John 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.
Continue reading Is Schneider planning big offensive additions?
Fifteen months after giving Michael Bennett a new contract, the Seahawks are going to trade him.
Why? Not because his play has dropped off, obviously. More likely because they want to get younger and “quieter” in the locker room.
Seattle didn’t get much for the Pro Bowl end — a fifth and fast, young receiver Marcus Johnson (while flipping a seventh to Philadelphia as well). One report indicated the Patriots tried to offer a third for Bennett and a fifth, but it sounds like the Seahawks had a deal with the Eagles before the Patriots came along and the Seahawks didn’t want to renege on the Eagles.
No 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.
Continue reading As expected, Schneider is letting Sheldon go
John 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.
John Schneider is focused on moving younger players into the Seahawks’ lineup, which is why he is willing to move aging stars.
Two of his big points Friday at the Combine were about (1) trying to find a way to bridge the big draft gap created by the “go for it” injury-replacement deals for Sheldon Richardson and Duane Brown and (2) getting recent draft picks to pull their weight.
Schneider also said he wants to keep Richardson (he met with his agents Thursday night) but was not planning “at this point” to use the franchise tag on him by Tuesday’s deadline. “We have time,” he said, “but we have more people that we have to talk to this weekend. We’re not done with all our meetings.”
“We’re going to be in every deal. … You don’t want to miss any opportunity.” — John Schneider
John Schneider is using every element of the Combine to try to improve his Seahawks this weekend. That includes soliciting offers from teams on some of his veteran stars.
“Part of our challenge right now … is sustaining our level of success that we’ve had,” Schneider said. “And we are just open to anything.”
The Seahawks are shopping Michael Bennett, and some expect Earl Thomas to be traded as well (Schneider met with his reps Thursday night).
At this point, it seems pretty clear that the Seahawks are going to part ways with Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett — a stalwart of the best era in team history.
John Schneider reportedly is shopping Bennett at the Combine, apparently set on trying to get something for the 32-year-old while he still has some value — and before the Seahawks have to pay a $3 million roster bonus March 18.
Why would any team trade for him? Because he can still play — as his 8.5 sacks in 2017 amid a serious foot injury can attest. He also would be a cheap pickup this year, costing a team just $5.65 million. His salaries are just $6 million in 2019 and $7.5 million in 2020 — and any acquiring team can get out with no cap ramifications.
Continue reading Possible destinations for Bennett in a trade
By the time Seattle’s prospective new NHL team likely plays its first game in 2020, Pete Carroll should be a month into his third contract with the Seahawks.
Carroll, 66, has just two years left on his current deal, but it’s obvious he plans to coach beyond that. He reportedly told Paul Allen after the season that he is “all in” on flipping the Seahawks’ direction back toward the Super Bowl.
He wouldn’t have completely revamped the top of his coaching staff if he thought he was going to retire after the 2019 season. He wouldn’t have hired Brian Schottenheimer, Mike Solari and Ken Norton Jr. with the promise of only two years — “Hey, guys, come up to Seattle for a cup of coffee before you get kicked to the curb when I retire in 2020.”
No way. He knows he wants to keep going, and that’s why he switched up his staff. He needed new blood to keep his own boiling.
Continue reading ‘Energized’ by new staff, Carroll has more than two years left
“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).
Richard Sherman is recovering from another Achilles surgery but expected to be ready for training camp, Chris Carson and George Fant are both on pace to return healthy and there are no new updates on Kam Chancellor, Cliff Avril or Malik McDowell.
Those were the major injury updates from Pete Carroll at the Combine today.
CHAWK TALK: Everything being said about the Seahawks 