Category Archives: The roster

Free agency, The roster

Hawks had an easy decision with Gilliam

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GilliamWhy did the Seahawks let Garry Gilliam go to the 49ers?

It’s a question some fans are asking, but the answer is simple: They didn’t want to guarantee $1.4 million to a guy they probably were going to ask to take a pay cut this summer anyway.

It was a 50-50 proposition that the Seahawks were even going to tender Gilliam back in March, but they gave him the low tender, $1.8 million, because they were short on bodies.

When they were able to add Luke Joeckel and Oday Aboushi in free agency, it gave them the flexibility to bump Germain Ifedi to right tackle. With the 2016 first-round pick expected to win that job, Gilliam, the former undrafted player who struggled in 2016, looked destined for a backup role.

As they have done with many previous restricted free agents, the Hawks then would have asked Gilliam to take a pay reduction from the $1.8 million tender. So, when the 49ers came over the top with a $2.2 million deal that guaranteed almost the entire amount of the RFA tender, it was a pretty simple decision for the Hawks.

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NFL draft, The roster, Trades

Great time to find some new Legionnaires

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NFL draftDRAFT COUNTDOWN: 3 weeks. Every Friday until the April 27-29 draft, we look at draft topics related to the Seahawks.

Whether the Seahawks trade Richard Sherman or not this year, the admission by Pete Carroll and John Schneider that the Hawks are fielding offers for the All-Pro is a sign that the Legion of Boom is at a crossroads.

Even if Earl Thomas comes back better than ever, Kam Chancellor gets his contract extension and Sherman avoids a trade, it is clear the end is approaching for the fabled unit. And, as it turns out, this is a great year to find heirs apparent in the draft.

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The roster, Trades

Sherman asked out? Don’t believe it

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Hawks vs Packers Sherman all aloneAdam Schefter’s “report” that Richard Sherman asked for a trade blew up today — confusing some and making others nod in understanding over why Pete Carroll and John Schneider have been so open about the possibility of moving the All-Pro corner.

But Sherman did not ask for a trade. Schneider and Sherman’s brother made that pretty clear earlier this week.

Schefter’s clip on ESPN got a lot of attention, but notice what he actually said: “My understanding was that Richard Sherman initiated this. He was looking to get out of Seattle. He was open to that idea initially. They’re accommodating him by listening to trade offers.”

“My understanding” is another way of saying “a source told me.” That source obviously had a motive — either trying to make it look like Sherman has more control than he really does (he doesn’t control where he goes) or trying to soften any backlash if the Hawks do end up trading one of the Legion of Boom originals.

Either way, Schefter’s information goes against what Schneider and Branton Sherman said this week.

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The roster, Trades

Despite skepticism, Sherman trade looks very possible

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Hawks vs Packers Sherman all aloneDespite the skepticism by Pete Carroll and John Schneider that a Richard Sherman trade will materialize this offseason, it sounds like there is a better chance than anyone might have thought a month ago.

As Schneider today reconfirmed that the Seahawks are fielding offers, a report out of Boston indicated that the Patriots are still ones to watch in this drama.

Other teams have pursued Sherman more aggressively, a source told the Boston Herald, but the Patriots could become top suitors if they lose Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler (the Saints have been the team most linked to acquiring the restricted free agent).

Talking with 710 ESPN today, Schneider called the trade talk “real.”

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NFL draft, The roster

Hawks’ Day 2 bonanzas are well-timed

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NFL draftDRAFT COUNTDOWN: 4 weeks. Every Friday until the April 27-29 draft, we look at draft topics related to the Seahawks.

Thanks to two very good years of compensatory picks, the Seahawks are in the middle of some of the best draft positioning they have ever had.

It comes at the right time as John Schneider faces a key reload period over the next couple of years. With about a dozen core players due to become free agents in 2018-19, Schneider needs to fortify his roster.

As much as Schneider has been lauded for his Day 3 draft finds, Day 2 is where teams really are built. Schneider’s Seahawks are no different.

Most of their best players were found on Day 2. Of the team’s top 17 returning players, just two were first-rounders while eight were Day 2 picks (six by Seattle). That doesn’t include the three third-rounders from last year. And the Hawks are currently slated to add four more on Day 2 in this draft.

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State of the team, The roster

Carroll, Schneider answer roster questions

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Draft -- Schneider and CarrollAt the NFL owners meetings this week, Pete Carroll and John Schneider gave us a better idea of where Seattle’s seven new veterans (not counting kickers) might fit.

We also learned that Marshawn Lynch is indeed contemplating a return and the Seahawks really have heard from teams (including the Patriots) gauging a trade for Richard Sherman.

On top of that, Carroll and Schneider addressed their backup quarterback situation, which is a little hazy in light of Trevone Boykin’s recent arrest — but won’t include Colin Kaepernick.

Let’s take a look at the key comments from Carroll and Schneider, by position, courtesy of Bob Condotta and John Boyle of Seahawks.com:

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It's bigger than football, State of the team, The roster

Bye-bye, Boykin?

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BoykinTrevone Boykin’s arrest does not bode well for his future with the Seahawks, and you can bet the team is stepping up its scouting for a new backup quarterback.

Boykin showed some promise as an undrafted guy last year, and it’s possible the Hawks had been comfortable adding only a rookie for camp — until Boykin reportedly showed the very poor judgment of getting into a car with a drunken driver who ended up hurting eight people.

The Seahawks won’t necessarily release Boykin now, but their history shows they don’t keep legally troubled backup players for long. And the fact that this is Boykin’s second arrest in two years — including a bust while he was at TCU — could mean the Hawks decide to move on.

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Free agency, State of the team, The roster

Hawks after one week: Better or worse?

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Logo -- Free agencyThe Seahawks dominated the NFL news cycle on Friday, signing four players, bringing in four for visits and finding themselves facing the prospect of having to deal with the possible return of Marshawn Lynch.

It was a busy day to cap the first full week of the league year, which has seen the Seahawks focus intently on improving their running attack while also trying to fill holes in their defense.

The Seahawks so far have lost four players, re-signed three and added four. None of their losses — Steven Hauschka, Brock Coyle, Damontre Moore, John Jenkins — have been very significant. But there’s also no guarantee that any of their additions will make them much better than the 10-win team that fizzled out of the playoffs in Atlanta.

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Contracts, The roster, Trades

Schneider’s options on Lynch: There might be only one

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Lynch hanging them upJohn Schneider surely knew this was a possibility: Marshawn Lynch wanting to come back.

And he had to know he might have to make a tough decision on how to handle Beast Mode if he did want to return, considering the Seahawks had already made their plans to move on.

So here come the Raiders, reportedly wanting to lure Lynch out of retirement and hope the Seahawks basically give him to them — a “friends and family” discount from Schneider to former Green Bay cohort Reggie McKenzie, who runs the Raiders. Unlike last year, when the Raiders reportedly tried to trade for Lynch, it sounds like Lynch is amenable to playing. And it sounds like he wants the Seahawks to release him so he can play in his hometown for another year or two.

If all true, Schneider has a decision to make on Lynch: Keep him, trade him or cut him. Keeping him is not really an option — both sides seemingly have moved on. Trading him might be tough, if the Raiders refuse to cooperate. So that could leave Schneider with only one option: Just let him go for nothing. Well, almost nothing.

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Free agency, The roster, X's & O's

Carroll: ‘I want to be physical’

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Logo -- Free agencyIn his radio interviews Tuesday, Pete Carroll stated what already has become very clear in the first week of free agency: The Seahawks are going to get back to their ground-and-pound ways.

The signings of Luke Joeckel and Eddie Lacy, along with the hot pursuit of T.J. Lang, were clear signs the Hawks want to get their running game in gear again, and Carroll has made that his No. 1 offseason priority.

“I want to be physical,” he told KJR’s Ian Furness. “I want to make sure that everybody that plays us has to get ready for a hard-nosed football game at the line of scrimmage.

“When our running game is right and we’re balanced out, we’re the most dangerous team,” he added. “I’m going to do everything I can to keep it that way.”

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