Category Archives: Free agency

Franchise history, Free agency

Hawks cut Sherman for ‘financial flexibility’

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Richard Sherman tips a pass intended for Michael Crabtree in the NFC Championship Game last season (Getty)It’s official: The Seahawks have decided to cut the best cornerback in team history — getting nothing for him even though he still has plenty to offer an NFL team.

The ill-advised move, which we never thought Seattle would make, clearly means John Schneider has plans for the $11 million the team is netting in cap space. He had better spend it wisely.

Sherman told reporters the Seahawks informed him they wanted “financial flexibility” heading into free agency next week but want to bring him back. He did not indicate whether he considered that an option.

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Free agency

Report: Thomas is committed, so Hawks want to keep him

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Logo -- Free agencyEarl Thomas’ visit to the Dallas locker room late last season concerned John Schneider and Pete Carroll enough that they wondered whether Thomas wanted to be in Seattle anymore. Thomas told them he did, and that’s why they are recommitted to keeping him, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

As with Richard Sherman last year, Schneider and Carroll reportedly would trade Thomas if they got a great offer — said to be a first-rounder and a fourth. But, short of that, they apparently are willing to pay Thomas the $14 million APY it will take — probably on a short deal (maybe three years).

On NFL Network on Thursday, Seahawks play-by-play announcer Steve Raible said he thinks Thomas will be back because “Pete Carroll loves him.”

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Contracts, Free agency, The roster, Trades

Is Schneider planning big offensive additions?

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Logo -- Free agencyJohn Schneider is getting ready to make a couple of big moves next week.

That’s the only explanation for him wanting to cut Richard Sherman’s $11 million salary.

The question: Whom is he targeting?

One NFC personnel exec thinks he plans to spend on offense. By lopping high-priced defensive players, “they could allocate money to the offense, get Russell (Wilson) some help and some protection,” the pro personnel director told SI.com.

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Franchise history, Free agency

As expected, Schneider is letting Sheldon go

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franchise-tagNo surprise: John Schneider didn’t want to gamble with the franchise tag.

Five teams use the keeper tool (and Chicago used the transition tag), but Seattle declined for the eighth straight year — choosing not to lock in Sheldon Richardson.

Schneider will try to re-sign the defensive tackle before free agency, but he obviously was leery of tendering Richardson for $13.9 million — and thus setting the negotiating floor there. And Schneider obviously wasn’t interested in the other potential benefits of tagging, which we outlined.

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Free agency, Trades

Schneider should tag Sheldon today

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Logo -- Free agencyJohn Schneider has been a gambling man plenty of times in the past, and here’s a gamble he really needs to make today: Use the franchise tag on Sheldon Richardson.

Schneider has a base 75 percent chance of winning a tag gamble. The only negative would come if Richardson insisted on signing and playing on the $13.9 million tender. That seems very unlikely, which leaves three winning scenarios for Schneider: (1) Strike a long-term deal, (2) trade him for a Day 2 pick (and something else), (3) rescind the tag, let Richardson leave in free agency and end up with a high comp pick in 2019.

At the Combine last Friday, Schneider said he needed to “figure out how to compensate” for Seattle’s gaping hole on Day 2 of the draft. Trading 32-year-old Michael Bennett won’t do it. But tagging Richardson likely would — whether he stays or goes.

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Free agency, NFL Combine

Carroll talks Thomas, trades, tag and more

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Combine logo“Everybody’s talking to everybody” — Pete Carroll

That about sums up the state of affairs at the Combine, although Carroll was talking specifically about Earl Thomas there.

Carroll revealed very little about Seattle’s direction with contracts, trades and free agents, but he offered a few little nuggets.

Among the tidbits: He has talked to Thomas; John Schneider is talking to other teams about possible deals; the franchise tag is still an option for Sheldon Richardson; the team has talked to DeShawn Shead about playing safety again; Carroll has not talked to Michael Bennett; and Carroll would love to keep Jimmy Graham (and every free agent).

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Free agency, The roster

Latest on all of Seattle’s Riches & more

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Logo -- Free agencyIt’s looking more and more like the Richardsons will indeed join Jimmy Graham in departing Seattle next month and Legion of Boomers Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas will not be going anywhere.

Here’s the latest on those guys and more free agency scuttlebutt:

A report from NFL Network confirmed what we have said all offseason: It doesn’t look like either Sherman or Thomas will be traded. Sherman has no value while rehabbing his torn Achilles and the Seahawks would prefer a long-term deal with Thomas, unless they get a great offer.

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Free agency

Correction: Transition tag not as great as we thought

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Logo -- Free agencyIt 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.

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Free agency, NFL Combine

To tag or not to tag? We’ll soon find out

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Pic -- Schneider at CombineIn the next week or two, we’re going to find out a whole lot (OK, at least a little) about the Seahawks’ offseason plans.

Today is the first day of the two-week “tag” window, which may or may not be pertinent to the Seahawks.

A lot of people expect John Schneider to franchise Sheldon Richardson. We think the transition tag would be better (unless Schneider plans to trade Sheldon). And it’s still most likely that Schneider won’t use a tag at all.

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Free agency

After purge, Schneider will bargain shop

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Logo -- Free agencyAny day now, NFL teams will begin the Purge — the annual pre-league-year dump of overpaid and/or underperforming players.

The Seahawks haven’t been a part of the Purge since 2014, when they cut Red Bryant, Sidney Rice and Chris Clemons. But they will be part of this one, expected to at least release Jeremy Lane and Cliff Avril.

And then John Schneider will play the comp game, bargain shopping among other street free agents.

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