Category Archives: Free agency

Overpaid Maxwell might not last long in Philly

March 9, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Byron Maxwell owes Pete Carroll and Kris Richard a big vacation. Without those guys, he never would have become a $10 million player.

His looming deal with the Eagles, reportedly $60 million over six years and guaranteeing $25 million, is not far off the deal Richard Sherman signed last year: five years, $57.4 million with $40 million guaranteed. That’s the kind of overpayment free agency breeds.

The Hawks apparently tried to retain him, surprisingly offering as much as $8 million a year, but what chance did they have at that rate?

Seahawks fans are ruing the loss, but why? The Pete Carroll Secondary School made Maxwell, and they will make another guy just like him. Carroll is the key to Seattle’s secondary. Maxwell was just a cog.

Continue reading Overpaid Maxwell might not last long in Philly →

Contracts, Free agency

Here’s a plan that adds Julius, Tramon & Paea

March 7, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Now that the
Seahawks have
Marshawn Lynch locked up, they can get to work on the rest of their spring home improvement projects.

They basically broke even with the salary cap on Friday, with Lynch’s cap number remaining the same and Jermaine Kearse taking up the same $2.4 million slot that Zach Miller vacated. So, the Hawks still have around $24 million to work with as free agency ramps up this weekend and begins Tuesday.

That’s plenty of money for the Hawks to sign tight end Julius Thomas at $8 million a year ($6 million cap hit in 2015), defensive tackle Stephen Paea at $6 million a year ($3.5 million in 2015) and cornerback Tramon Williams at $5 million a year ($3.7 million in 2015).

Continue reading Here’s a plan that adds Julius, Tramon & Paea →

Contracts, Free agency, The roster

Lynch deal overshadows the bad news

March 6, 2015 cc Leave a comment

It was a good news-bad news day for the Seahawks.

The release of Zach Miller and double dose of bad news from the Bears-Jets trade Friday was trumped by the great news that Marshawn Lynch is set to return for another season.

After various reports had him making $11 million for one year, $24 million for two years or $31 million for three years, it appears the latter is correct. He will get $12 million in 2015, up from his scheduled $7 million. His cap hit will remain the same, though, at $8.5 million, because he will get $4.5 million in salary and $7.5 million in a signing bonus (he had $1.5 million in bonus proration from his previous deal).

He is signed through 2017, if he chooses to return. He would make $9 million in 2016, counting $11.5 million. He would make $10 million in 2017, including a $3 million roster bonus, and count $12.5 million. If he retires after 2015, the Hawks would take a $5 million cap hit in dead money next year.

Continue reading Lynch deal overshadows the bad news →

Contracts, Free agency, The roster

What will Hawks do in free agency? Check out the last three years

March 5, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Over the past three years, we have gotten a good idea of how John Schneider leads the Seahawks in free agency.

Outside of the big blockbuster deal for Percy Harvin in 2013, Schneider typically has moved at a measured pace in March — making as many roster deletions as additions and signing only mid-priced free agents.

It should be more of the same this month.

Schneider said it himself at the Combine last month: “We are going to keep doing things the way we started here: Just keep drafting people and playing young people and trying to keep the players that we can keep, try to identify the players that we have to reward and make those tough decisions about players that are under contract that you may have to let go to create some cap room. Those are just tough decisions as you go. We are not going to change anything we do.”

So what have they done the last three years?

Continue reading What will Hawks do in free agency? Check out the last three years →

Free agency, The roster

Hawks on the hunt for veteran corner

March 4, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks apparently are willing to spend some money on a second starting cornerback this year.

It’s not a surprise considering their injuries and lack of depth at the position.

According to 710 ESPN, the Hawks are willing to pay Byron Maxwell up to $6.5 million — not that it will be enough, but it might indicate what they are willing to pay in general.

They reportedly are showing interest in veteran corners Cary Williams and Tramon Williams.

Continue reading Hawks on the hunt for veteran corner →

Contracts, Free agency, The roster

Hawks need to ‘find a way’ to keep Mebane?

February 26, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Brandon Mebane apparently is in danger of being cut.

On 710 ESPN, John Clayton said, “I think they’d like to find a way to be able to keep him.”

That’s both ominous and surprising.

It’s hard to imagine the Hawks parting with Mebane, especially with so few in-house options at nose tackle. He was playing some of his best football before suffering a torn hamstring in November and being place on injured reserve.

Mebane, 30, is slated to make $5.5 million in the final year of his deal. Clayton thinks he is in line for a pay cut like tight end Zach Miller took last year, when he reduced his 2014 pay from $6 million to $2.88 million and his 2015 pay from $5 million to $3 million.

Of course, the difference is: This is the final year of Mebane’s contract. So they either would be asking him to take a pure pay cut or they could extend his deal by a couple of years. The pay cut does not really make sense, but Clayton thinks the Hawks think so.

Continue reading Hawks need to ‘find a way’ to keep Mebane? →

Free agency, The roster

Is Blackmon the solution to Hawks’ CB conundrum?

February 26, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The solution to the Seahawks’ depth problem at cornerback might just have arrived — courtesy of former Seattle DC Gus Bradley.

Two years after the Hawks let cornerback Will Blackmon go and Bradley swept him up in Jacksonville, Bradley might have returned the favor Thursday by releasing Blackmon.

The Hawks are hurtin’ for certain at the position this offseason, with Jeremy Lane dealing with a broken wrist and torn ACL, Richard Sherman healing up a torn ligament in his elbow, Tharold Simon possibly facing shoulder surgery and Byron Maxwell poised to leave March 10 when some team (possibly Jacksonville) offers him a monster contract.

That leaves all of one guy healthy: Marcus Burley.

Continue reading Is Blackmon the solution to Hawks’ CB conundrum? →

Franchise history, Free agency, NFL draft, State of the team

The return games were pathetic, but free agents aren’t the answer

February 26, 2015 cc 2 Comments

Without a doubt, the worst part of the Seahawks last season was the return game — which is why many fans are taking notice every time a team cuts a return specialist these days.

In the last few days, Ted Ginn Jr., Jacoby Jones and Reggie Bush have been cut, but Seattle fans shouldn’t get too excited about any of them. The Hawks can do better.

They certainly need to.

In 2014, they ranked 30th in kickoff returns, at just 21 yards per attempt. And they were 25th on punts, at seven yards.

It was the most pathetic combined return performance by a Seattle team since the 2005 unit, which averaged 27.8 total yards behind kick returner Josh Scobey and punt returner Jimmy Williams and coincidentally also lost the Super Bowl.

You know you are horrible when (a) Bryan “Wave It Off” Walters is your best return guy, (b) it’s a victory just to hold on to the ball and (c) a touchback is typically your best kick return.

Continue reading The return games were pathetic, but free agents aren’t the answer →

Free agency, Injury report, The roster

With Lane out, here are some cornerback options

February 20, 2015 cc Leave a comment

With the stunningly bad news that Jeremy Lane could miss the start of the season with a torn ACL, it is clear the Seahawks will sign at least one veteran cornerback in addition to drafting one or two.

Considering they have just three other cornerbacks — Richard Sherman, Tharold Simon and Marcus Burley — they have to add some bodies.

Continue reading With Lane out, here are some cornerback options →

Contracts, Free agency, History

As usual, Hawks won’t use franchise tag

February 16, 2015 cc 1 Comment

John Schneider (via Fresh Files) The Seahawks have not used the franchise tag since 2010 — the first year of the Carroll/Schneider regime — and they almost positively won’t use it this year either.

The window opened today and goes through March 2.

John Schneider has been great about re-signing key free agents before their contracts expire, and the guys they have lost in free agency have been role players or lesser starters they were prepared to lose.

This year they have only two starters scheduled to hit free agency, and they are not going to pay cornerback Byron Maxwell or guard James Carpenter $13 million in 2015.

Schneider has said the team will try to retain Maxwell, but he also admits it will be hard. Maxwell is expected to get an offer worth at least $7 million a year — the Hawks probably would go only as high as $6 million.