Category Archives: The roster

Hawks got three OL, but where will they play?

NFL draftAs the Seahawks entered the draft, many expected them to come out with two or three offensive linemen. And they did.

They first apparently tried to move up to the top of the fourth round — likely aiming for T.J. Clemmings, Tre Jackson or Daryl Williams. They didn’t have any ammunition though, unless they were offering a 2016 pick or a player, so it’s no wonder they were unable to make the move.

In the end, they stayed put and used their two fourth-rounders (130 and 134 overall) on “gritty” Terry Poole and Mark Glowinski. And they added conversion project Kristjan Sokoli in the sixth round. The Hawks had brought in all three for visits before the draft.

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Carroll and Schneider are such drama queens

NFL draftYou wouldn’t think it by looking at or listening to them, but Pete Carroll and John Schneider are drama queens.

They proved it again Friday when they used their top draft pick, No. 63 overall, on one of the most controversial players in the draft: banned Michigan pass rusher Frank Clark. Then, as if to take everyone’s mind off the controversial pick of Clark, Carroll and Schneider parlayed four draft picks to move up and grab explosive return man/wide receiver Tyler Lockett six picks later.

Carroll and Schneider knew they would take heat for drafting Clark, who was kicked off the team at Michigan after a domestic violence arrest last year.

But the Hawks have never been afraid to acquire players with dubious character. They traded for Marshawn Lynch, signed Terrell Owens and Braylon Edwards, traded for Kellen Winslow, drafted Bruce Irvin and Christine Michael and traded for Percy Harvin.

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Irvin reports make sense

Graham vs. IrvinIt’s no surprise that the Seahawks apparently won’t pick up Bruce Irvin’s $7.75 million option. We already have pointed out why they probably wouldn’t do it.

As for the Atlanta trade rumor, it certainly makes more sense than the Michael Bennett/Atlanta rumor from a few weeks ago.

The Seahawks apparently told Danny O’Neil of 710 ESPN that they are not trying to trade Irvin, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t listening to teams asking about him.

O’Neil wrote: “Trading Irvin is not something Seattle is planning to do or has actively pursued. In other words, any ‘chatter’ about a potential trade is occurring somewhere other than Seattle’s front office. The team is planning on having Irvin back at strong-side linebacker, where he has established himself as a strong starter.”

Of course, nothing there says the Hawks are not talking to the Falcons. It is quite possible that Dan Quinn (former Seattle DC now Atlanta’s coach) initiated talks with Seattle about Irvin.

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Hawks aren’t sure Irvin is worth $7.75 million

Salary cap logoAs expected, the Seahawks are not sure Bruce Irvin is worth $7.75 million.

That much is clear after John Schneider said Wednesday that they have not decided whether to pick up the 2016 option on the 2012 first-round player.

“Those options can be tricky,” the GM said. “That’s all I can get into right now.”

He might not want to get into it, but his meaning is clear: Picking up the option would set a baseline for any future contract negotiations while also forcing the Hawks to take a certain direction with their 2016 salary cap.

It’s hard to see the Hawks exercising the option when they don’t know what Russell Wilson’s contract will look like in 2016 and might not have decided what they are doing with Russell Okung.

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What do Jeanpierre, Bennett mean for draft?

NFL draftWith the draft now a little over a week away, some of the Seahawks’ positional concerns were highlighted Monday with the news that (a) Michael Bennett did not show up to offseason workouts, (b) the Hawks re-signed center Lemuel Jeanpierre and (c) the Hawks hosted speedy wide receiver Chris Conley last week.

Bennett’s absence — likely tied to his sudden dissatisfaction with his contract — is nothing to be concerned about now and won’t be unless he remains absent when training camp begins in July.

The only mandatory team event between now and then is the minicamp June 16-18. But if Bennett remains away, he clearly won’t be following up on his stated goal of “trying to be a good Seahawk.”

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Irvin or Okung? That is probably the question

Bruce Irvin intercepts a pass vs. Oakland (Getty)Do the Seahawks prefer Russell Okung or Bruce Irvin? Because — barring Marshawn Lynch retiring in 2016 — that is probably the choice they are going to have to make. By May 3.

The San Diego Chargers reportedly picked up the fifth-year option on linebacker Melvin Ingram on Tuesday, which raised the question of whether the Seahawks will do the same with Irvin by the May 3 deadline.

The smart money says no — unless the Hawks have decided they don’t want to re-sign Okung.

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Carroll’s State of the D-line Address

Michael Bennett (72), Bruce Irvin and Cliff Avril (rear) against San Diego in Week 2 (Getty)The defensive line was a major topic for Pete Carroll at the NFL owners meetings Wednesday, according to quotes passed along by Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.

Among the tidbits Carroll shared:

He talks to Michael Bennett regularly, and Bennett has not said anything about wanting to be traded.

Bennett apparently is unhappy with his deal, which Carroll probably knows, but Carroll repeated what the team and John Schneider have said: Bennett has not asked for a trade.

“We communicate regularly and I’m in touch with where Mike is and what’s going on,” Carroll said. “He hasn’t mentioned a thing about any of that. It’s never been part of the conversation. I’ll probably see Mike this week, maintain what’s going on. Like so many things that happen, those things come out of somewhere, but they are not coming out of the conversations that we have had.”

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Schneider talks Wilson, Mebane & more

John Schneider (via Fresh Files)At the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix on Monday, John Schneider shed some light on a few Seahawk mysteries, courtesy of Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. A quick review:

With Phase 2 of free agency nearly complete, the Hawks will pick up negotiations with Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner soon.

“Things are calming down a little bit, if you will, on the unrestricted front,” Schneider said, “so we are hoping to get with those guys and their representatives fairly soon.”

That basically shoots down the ESPN radio report from Friday that the Hawks are close to a deal with Wilson and is more in line with the report by Jason La Canfora of CBS that “talks between Wilson and the Seahawks have gone nowhere.”

According to La Canfora, “no real progress” has been made and sources say the quarterback is preparing as if he might have to play out his rookie contract, which will pay him $1.54 million in 2015.

La Canfora has suggested that Wilson might play out his rookie deal and potentially end up getting the franchise tag in 2016. That seems highly doubtful. Much more likely is the Hawks aim for a draft-week deadline, as they did with Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman last year.

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How serious is Bennett?

Michael Bennett and Drew RosenhausA year ago, before he re-signed with the Seahawks, Michael Bennett was asked whether he would give the Super Bowl champs a Dynasty Discount — i.e., take a little less money to stay on the NFL’s best defense and the new perennial Super Bowl favorite.

His reply: “There’s no such thing as a discount. This is not Costco. This is not Walmart. This is real life. There’s no discount, really, because you don’t go out there and give a discount effort. You go out there and give the best effort every day, you fight for your teammates, and you want to be compensated for the way you perform and the kind of teammate you are.”

But he did in fact give the Hawks a bit of a break, accepting a little less in a four-year deal worth $28.5 million, including $16 million guaranteed.

“I don’t think there’s any better situation, no matter how much money is involved,” he told 710 ESPN after signing.

But, after being paid $10 million in 2014, Bennett apparently has decided he wants to head back to Costco and trade the deal in for a new one.

That will not happen. Seattle general manager John Schneider made that clear with his stance against Marshawn Lynch last year.

The question then is this: How much of a stink does Bennett plan to make about his contract? Will he push for the rumored trade to Atlanta? And when he doesn’t get it, will he hold out like Lynch did last year? Or for longer? Or, is he just seeing what he can get and willing to go back to work for the deal he signed just one year ago?

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Roster analysis: Hawks are already better

Jimmy Graham scores against the SeahawksTwo weeks into the new NFL year, the Seahawks are already a better team — despite losing four starters and nine players overall from their 2014 roster.

Re-signing Marshawn Lynch and adding one of the league’s best tight ends will make any team’s offseason.

Sure, the Hawks lost cornerback Byron Maxwell, center Max Unger, guard James Carpenter, tight end Zach Miller and five others via free agency, trade or cut. But they replaced Maxwell with Cary Williams and Will Blackmon and satisfied their tight end/receiver need with their stunning trade for Jimmy Graham.

They’re still looking for help along the lines but otherwise appear to be moving on to the big extensions for Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner — as well as the draft, where they will get even better via 11 picks.

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