Carroll: No reports on Wilson deal are correct

March 26, 2015 cc Leave a comment

If Pete Carroll is to be taken at his absolute word, we can infer three things about Russell Wilson’s contract extension:

1 — It is not close to being finished.

2 — Wilson will not play out his rookie contract.

3 — His deal will not be fully guaranteed.

At the owners meetings on Wednesday, Carroll basically shot down all reports about Wilson talks, saying, “There are no big claims about what we are doing that have been made that are accurate.’’

That clearly was directed at ESPN, which reported last week that the sides were close to a deal, and at CBS, which reported this week that talks “have gone nowhere” and Wilson probably would play out the final year of his rookie contract. It also might have been a refutation of speculation that the Hawks will guarantee all of Wilson’s contract.

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State of the team, The roster

Carroll’s State of the D-line Address

March 25, 2015 cc Leave a comment

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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Contracts, Free agency, NFL draft, The roster

Schneider talks Wilson, Mebane & more

March 24, 2015 cc Leave a comment

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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Contracts, State of the team, The roster

How serious is Bennett?

March 24, 2015 cc Leave a comment

A 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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NFL draft

It’s official: Seahawks get four comp picks for the first time

March 23, 2015 cc Leave a comment

It’s official. The Seahawks received four compensatory draft picks when they were announced today and will have 11, as expected.

It’s the first time since comp picks were introduced in 1994 — the year after salary-cap free agency was introduced in the NFL — that Seattle has netted the maximum four. Teams receive comp picks if they suffer a net loss of qualifying free agents in the previous offseason.

The Hawks are one of three teams with the maximum four comp picks this year (also Denver and Kansas City). They figure to get four more in 2016, based on their free-agent losses this year. And they could end up with a few more in 2017.

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State of the team, The roster

Roster analysis: Hawks are already better

March 22, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Two 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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Contracts

Wilson deal is coming: What will it look like?

March 20, 2015 cc Leave a comment

If scuttlebutt is to be believed, the Seahawks are closing in on their much-anticipated contract extension for Russell Wilson.

The Hawks are almost sure to have it nailed down in the next month. Last year, they finished up big extensions for Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman the week before the draft.

Both of those deals were market-setting, and Wilson figures to get a very lucrative deal as well. The question everyone wants answered: What might it look like?

General manager John Schneider has given some clues over the past month or so.

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Free agency, NFL draft, The roster

Will Rubin replace Mebane? And what’s the long-term plan?

March 19, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Even if Ahtyba Rubin is
displacing Brandon Mebane, the Seahawks need to address the nose tackle position long term — most likely in the draft.

The Hawks reportedly are bringing in Rubin on a one-year, prove-it deal — not unlike the contract Michael Bennett signed in 2013.

Rubin, 28, is a big-time run stopper who tallied 80 tackles twice in seven seasons with the Cleveland Browns and was making more than $6 million a year. The Hawks are paying him about half that, especially considering they apparently think $5.5 million is too much to pay the 30-year-old Mebane. (Update: Rubin reportedly will make up to $3.1 million.)

Whether they keep both players or pair Rubin with Tony McDaniel (making $3 million) and send Mebane the way of former Seahawks draft picks Red Bryant and Max Unger, it is obvious the Hawks need to address the position beyond this year.

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Free agency, The roster

If Jackson leaves, is Daniels the backup QB?

March 19, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks want Tarvaris Jackson back as Russell Wilson’s backup and he reportedly would like to come back, but the Hawks apparently are not offering him enough to return.

That explains why Jackson is visiting the Miami Dolphins, who are exploring options to replace free agent Matt Moore.

If Jackson ends up signing with Miami, what would the Seahawks do?

Three options: (1) Save a roster spot by using B.J. Daniels as a utility QB/KR/WR, (2) sign a veteran, (3) draft a quarterback.

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Free agency, Trades

Are Bennett/Hardy reports driven by Rosenhaus?

March 17, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Drew Rosenhaus
appears to be creating quite the drama
surrounding the
Seahawks today,
apparently telling a Dallas reporter that Michael Bennett wants the Seahawks to trade him to Atlanta, where he would want a new contract, and the Seahawks are meanwhile prepared to match any offer the Dallas Cowboys make to social pariah Greg Hardy.

Rosenhaus is the agent for both Bennett and Hardy, and it seems clear he is using Dallas reporter Clarence Hill as a way to improve the market for Hardy, the mercurial defensive end who is still unsigned because of a domestic-assault case and potential NFL suspension.

Per Hill, Bennett wants a new contract and trade to the Falcons, who are now coached by former Seattle DC Dan Quinn. And Hill also reported, via KJR radio, that the Hawks are willing to match any offer the Cowboys make for Hardy.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, have told local reporters they have not heard from Bennett about a trade request (but no word on whether he wants more money). The Hawks also have said their contact with Hardy (i.e., Rosenhaus) has been mere “due diligence.”

So what is the truth/logic behind all of this drama?

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