Sherman trade seems very unlikely, but it is an odd year, after all

John Schneider draftingJohn Schneider likes to make unexpected blockbuster deals in odd years.

In 2011, he gave big contracts to Sidney Rice and Zach Miller. In 2013, he acquired Percy Harvin and then signed Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. In 2015, he made another huge trade to get Jimmy Graham. So what’s he going to do in 2017?

One former NFL exec thinks he might trade Richard Sherman.

It’s an idea plenty of fans have bandied around ever since the egomaniacal Sherman started going off the emotional rails last season. Now Michael Lombardi, who has bounced around the league for 30 years, says his sources indicate the Seahawks are open to trading Sherman.

Continue reading Sherman trade seems very unlikely, but it is an odd year, after all

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

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.

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

Baldwin: Hawks had nothing left for final game in Atlanta

seahawks-falconsOne of the things the Seahawks absolutely must do if they are going to become a Super Bowl team again — and stop their slow but steady slide — is get their heads straight.

The last two years, they have been distracted and dysfunctional. In 2015, it was Kam Chancellor’s holdout and the residual disappointment from the Super Bowl XLIX debacle. In 2016, injuries and frustration held the Hawks back — stopped two wins short of the Super Bowl again.

Chancellor addressed the team’s misdirected angst right after the blowout loss to Atlanta in the divisional playoff, and Doug Baldwin added to those comments Tuesday on 710 ESPN, saying the team basically had run out of steam by the time it faced the Falcons.

Continue reading Baldwin: Hawks had nothing left for final game in Atlanta

Carroll: ‘I want to be physical’

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.”

Continue reading Carroll: ‘I want to be physical’

Did the Seahawks get this Eddie Lacy?

Here are some of Eddie Lacy’s runs from the NFC title game in January 2015 — the game in which the Seahawks rallied to beat Lacy and the Packers in overtime.

Continue reading Did the Seahawks get this Eddie Lacy?

Carroll: Lacy a ‘big guy’ who will ‘send a message’

Logo -- Free agencyEddie Lacy is a “big, tough guy who’s going to send a message” as the Seahawks look to get their running game back on track, Pete Carroll said today.

“We’ve respected his play for years,” Carroll told 710 ESPN’s John Clayton. “He’s really tough and he’s physical and a big load. He’s an exciting guy to add to the mix.”

Carroll said Lacy will mix with Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise and whoever else the Hawks have at running back when they get started. “We’ll find a good rotation to help everybody out,” Carroll said.

Continue reading Carroll: Lacy a ‘big guy’ who will ‘send a message’

Cook visit is not about Graham

Logo -- Free agencyIt’s crazy how some people just can’t wait for the Seahawks to get rid of Jimmy Graham.

When news of Jared Cook’s visit broke, the immediate reaction by some fans was: “The Seahawks are planning to cut or trade Graham.”

Of course, that is all poppycock. Even if the Hawks had not just paid Graham a $2 million roster bonus, they were never going to cut him. And a trade is very unlikely, too. John Schneider was pretty clear at the Combine: Graham will be with the Seahawks in 2017.

The Cook visit was more about Luke Willson — either as a possibility to replace him or as leverage to get him to take Seattle’s offer.

Continue reading Cook visit is not about Graham

Seahawks showing their desperation

Logo -- Free agencyThe Seahawks are desperate — and it shows.

So desperate that they guaranteed $7 million to a lineman who played just four games in 2016 and has no proven position worth that.

Rumor had it they offered $9.5 million a year to T.J. Lang, a 29-year-old guard coming off hip surgery, but they reportedly offered just $8 million.

They missed out on Lang, certainly the more proven of the two, and apparently are 100 percent confident Luke Joeckel will start for them in 2017 — despite that fact that he busted out at left tackle in Jacksonville and then suffered an ACL injury while playing at left guard last season.

You don’t guarantee $7 million unless you fully expect the player to start every game. The $8 million total payout would put Joeckel in the middle of the NFL’s left tackle salary scale; if he ends up at left guard, it would put him in the top five; at right tackle, he would be No. 3. Considering his undistinguished four-year career, it looks like a prove-it deal at left tackle.

Continue reading Seahawks showing their desperation

Are the Hawks close to achieving their top goal?

Logo -- Free agencyThe Seahawks might actually come out of the first weekend of free agency with one of their primary goals — adding better experience to their offensive line — fully accomplished.

On Saturday, the team announced the signing of Luke Joeckel and finished meeting with T.J. Lang, who reportedly had a “great” get-together and could give them an answer Sunday.

In a positive sign, Lang followed the Seahawks on Twitter after the trip (he did not follow the Lions after visiting them).

The Packers and Falcons also were interested in Lang, who figures to get around $8 million a year — possibly with some play-time incentives due to his recent hip surgery.

Continue reading Are the Hawks close to achieving their top goal?

Hawks can afford moves they need to make

Salary cap logoAs the Seahawks get busy trying to infuse some varsity talent into their JV offensive line and perhaps add a veteran running back, defensive tackle and safety — and then potentially address extensions for three stars — plenty of fans are wondering just how much of this they can afford.

The short answer: All of it.

Continue reading Hawks can afford moves they need to make