Category Archives: Contracts

Contracts, Franchise history, Free agency, Trades

Big-money acquisitions haven’t paid off

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Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice during a minicamp in June (AP)Now you know why John Schneider doesn’t pay big money in free agency very
often: It usually
isn’t worth it.

The release of Cary Williams this week was the latest example. It was the second straight year the Seahawks have gotten rid of a highly paid veteran addition during the season — and they probably set a record with this one, dumping Williams just 12 games into a three-year, $18 million contract.

A year ago, the Seahawks traded Percy Harvin — the pouting malcontent who for a time had poisoned the Seattle locker room.

Since he took over in 2010, Schneider has acquired nine big-contract veterans — defined as making $5 million a year or more — and six of them have not been worth it.

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Contracts, State of the team, The roster

Hawks are no longer desperate at cornerback

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Jeremy Lane gets upended on an interception return in the first quarter, suffering a broken armGoing into last offseason, the Seahawks were suddenly uncommonly thin at cornerback — and that, in a nutshell, explains why they wasted $7 million on Cary Williams and ended up losing Tony McDaniel.

After the Super Bowl, Richard Sherman, Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon were all facing recovery from injuries of varying severity. On top of that, Byron Maxwell was getting ready to sign a blockbuster contract with another team, which turned out to be the Eagles.

That left young Marcus Burley as the only healthy cornerback and DeShawn Shead as a largely untested emergency option who had more experience at safety. So, the Seahawks covered themselves by signing two veteran corners — Williams and Will Blackmon. And then they drafted Tye Smith in the fifth round.

Blackmon once again did not make the roster, and Williams struggled so badly that he was benched three weeks ago, made inactive the past two games and released Monday.

Pete Carroll and John Schneider have never been afraid to admit mistakes and move on from them — e.g., Percy Harvin last year — and that’s basically what they did here.

But they did it because they have plenty of talent at the position, and the future is bright.

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Contracts

‘My wife wouldn’t let me hold out,’ Bennett says

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Kam and BennettWhile Kam Chancellor has stretched his surprising holdout into the second week of the season, Michael Bennett has been practicing, playing and leading by example.

But he said Thursday that he almost joined Chancellor in holding out. Both players are dissatisfied with deals that pay them $7 million per year. Bennett is being paid $6 million this season, and Chancellor was due $4.55 million but is forfeiting 1/17 of that every week he sits out (plus as much as $2 million in fines).

Bennett said his wife wouldn’t let him hold out.

“I’ve got three kids; I’ve got a wife. My wife wouldn’t let me hold out, so I had to come to work,” he said. “(Kam’s) situation’s different from mine. I respect what he’s doing; he respects what I’m doing. too. I just come back and try to work as hard as I can and show the team the type of leader I am and the type of person I am and what I’m willing to do and how far I’m willing to go playing in the games.”

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Contracts, State of the team

Report: Allen ends negotiations with Chancellor

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Paul allen trophyIt looks like the Seahawks are finished trying to appease Kam Chancellor.

Seahawks owner Paul Allen has told John Schneider and his staff to cease negotiations with the holdout safety, ESPN’s Ed Werder reported on Friday. (H/T to 247Sports via Davis Hsu and Evan Hill on Twitter)

Chancellor told NFL Network’s Dan Hellie on Wednesday that the sides were $900,000 apart and that the Seahawks had offered to move about $3 million from his $6.8 million salary in 2017 to add to his $5.1 million salary in 2016. Chancellor told Hellie the Hawks were being “petty” and the situation should be resolved by now.

Per the ESPN radio segment, Schneider also had called a few other teams to see how they would deal with the situation — Schneider apparently being cognizant of how the Seahawks’ solution might affect the rest of the league.

On Friday, Pete Carroll told KIRO Radio, “The situation has stayed the same. There has been a lot of work done and a lot of conversations and stuff, but it just has not happened to get him here. … We love the guy, wish he’d be here, but he’s got a mindset that’s keeping him out.

“We always want him to come back, but we’re still focusing on what’s real — that’s getting our guys ready to play. Dion Bailey’s going to start and we’re going to have our rotations to take care of that position. We have to keep moving, so that’s what we’re doing. Unfortunately there is no change.”

Continue reading Report: Allen ends negotiations with Chancellor →

Contracts, State of the team

Chancellor wants $4M moved to 2016, says sides are $900K apart

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Chancellor, Carroll and SchneiderIn his first public comments since he started his holdout 40 days ago, Kam Chancellor told NFL Network’s Dan Hellie it could be over by now and the sides are $900,000 apart.

Chancellor said he is not asking for more money but wants $4 million moved from 2017 to 2016, Hellie told 710 ESPN. That would bump his 2016 salary from $5.1 million to $9.1 million. He is due $6.8 million in 2017.

Chancellor, 27, also said he didn’t want to wait until he was almost 30 to rework his contract.

If the sides are indeed $900,000 apart on a $4 million request, it means the Hawks have offered to move $3.1 million forward to 2016.

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Contracts

Report: Hawks offer small concession to Kam

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Chancellor, Carroll and SchneiderThe Seahawks reportedly have offered partial guarantees to Kam Chancellor in 2016 and are willing to waive 70 percent of the fines he has accrued while sitting out.

The Hawks also are not even considering trading Chancellor at this point, as they believe he might return after the opener in St. Louis, Davis Hsu of Field Gulls tweeted Tuesday night.

Chancellor has three years left on the five-year, $29 million deal he signed in 2013, and he is unhappy that his 2014 pay will be $4.55 million — even though it is guaranteed and he already has made $12.5 million the past two seasons.

He reportedly wants the Seahawks to pay it forward — turning most of his $4.55 million for this year and $5.1 million for 2016 into a signing bonus.

The Hawks are willing to guarantee some of that $5.1 million, Hsu tweeted.

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Contracts, Free agency

Broncos will pay Mathis up to $4 million

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Despite Evan Mathis’ visit this week, the Seahawks seemingly had little chance of signing the free-agent Pro Bowl guard. And it turns out they couldn’t, as he signed with the Denver Broncos instead on Tuesday.

The deal is worth up to $4 million, per Adam Caplan. The Hawks couldn’t really go past $3.5 million — and even that would have required them to shuffle a contract or two.

Pete Carroll had basically referenced the difficulty Monday when he said, “He would obviously bring us experience and all that, but there’s a lot of (financial) issues here that we have to take care of to get that in order. We got the information that we needed.”

The Hawks moved on to Samson Satele, who is still on the market despite starting 16 games for Miami last season. It remains to be seen whether they work something out with him or just stick with their youthful crew.

“We’re going to keep competing to figure out who else is there and available as we try to make our choices,” Carroll said Monday, “and really we’re going one step at a time. … We’re continuing to look at who’s available.”

Contracts

How could Seahawks afford to sign Mathis? Let us count the ways

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Evan MathisNo surprise: Evan Mathis reportedly left Seattle without a contract Saturday.

But, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, he didn’t close the door on his way out.

Mathis, a Pro Bowl guard cut by the Philadelphia Eagles in June, reportedly has been holding out for at least $5 million a year. The Hawks can’t really afford that. But they might be able to give him around $3.5 million, if they moved some things around.

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Contracts, State of the team

Are OL moves desperation or just due diligence?

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Evan MathisThe Seahawks played half of their games in 2013 with rookie tackles and used four centers in 2014, and they still overcame those “offensive” lines to get to the Super Bowl.

So, they can’t possibly be panicking about their left guard position after just one bad preseason game, can they?

Even though Pete Carroll says he is not concerned because he expected the young linemen to take time to develop, the team’s moves this week sure make it sound like alarm bells are going off at VMAC.

First, the Hawks moved Justin Britt from right tackle to left guard and inserted Garry Gilliam at right tackle, and now they reportedly are going to bring in former Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis for a visit Saturday.

Is it desperation or just prudence?

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Contracts

Chancellor’s agent is bluffing — isn’t he?

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Kam and BennettEarlier this year, Michael Bennett’s agent tried to bluff the Seahawks into giving Bennett a new deal. Now Kam Chancellor’s agent is doing the same thing. We think.

In April, agent Drew Rosenhaus seemingly spread rumors that Bennett wanted to be traded to Atlanta, where former Seattle DC Dan Quinn is now coach. But the Hawks were unfazed. Even as Bennett told everyone who would listen that he is not happy with the deal he signed last year, the Hawks did not budge from their budget. In fact, he has said they haven’t told him they would do anything with the contract that still has three years and $18.5 million left on it.

Now, Alvin Keels, Chancellor’s agent, is saying Chancellor will remain out until the Hawks redo the deal he signed in 2013, which still has three years left.

“He will not report without his contract being addressed this season,” Keels told ESPN’s Josina Anderson. “The team and I have been in contact, but we haven’t been able to agree on any compromise.”

Continue reading Chancellor’s agent is bluffing — isn’t he? →