Offseasn Dramas

[RiverDog]

How about a thread that's actually about Seahawks football?

For starters, what's going to happen with Kam Chancellor? Do we renegotiate his contract? Stonewall it? Or does he get traded?

Michael Bennett is almost certainly going to what his deal renegotiated. He had a heck of a season this year and has been a monster for us ever since we brought him in.

Then there's our free agents: Okung, Irvin, Lane, Sweezy, Ryan, plus a number of lesser dramas like Mebane.

Are there any FA names not on our roster that we might go after?

[NorthHawk]

I've been wondering what peoples thoughts are as well.
Apparently, Chris Long is getting attention from contenders. It might be something that his agent has put out there, but teams like Seattle and the Pats often look at players that might have a few years left and something to prove.
I'm getting pessimistic again about Okung moving on, and I don't know how we can find a competent replacement for a full season (or part thereof) without paying a lot. No LT in the draft can be as effective from the start of the year can be found in the draft, but perhaps someone who can be the future might be found.
Playing together on the OL is more important than it looks, so losing the LT, and if Sweezy gets a good offer might cost us a lot of production early regardless of who replaces them.

Kam Chancellor might be on the move if we select a comparable SS. I hope not, but I doubt we redo his current contract this year.
Bennett does deserve another look at his contract. It's not just the production, but he contends that he was signed as a DE and he's being asked to also play DT in some situations. That he's effective at both and didn't hold out might send a message to others that you might be rewarded if you don't disrupt the continuity of the team.

I think we have to re-sign one of either Mebane or Rubin. Unfortunately for us, Hill hasn't been healthy for a full season. He's pretty good when he's able to play, but he's becoming like Okung in that he's got bad luck from injuries. We might draft a DT early if one is available, like Sheldon Rankins if he falls to us, or if they really like another like Kenny Clark or maybe Austin Johnson.

[mykc14]

How about a thread that's actually about Seahawks football?

For starters, what's going to happen with Kam Chancellor? Do we renegotiate his contract? Stonewall it? Or does he get traded?

Michael Bennett is almost certainly going to what his deal renegotiated. He had a heck of a season this year and has been a monster for us ever since we brought him in.

Then there's our free agents: Okung, Irvin, Lane, Sweezy, Ryan, plus a number of lesser dramas like Mebane.

Are there any FA names not on our roster that we might go after?

Great thread! There are a lot of story lines to follow. It will be really interesting to see what happens to Kam. I would be surprised to see him go elsewhere but not shocked. He has already shown he is willing to sit out games to get a new contract and that, whether the Hawks want to admit it or not, causes a distraction and is not good for the locker room.

It is also going to be very interesting to see what they do with Bennett. He recently fired his agent which clearly means he was unhappy with him, which makes sense because he clearly wasn't happy with his contract. It will be interesting to see what that means with his negotiations with the Hawks. He certainly has outplayed his contract but I can see why the Hawks don't want to set the precedent of re-doing a deal with more than 1 year left. I could see the Hawks treating this like they did Lynch a few years ago, moving money from the last year of his contract into next season. The fact that they did that with Beast would mean they wouldn't be starting a new precedent and it would get Bennett more $. It would also open the door to renegotiate next offseason.

I

[RiverDog]

Not too long ago, I didn't think there was a snowball's chance in the lower reaches of us bring Irvin back given the other irons we had in the fire and the offers he was likely to get, but recently he's indicated that he's willing to give the club a home town discount, quite a change of attitude since last season when he found out that the team wasn't picking up his option, and now with Beast retiring, there's going to be a bit more left in the budget, so who knows.

Patrick Lewis will be another interesting decision. He's not going to make any All Pro teams but it wasn't a coincidence that the resurgence of our offense coincided with a change at center after the Nowak experiment flopped. Do we bring him back? Can we afford to lose 3 starters on an already thin offensive line?

And what happens to Jimmy Graham? Has anyone heard how his rehab is going? If he comes back strong, do we keep trying to beat a round peg into a square hole or will we change his role?

[NorthHawk]

If you look at successful teams in almost every team sport, strength up the middle is key to long term success.
We had a real significant downgrade last year in losing Carpenter and Unger and it showed.
We're strong at MLB, DT, and QB, but we lack strength at the Guard and Center positions. Maybe Glowinski and Poole are ready to step in up front, but a real good Center in the draft could be an option.

I think Irvin will get some strong offers and I'm not sure we are in a position to compete. We might be OK with either or both Rubin and Mebane, but it remains to be seen.

With Graham, they have to play to his strengths. No more of this traditional blocking assignments that ended up being disastrous plays. Perhaps chipping on DE's, but his primary focus should be pass routes. He was starting to get it together with Russell when he scrambled just before he got hurt, but a lot depends on how fully he recovers from such an injury.

[monkey]

My thoughts in no particular order. Graham is a weapon, even if he's not much of a blocker, he's a legitimate offensive weapon. They'll figure it out with him, the bigger question is whether or not he can recover from the injury successfully, and early enough to even make it to camp. No one who knows about his progress is spilling the beans, (as I would expect from this tight lipped front office, and good on them!) so until someone says something, all we can do is speculate based on comparable cases. Injuries like his have actually ended careers, and tend to take quite some time to fully recover from. Having said that, sports medicine has come a long way.

My guess on the free agents we bring back, provided of course that the money is right in all cases.
I think Lane will be back, he showed he can play in our defense whether nickel or opposite Sherm.
I think Okung will price himself out and go elsewhere, but I do think the Seahawks will make a legitimate offer and try to get him back, because of the value of LT's.
I think Irvin is way gone, and the Seahawks likely won't even try hard to bring him back. They had the option to extend him last year and didn't want to, I see no reason that will change now, and Irvin thinks he's going to get paid. He might too, as his skill set would definitely fit quite nicely with several different defenses.
I would guess that the Seahawks make a run at keeping both Rubin and Mebane, but I doubt it's an overly serious run. Fortunately, this upcoming drafts biggest strength BY FAR is defensive tackles, and whether or not we get one of those guys back, it likely won't matter as much as we fans think. Through the draft the Seahawks will easily be able to fill the gap from one or maybe even both, and given the depth we have now, at least one player current under contract should fill the other gap easily enough.
I think the Seahawks would love to bring Jon Ryan back, I think they make him a legit offer.
My biggest question is with Sweezy...there are times when he's our best lineman, and other times when he is awful. He's gotten better every season, but he's also never quite reached the potential Cable saw in him. Will he get a bigger offer elsewhere? Possibly, though that's not a given. Do we even really want him back, given the lines inconsistencies? Probably, though that's not a given either, and certainly not for a big pay day.
Will Tukuafu will be brought back because of the Coleman hit and run case, and because we will need more than just Brandon Cottom from the practice squad as the lone FB. The fact that he can play D line is an added bonus that makes him more attractive to the Seahawks. Personally, I would like to see the Seahawks go out in free agency and pick up Mike Tolbert. I've always had made respect for that guy, he's a terrific FB who can block with the best of them, has great hands out of the backfield, and is a nasty power runner. I just cannot see Seattle spending money that is already tight on a FB though... Still, that would be a move I would be hugely in favor of.

I think this upcoming draft we will see even more focus on the lines than we did last year, which was HEAVILY focused on the offensive line. I also see us as being serious players in free agency for our offensive line. I would bet the house that we add at least one interior offensive lineman in free agency. At least one, maybe two, for sure one guard, and maybe a center. (Watch for New Orleans possibly releasing yet another offensive lineman, as they are cap tight, and this one is none other than Max Unger! If that happens the Seahawks will snap him up quickly.)
I think we handle the (likely) loss of Okung in the draft though, I would bet we draft our future LT.

As for the two malcontents, Kam and Bennett, obviously while they are both unhappy, and vocal about it, one of them handled it well while the other did not, holding out. My guess is that the Seahawks, while not really redoing Bennett's contract, may do what they did for Marshawn, and move around some of his money, and may even make some of his currently un-guaranteed money, guaranteed money. Both sides would then be able to say they got what they wanted, Bennett would get a better contract, and the Seahawks would still be able to say that they didn't give him any more money.
Kam on the other hand, I think he gets traded. Sad to say too, as he's been probably my favorite player to watch one the last four years. Has anyone delivered more bone jarring hits and big splashy plays over the last four years than Kam? If he does end up traded, I will be a very sad monkey for quite some time, it would rank up there with cutting Lofa Tatupu for me, but at the same time, I think it might be best to move on. His health has become a question mark lately, and as he ages and because of the position he plays, and the violent way he plays it, his health will become increasingly more of a question. Add to that the fact that, he's never been a great cover man, and has gotten worse in coverage (at least last season he stepped back) and the fact that his holdout forced Seattle to go get a guy who did a nice job replacing Kam, and I think we are probably going to move him.

[jshawaii22]

Well River, most of us were just waiting for you to stop arguing over some 18 year old kid's nekid nuts and butts...

Hopefully we can reSign Lane, Sweezy, Kearse, Ryan and redo Bennett... Try to keep Mebane and Ruben. Not sure about Kam. The trust may of been broken. Not sure about Bruce, if the market will pay him more then he's worth, no.

js

[obiken]

3 lines of thought on Kam and Benny. 1. No we stick our policy of no renegotiations until the last year of the contract. 2. We only renegotiate with Bennett because he stayed and Kam took off. 3. Because both are so valuable we renegotiate with both of them.
3 is a tough sell. You open the Pandora's box. 1. Is the most consistent moving forward. 2. Is IMHO the course the Hawks are going to take.

[Hawktawk]

Irvin is going to be a hot property. He is very disruptive as an edge rusher and everyone loves those types of guys. Hes been more of a complete player as well.I think he truly wants to stay in Seattle but he's going to make a lot of money if he goes on the open market. Bennett is the most disruptive force on the defense and must be paid. Kam scares me. I fear a Lynch type scenario with his physical style and the injuries beginning to mount.

I think its time to invest in the offensive line and ride the arm and legs of Russell P Wilson to greater glory. Many more savvy posters than myself can figure out how but that's where the priority is from my perspective.

[RiverDog]

Irvin is going to be a hot property. He is very disruptive as an edge rusher and everyone loves those types of guys. Hes been more of a complete player as well.I think he truly wants to stay in Seattle but he's going to make a lot of money if he goes on the open market. Bennett is the most disruptive force on the defense and must be paid. Kam scares me. I fear a Lynch type scenario with his physical style and the injuries beginning to mount.

I think its time to invest in the offensive line and ride the arm and legs of Russell P Wilson to greater glory. Many more savvy posters than myself can figure out how but that's where the priority is from my perspective.

Bruce is and OK edge rusher, but he's not the best edge rusher on our team (Avril is). It's the fact that he never really developed into that type of player that led to us not picking up his option. But I don't doubt that he'll draw interest as teams are as thirsty for Von Miller-type pass rushers as they are quarterbacks, and there's bound to be several teams that feel he can become that type of player in their system.

I'm like Obi in regards to Bennett and his contract. I don't like the principle of players reneging on contracts they've signed, but then again, Bennett is underpaid. IMO he's one of the top 3 or 4 front 7 players in the league, Watt and Miller being the only two that I can think of that I'd rank above him.

It's hard to say what our brain trust is thinking about Kam. I can't help but believe that they've been gauging interest in a potential trade but I'm not sure how many teams would be willing to pony up what it would take to get him, ie a first round pick. I think he stays.

[NorthHawk]

Teams with younger secondaries or think they need an 'Enforcer' presence would be the obvious landing spot for Kam should they want to move him.
I can see him helping in both Jacksonville and Atlanta - both obvious choices because they know him, but also because he could help both teams. The Jags in particular because it might be Bradley's last year if they don't improve.

[RiverDog]

Teams with younger secondaries or think they need an 'Enforcer' presence would be the obvious landing spot for Kam should they want to move him.
I can see him helping in both Jacksonville and Atlanta - both obvious choices because they know him, but also because he could help both teams. The Jags in particular because it might be Bradley's last year if they don't improve.

The Giants were being discussed as a possible landing spot, too, at least during the time Kam was holding out.

There's still a lot of people that feel that his holdout was due as much to his injury rehab as it was his contract, and he was active in helping support some of the younger players, too, so maybe all's over and forgotten. We'll see.

[Hawktawk]

Bruce is and OK edge rusher, but he's not the best edge rusher on our team (Avril is). It's the fact that he never really developed into that type of player that led to us not picking up his option. But I don't doubt that he'll draw interest as teams are as thirsty for Von Miller-type pass rushers as they are quarterbacks, and there's bound to be several teams that feel he can become that type of player in their system.

Irvin really hasn't had the opportunity to put his hand in the ground and come off the edge since his rookie season when he led all rooks with 8 sacks. As you say Avril is that guy for the Hawks. What Irvin has become is a very good starting LB who can cover in the passing game and grab the occasional int, come up in run support, and come off the edge or blitz very effectively.His lock down job of spying on Kap in the 2013 NFC title game was crucial to winning the game as well.

His cat quick speed does project to a Von Miller type burst off the edge if that was all he was asked to do, as has been pointed out by a few of the FA wonks in the media.A few more lbs. would help.

I am sure he would be better than he was 3 years ago pre Avril and he was missing several more sacks by a whisker here and there that season. If he learns to close the deal when he gets home he could be dominant .

I hope we can keep him, hes only going to improve.

[NorthHawk]

Avril has said he's only going to play 10 years and 2016 will be his 10th and the last year of his current contract.
Maybe that will spur our FO to make a bigger play for Irvin than they otherwise might. In any event, if Avril does pack it in, it's going to be difficult to replace him.

[monkey]

The main thing to remember when talking about who we will or will not keep is, we keep superstars, or players we feel are vital, all others, including players who would be considered mid level, or even upper mid level types of players, are allowed to walk, and be replaced by young cheap options.
We really have no middle class in this system, it's the top tier with guys like Sherman, Bennett, Thomas, etc... and then a bunch of guys who are on their rookie contracts, or guys we pick up on short, cheap contracts, and a bunch of cheap UDFA, or off the street guys who the rest of the NFL overlooked.
We allow guys like Golden Tate, Byron Maxwell, James Carpenter, etc... to just go when they are about to be paid. It is for that reason that I would bet any amount that Bruce Irvin is gone. It is for that same reason that there is a small chance the Seahawks consider Okung to be a top tier guy, and will resign him, (though I seriously doubt it, there is a small chance). It is for that reason that someone like Sweezy, who is pretty much the dictionary definition of mid level guy will walk, (unless he re-signs cheap, which we all know ain't gonna happen). Again it is for that reason that Jermaine Kearse, who many like quite a bit and who has made some of the most important catches in franchise history, will be allowed to walk. After all we have cheap young options waiting in the wings (Smith, Williams, Richardson, etc..) and a Tyler Lockett who can easily take his role (and in my opinion, vastly improve it).

I'd suggest we get used to this, seeing good players, guys we really like, leave in free agency is a sight we should all get used to seeing, because it's EXACTLY what the New England Patriots have done for years now, which has kept them at or near the top of the league for over a decade now.
It's a proven philosophy, one which I am SO FREAKING HAPPY to see the Seahawks employ, even if am a bit sad at seeing some of the departures. At least we know that guys like Earl and Sherm, and Wilson, the guys who really are the elite core of the team, WILL BE KEPT throughout their best years. Most of the true core of this team is already under lock and key through 2019 and some even beyond that.
What a golden age we are in right now! Cherish it.

[obiken]

Bruce is and OK edge rusher, but he's not the best edge rusher on our team (Avril is). It's the fact that he never really developed into that type of player that led to us not picking up his option. But I don't doubt that he'll draw interest as teams are as thirsty for Von Miller-type pass rushers as they are quarterbacks, and there's bound to be several teams that feel he can become that type of player in their system.

I'm like Obi in regards to Bennett and his contract. I don't like the principle of players reneging on contracts they've signed, but then again, Bennett is underpaid. IMO he's one of the top 3 or 4 front 7 players in the league, Watt and Miller being the only two that I can think of that I'd rank above him.

It's hard to say what our brain trust is thinking about Kam. I can't help but believe that they've been gauging interest in a potential trade but I'm not sure how many teams would be willing to pony up what it would take to get him, i.e. a first round pick. I think he stays.

I don't agree River, I think Kam is gone. I think Management has had it with him on the walkout. I would love to have him back.
We have to get OLineman.

[HumanCockroach]

Unless a team is willing to part with good compensation, Kam will be a Seahawk next season. Seems people have forgotten him being identified as a "core" player before Earl, Sherm and the like, to the point of holding a special press conference to announce it. They aren't about to just dump him. So unless a first round pick is offered ( and honestly a pick or two more) it isn't going to happen. There might be some teams that think they're a core, leader away from grasping a ring, that might actually be willing to do it. Maybe Pittsburgh would think another Palomalu can be had and lead their defense to a title, or a team of that nature, but the "cost" to pry him out of Seattle will be high, as for Irvin, it surprises me people continue to underestimate his value on this defense. Basically he plays two roles, and plays them exceedingly well. That said, other teams will recognise that as well and it will probably price him out of the Seahawks price range. I promise you if they can afford him, they'll do everything they can to do so. Just don't think that will be in the cards when everything is said and done.

Unfortunately, for many of those that desperately want offensive lineman drafted early and often, I foresee a lot of ire come draft time as early picks are expended attempting to replace a player that was already with the team. Pierre can't effectively play the strong side in run defense ( for examples pop in any of his starts, to the point that last year they chose to play Morgan instead of him. He may have played one of the worst games I have ever witnessed against KC in that regard, MUCH worse than Curry ever did, which is saying something) Clark can fill his role on 3rd down, but who then fills Clark's role ( as third down consisted of Bennett, Avril, Clark and Irvin at the end of the year). Clark can't fill both roles nor can he play LB, meaning it's a position that will HAVE to be filled, and pass rushing, 260 lb 4.5 guys aren't sitting there in the 5th round.

Truthfully, people should be hoping that many of Seattle's free agents can be signed, so they can focus on that line. Mid guys like Lane, Shead, Sweezy, Rubin, Micheal,Irvin etc SHOULD be priorities. They won't keep "all" of them, but 80% should bee the target, allowing them some room to address that line.

[RiverDog]

Truthfully, people should be hoping that many of Seattle's free agents can be signed, so they can focus on that line. Mid guys like Lane, Shead, Sweezy, Rubin, Micheal,Irvin etc SHOULD be priorities. They won't keep "all" of them, but 80% should bee the target, allowing them some room to address that line.

Speaking for myself, I'd love to resign all of our free agents. Although I don't feel nearly as good about our 2015 edition as I did our previous 3, we still have a pretty damn good squad. I'd gladly take my chances if we had the opportunity to stand pat in 2016.

But we have to be realistic, so I pretty much agree with what monkey is saying. Okung's going to have to be the top priority, not because he's such a great player worthy of core designation but simply because he's the most difficult of our current FA's to replace. It would be nice to get as many of those other guys back, but they're simply expendable when compared to a Pro Bowl left tackle.

So 80%? Yea, I'd call that a victory if we can get 4 of our top 5 FA's resigned. I don't think it happens, though. I'm willing to bet it's going to be closer to 50%.

[NorthHawk]

We often go for free agents - at least on the Defensive side, but we did pick up Giacomini early in this FO's tenure so maybe a name that isn't being talked about much is Mitchell Swartz from Cleveland. If they lose Okung, some people think they want to move Gilliam to LT and a veteran RT might be one answer. I'm not sure what he might cost, but there are some possibilities out there and if Pete is true to his word that the Offensive Line needs to be better at the beginning of the season, this might be an option.

[HumanCockroach]

Typically they avoid free agency all together until a player they covet has been twisting in the wind a while and can be signed to a low cost deal. Both Avril and Bennett were bargain basement signings, and beyond that not much else. There are rumors that Unger might be released already in NO, I would certainly be excited to get him back in the fold, as well as possibly Giacomini from the Jets. Both could come with "reasonable" price tags, know the expectations, environment and offensive checks and calls.

I doubt those rumblings come to fruition, and even if they did and Seattle restained Okung and Sweezy it wouldn't change the moaning about Seattle's line, but it would at least change the names of the "worthless" players for a year or two...

[HumanCockroach]

We often go for free agents - at least on the Defensive side, but we did pick up Giacomini early in this FO's tenure so maybe a name that isn't being talked about much is Mitchell Swartz from Cleveland. If they lose Okung, some people think they want to move Gilliam to LT and a veteran RT might be one answer. I'm not sure what he might cost, but there are some possibilities out there and if Pete is true to his word that the Offensive Line needs to be better at the beginning of the season, this might be an option.

Heck of a lot more FA players signed on the offensive side of the ball in Carroll and Schneiders tenure than defensive side. Unfortunately, they seem to be able to identify productive cheaper FA players on that side ( hitting on two of only three "starters" signed for that side Avril and Bennett) but there has been a SLEW of offensive guys signed that have been busts. Really the only signing on that side that wasn't a flop might have been Miller.

[NorthHawk]

I was thinking OL vs DL, but didn't make it clear.

[RiverDog]

Heck of a lot more FA players signed on the offensive side of the ball in Carroll and Schneiders tenure than defensive side. Unfortunately, they seem to be able to identify productive cheaper FA players on that side ( hitting on two of only three "starters" signed for that side Avril and Bennett) but there has been a SLEW of offensive guys signed that have been busts. Really the only signing on that side that wasn't a flop might have been Miller.

A pretty good indictment on that OL "genius" Tom Cable.

[mykc14]

I don't know if anybody posted this or not yet, but it looks like Bennett hired his new agent, Doug Hendrickson. If that name sounds familiar it is because that was/is Lynch's agent. The very same agent who negotiated Lynch's pay increase as he was holding out a few years ago. Hopefully this means that they will be able to work out something that works for both parties this offseason because the Hawks have been through this before with Hendrickson.

[RiverDog]

I don't know if anybody posted this or not yet, but it looks like Bennett hired his new agent, Doug Hendrickson. If that name sounds familiar it is because that was/is Lynch's agent. The very same agent who negotiated Lynch's pay increase as he was holding out a few years ago. Hopefully this means that they will be able to work out something that works for both parties this offseason because the Hawks have been through this before with Hendrickson.

Didn't I read somewhere that Lynch's agent recently took some cheap shots at Russell Wilson via Twitter then later deleted them? Is that the same guy?

[mykc14]

Didn't I read somewhere that Lynch's agent recently took some cheap shots at Russell Wilson via Twitter then later deleted them? Is that the same guy?

Yep, same guy. He tweeted that Wilson needed to pull his head out of his a$$ during the first half of the first cardinals game. Real professional, lol.

[HumanCockroach]

Nope not professional, not wrong ( I think they had like 27 yards of total offense at that point and gave the Cards 10 points all by themselves) but not in the least professional.

[SalmonBB]

I think we're going to let a lot of guys go. We need the cap space, and while the team is still somewhat young, we seem to have lost a bit of the hunger that was a trademark of the previous two years. They're still the epitome of resilience in the NFL, but I think that PC and JS will probably be looking to get younger and will be willing to let some guys go. I wouldn't be surprised to see both Kam and Bennett go. In my mind, it'd be smart. The philosophy of this team is its greatest strength - not any individual player (I'd make an exception for the QB, only because you have to hold on to a good one when you have them).

I think Irvin will be gone, although he has risen as a real force, so we might reconsider. I think Sweezy will stay; he's under-rated, not known outside the Seahawks, and we'll keep him for a reasonable price. I think Kam or Bennett will go, but probably not both. Okung ... wow ... maybe he's a franchise guy ... but's he not a long term big contract guy due to his proclivity to get injured, but he certainly helps when on the field. Take or leave Ryan, but this was not a good year for him ... if you watched him closely, you'll notice he'd hit between the 12 and 15 on pooch punts where he should have been hitting the 5-7. Bottom line: there's no one on this year's FA list that we HAVE to keep, and there's a few that should probably walk regardless.

GO SEAHAWKS!!!

[NorthHawk]

The CAP is now $155.3 million, up about $12 million from last year.
Lynch retiring cleared up another $6 million or so, so that's $18 million extra right off the top.
If Okung goes as some expect, that's another $7.28 million, and Irvin was $2.8 million.
That's around $28 million for those 3 players alone.
I think Okung will be gone as another team will probably outbid us, but we might be able to keep Irvin if the numbers are close.

Looking at the Franchise/Transition tags for some sort of reference (not that he would necessarily get that), the following are the numbers for this year:
Defensive end: $15.701 million/$12.734 million.
Linebacker: $14.129 million/$11.925 million.

I could see him triple his salary to between $7.5 and $8.5 million/year depending on the guarantees, length of contract, and bonuses.
I don't know if we would be in the market at that amount, though KJ Wright is making about 6 million this year and 7 & 8 million in 2017 and 2018, so it might be in the ball park.

[c_hawkbob]

Every year people say we need cap space. Right now we've got $23.3M before factoring in Lynch's retirement or any other potential cap moves. I think Pete and John can pretty much do what they want with that as a starting point.

[RiverDog]

Every year people say we need cap space. Right now we've got $23.3M before factoring in Lynch's retirement or any other potential cap moves. I think Pete and John can pretty much do what they want with that as a starting point.

Honest question: Is that before the increase in the cap, which to my understanding is going to be around $11M?

[mykc14]

Honest question: Is that before the increase in the cap, which to my understanding is going to be around $11M?

That's after the increase in cap. With lynch's $ we will come in at almost $30 mil. Plenty of room to sign what we need.

[RiverDog]

That's after the increase in cap. With lynch's $ we will come in at almost $30 mil. Plenty of room to sign what we need.

Thanks!

[NorthHawk]

I believe it's using this years CAP numbers.
The top 51 contracts currently total $128,690,765
I believe numbers reflect Lynch's retirement so with Dead Cap numbers factored in we have, like Bob said about $23.3 million at this stage - according to Spotrac.

[mykc14]

I believe it's using this years CAP numbers.
The top 51 contracts currently total $128,690,765
I believe numbers reflect Lynch's retirement so with Dead Cap numbers factored in we have, like Bob said about $23.3 million at this stage - according to Spotrac.

No, that 23 mil is before lynch's retirement is taken into account. Here's a link from spotrac, if you look at the player cap hits it still has lynch at 11.5 mil (third highest on the team). When he does officially fill out the retirement paperwork the hawks will save about 6.5 mil putting their space (if the cap goes up to 155 mil) at just under 30 mil(unless they cut, sign, extend, or redo a contract before then).

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/seattle-seahawks/cap/

[curmudgeon]

I think they move away from Jimmy and recoup a big cap hit, giving them some flexibility w/retaining their own or looking at FA RBs.........

[c_hawkbob]

I think they move away from Jimmy and recoup a big cap hit, giving them some flexibility w/retaining their own or looking at FA RBs.........

I don't think Pete's done with the Jimmy experiment yet.

[obiken]

I think they move away from Jimmy and recoup a big cap hit, giving them some flexibility w/retaining their own or looking at FA RBs.........

We should Curmy, but we wont. I agree with C-Bob, Pete isn't done yet.