Report: Hawks are willing to pay Thomas