Category Archives: Contracts

Contracts

Baldwin’s market rate is confirmed at $10M-$11M

5 Comments

Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin celebrate a 16-yard TD hookup vs. Carolina (Seahawks.com)It’s official: The going rate for second-tier No. 1 receivers is indeed upwards of $11 million a year.

Keenan Allen’s new deal with San Diego — $45 million over four years — backs up the four-year, $40 million deal Allen Hurns received from Jacksonville and sets Doug Baldwin’s market.

As we said the other day, John Schneider is going to have to decide whether to overpay yet another receiver — as he did Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin (after Tim Ruskell overpaid Deion Branch and T.J. Houshmandzadeh). The difference, of course, is that Baldwin is a homegrown Seahawk who has a proven performance history for Seattle.

Continue reading Baldwin’s market rate is confirmed at $10M-$11M →

Contracts

Hawks have to decide whether to overpay Baldwin

3 Comments

Salary cap logoGus Bradley’s Jacksonville Jaguars did the Seahawks no favors Thursday when they blew up the receiver market by lavishing a rich contract on Allen Hurns.

The four-year deal that reportedly could be worth $11 million a season figures to complicate contract talks between Seattle and Doug Baldwin.

It has always been expected that Baldwin would seek at least $10 million a year, based on his career-best 2015 season, which featured 78 catches, 1,069 yards and an NFL-best 14 touchdowns.

But, to Seattle, Baldwin really isn’t worth more than about $8 million a year. And now the Seahawks will have to decide whether to overpay Baldwin the way the Jags seemingly overpaid Hurns.

Continue reading Hawks have to decide whether to overpay Baldwin →

Contracts, State of the team

Bennett: ‘Why would I not be there?’

Leave a comment

Just like last year, Michael Bennett is staying at home in Hawaii during Seattle’s offseason workout program. But, asked Thursday whether he will be at training camp, he said, “Why would I not be there?”

The question is pertinent because Bennett has been dissatisfied with his contract. He stayed away from OTAs last year, too, but returned in time for the mandatory minicamp in June, was present for all of training camp and then turned in his best NFL season.

All signs have pointed to Bennett not holding out, even though he has far outplayed the four-year, $28.5 million contract he signed in 2014.

Continue reading Bennett: ‘Why would I not be there?’ →

Contracts, NFL draft

Looking at the value (picks & cash) of Seattle’s draft class

Leave a comment

Jarran Reed on stageEveryone always laughs at the instant draft grades handed out by analysts — the argument being that it is impossible to know how well a team did until its draft class has shown itself over a couple of years.

That part certainly is true. But the one part of the draft that can be judged immediately is the value a team received for its picks.
The Seahawks haven’t always gotten great value for their picks. It’s why they were judged harshly in 2011 and 2012 — even though they found future stars in both of those drafts.

This draft has pretty unanimously been judged a success — both because the Seahawks seemingly picked up good players who filled roster needs and because they got some great value along the way.

Continue reading Looking at the value (picks & cash) of Seattle’s draft class →

Contracts, Free agency, State of the team, The roster

Forget the Lynch drama; check out the cap space

Leave a comment

Salary cap logoFor some reason, there has been a lot of concern about Marshawn Lynch’s retirement status: Is he really retiring? Why hasn’t he submitted his papers? Is he trying to screw the Seahawks? Will they make him a June 1 cut?

So many conspiracy theories.

Some people have wondered whether the Seahawks would designate Lynch as a post-June 1 move, thereby allowing the team an extra $2.5 million in 2016 cap space (but removing $2.5 million from the 2017 cap).

But anyone who has followed John Schneider’s moves with the Hawks understands he likes to take his lumps now, not later. He confirmed that once again Tuesday in an interview with KJR 950, saying the team will place Lynch on the reserve-retired list by June 1 so all of his $5 million in dead money (the unamortized portion of his signing bonus) hits this year’s cap.

Schneider clearly just wants to wipe that slate clean for 2017 and feels no need for an extra $2.5 million this offseason.

“It’s basically like a credit card, like you want to pay off your credit card as you go,’’ Schneider said. “So, like with us, if we place him on reserve/retired (by June 1) then we accept that cap hit this year, and we would rather do that than do it after June 1.’’

Continue reading Forget the Lynch drama; check out the cap space →

Contracts, The roster

As expected, Hawks risking nothing on Browner

Leave a comment

While Brandon Browner is no sure thing to make Seattle’s roster, it didn’t cost the Seahawks much to bring him back — and won’t cost anything if they let him go.

As expected, he received the veteran minimum of $760,000 and will count just $600,000 on the veteran minimum-salary benefit. The Saints had guaranteed him $2.75 million in 2016, so they will be paying the balance.

Continue reading As expected, Hawks risking nothing on Browner →

Contracts, State of the team

More evidence that Chancellor, Bennett will not hold out

Leave a comment

Kam and BennettEntering the offseason, two of the Seahawks’ biggest personnel questions centered on whether Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett were going to be problems.

It’s looking more and more like neither will be.

Chancellor apparently has made up with the team, based on words from him and John Schneider. And he added to that with recent comments to The Seattle Times, saying, “The past is the past” and talking about being a leader, a big brother and a captain.

Like Chancellor, Bennett has been griping about his contract for a year. Unlike Chancellor, Bennett showed up on time last year and turned in his best season.

Of course, all that did was build up concern that Bennett might give the Hawks another Kam Kam Kick this year and hold out. But it is looking like Bennett has no plans to do that.

Continue reading More evidence that Chancellor, Bennett will not hold out →

Contracts, State of the team, The roster

Receiving unit looks so much better a year later

3 Comments
P-Rich & Wilson workout
                           Paul Richardson catches a pass from Russell Wilson during a workout in California.

A year ago, the Seahawks were a mess at wide receiver. Paul Richardson was recovering from a torn ACL, Jermaine Kearse had played horribly in the two biggest games of the year, and Doug Baldwin had temporarily changed his name to Dookie. 

The Seahawks knew they had to get better at receiver, so they made two blockbuster trades — acquiring Jimmy Graham and Tyler Lockett.

Those two were just what Russell Wilson needed. Even though the offense struggled early in the season behind a poor offensive line and coaches who did not know how to use Graham (send him vertical!), the unit eventually took off.

Yes, they lost Graham to a torn patellar tendon in Week 12, but the stellar Lockett helped Baldwin and Kearse put together their best seasons.

Graham will spend this offseason recuperating and thus miss out on further developing rapport with Wilson until possibly September, but Richardson is back — already full speed as he works out with Wilson, Lockett and others in California. Kearse is back, too, on a three-year deal. And Baldwin is back for the final year of his old contract, pending a major extension.

Continue reading Receiving unit looks so much better a year later →

Contracts, State of the team, Trades

Have Hawks & Chancellor resolved differences?

2 Comments

Chancellor, Carroll and SchneiderAs it turns out, Kam Chancellor’s out-of-the-blue post the other day about staying in Seattle might not have been so out of the blue.

A report out of Chicago indicates the Bears and Seahawks were discussing a swap of Chancellor and tight end Martellus Bennett (brother of Seattle’s Michael) until Chancellor and the Seahawks reached some kind of agreement.

The report comes from a blogger who doesn’t usually break news, so it must be taken with a grain of salt until confirmed by recognized news sources.

However, it could well explain the timing of Chancellor’s comments Wednesday in which he said, “I’m not going anywhere. Seattle is my second home. I don’t plan on going anywhere unless some higher power places me elsewhere. #Loyalty #12s #LOB”

Continue reading Have Hawks & Chancellor resolved differences? →

Contracts, State of the team

Is Chancellor going to play nice or play elsewhere?

1 Comment

Kam Chancellor during the fourth quarter against Denver (Getty)Either Kam Chancellor is planning to play nice with the Seahawks this year or he is starting up a PR campaign.

How else do you explain the post Wednesday in which he said, “I’m not going anywhere. Seattle is my second home. I don’t plan on going anywhere unless some higher power places me elsewhere. #Loyalty #12s #LOB”

That clearly is a response to speculation that he might be traded this offseason — the logical assumption after he held out through the first two games last season and then appeared to play it safe after he came back (how many Bam Bam hits do you remember?).

Chancellor obviously is speaking to fans, perhaps trying to win back some of those who soured on him after his 2015 shenanigans. And he also is trying to absolve himself of any blame if the Seahawks — “some higher power” — do end up trading him.

But let’s get one thing straight: If the Seahawks do end up trading him, as many of us think they will, he will be the one to blame.

Continue reading Is Chancellor going to play nice or play elsewhere? →