Our impending Free Agents

[Steady_Hawk]

After watching the interview with Bennett on the NFL.com site I do not feel he'll will be wearing Seahawk Blue next year. The guy gambled on himself and it will pay off handsomely. We won't use the Franchise tag because that would double his salary to 10 Mil.

I think what's really going to happen is this. We let more people go than most expect and continue to bring in fresh blood via the draft and do exactly what we did this last year. Bring in veterans who, similar to Bennett, wish to prove themselves on a big stage for a top tier contract or a real chance at a SB ring. Either way, we really are sitting in the drivers seat. When guys sign one year deals like Bennett did, they play out of their minds. We got the very best he had to offer. Now, it may be time to get that production from another hungry player. If people are really honest with themselves, they have to realize in order to keep the core players together guys like Bennett will have to be let go. BTW, Tate will be gone too IMO. He's going to get some very hefty offers. I see him signing a 6.5 Mil per year somewhere else. I think it's Baldwin who ends up signing a LTD in Seattle.

I read somewhere that Chicago will most likely cut Peppers due to his salary? Maybe a guy like that wants a one year semi cheap deal at a SB ring? I dunno, but I think this team will have a lot of moving parts with very similar results if we play our cards right. Always Compete!

[Eaglehawk]

After watching the interview with Bennett on the NFL.com site I do not feel he'll will be wearing Seahawk Blue next year. The guy gambled on himself and it will pay off handsomely. We won't use the Franchise tag because that would double his salary to 10 Mil.

I think what's really going to happen is this. We let more people go than most expect and continue to bring in fresh blood via the draft and do exactly what we did this last year. Bring in veterans who, similar to Bennett, wish to prove themselves on a big stage for a top tier contract or a real chance at a SB ring. Either way, we really are sitting in the drivers seat. When guys sign one year deals like Bennett did, they play out of their minds. We got the very best he had to offer. Now, it may be time to get that production from another hungry player. If people are really honest with themselves, they have to realize in order to keep the core players together guys like Bennett will have to be let go. BTW, Tate will be gone too IMO. He's going to get some very hefty offers. I see him signing a 6.5 Mil per year somewhere else. I think it's Baldwin who ends up signing a LTD in Seattle.

I read somewhere that Chicago will most likely cut Peppers due to his salary? Maybe a guy like that wants a one year semi cheap deal at a SB ring? I dunno, but I think this team will have a lot of moving parts with very similar results if we play our cards right. Always Compete!

I agree with one caveat: be careful of what you wish for. That being said. It is not so easy. Guys like Bennet really got the job done for us. If we let him go, its okay. Now we are dealing with potentially unknowns again. We are in the drivers seat, but who will we pick up along the road? Who are these guys? No one knows until training camp. At least Bennet would have been a known factor. But good for him, he deserves his big payday. He deserves it.

Patriots system worked when they were cheating. Not so much when they stopped.
But they still get to the playoffs each year. With new blood every year on their team. That is consistency.
PC and JS have been very lucky with their picks. As you stated elsewhere Steady, you build your team from a core, then bring in the hungry mofos that want to prove themselves to the world. Yeah. the ones with the chip on their shoulders. They like these type of guys. It motivates them. Lucky for us PC and JS have their PhD's in scouting.
Even better than the Pats.

[HumanCockroach]

I think one of the most overlooked aspects of all of this is the facts that many are assuming these enormous paydays for these players without looking at the way things have played out in FA the last couple years. Yes some players will indeed get big paydays, however, not a ton of players do, and that IMHO is a factor in how free agency is going to work moving forward. I am not convinced that Bennett and Tate ( or really any other potential fa) is going to get vastly overpaid across the NFL. Tate is not going to get Vincent Jackson type offers, Bennett is not going to get Williams type offers, it simply is not going to happen. I think it is important to recognise the new CBA and how it is designed to limit FA spending, and how that impacts those inflated type deals.

Doesn't mean Seattle will be able to keep them by any means, just means that the range will be more reasonable than many here seem to be assuming.

[Steady_Hawk]

It's pretty unnerving to look at, but let's imagine and simplify some average cap costs a year from now.

Russell Wilson---18 Mil avg

Richard Sherman---12 Mil avg

Earl Thomas---8 Mil avg

Percy Harvin---12 Mil avg

Kam Chancellor 6 Mil avg

These are our core players. Guys who may be the best at their position or are getting there. Just these five guys alone add up to 56 Mil. Then you have to remember the 31 players who are not starters, and if they all somehow only made the league minimum you're looking at 17 Mil right there. That adds up to 73 Mil. That's where it makes it almost impossible to keep guys like Bennett if they're looking for a monster payday. 126.3 Mil is the last I have read on the projected 2014 salary cap, so the big question is how do you spread 53.3 Mil to 17 starters? That doesn't even factor Okung who makes close to 10 MIl and Unger who's making close to 6 Mil. What about KJ and Wagner? Like I said before, we are going to see a lot of players we like go to new teams just to keep the cap functional. The only good thing about all of this is other teams suffer from this as well. I was hoping to see a large cap increase via tv contract revenue but it doesn't look too promising.

[NorthHawk]

It's pretty unnerving to look at, but let's imagine and simplify some average cap costs a year from now.

Russell Wilson---18 Mil avg

Richard Sherman---12 Mil avg

Earl Thomas---8 Mil avg

Percy Harvin---12 Mil avg

Kam Chancellor 6 Mil avg

These are our core players. Guys who may be the best at their position or are getting there. Just these five guys alone add up to 56 Mil. Then you have to remember the 31 players who are not starters, and if they all somehow only made the league minimum you're looking at 17 Mil right there. That adds up to 73 Mil. That's where it makes it almost impossible to keep guys like Bennett if they're looking for a monster payday. 126.3 Mil is the last I have read on the projected 2014 salary cap, so the big question is how do you spread 53.3 Mil to 17 starters? That doesn't even factor Okung who makes close to 10 MIl and Unger who's making close to 6 Mil. What about KJ and Wagner? Like I said before, we are going to see a lot of players we like go to new teams just to keep the cap functional. The only good thing about all of this is other teams suffer from this as well. I was hoping to see a large cap increase via tv contract revenue but it doesn't look too promising.

I had read somewhere that the Cap was expected to increase next year by about 7 million. And that was before the new contract with CBS for sharing Thursday night Football.

[Steady_Hawk]

I hope you're right North! That would help out a lot.

[HumanCockroach]

There has to be a complete look at the cap. Fair to say these players will command that salary ( though to lump them together before knowing what the cap will be in two or three years seems a touch off to me) that said, there is alway money coming OFF the cap as well, worrying about what will be paid 3 years down the road, while not factoring in the amount of money that will be removed from the cap, or what the cap will be at that time seems a little bit like panicking just for the sake of doing it. Rice, Miller, Lynch, Bryant, etc probably will not be here when the 18 million avg. Wilson (which is where I think it will land as well) comes due in two years, seems to me at least to be doable.

There is more room in the cap to work, than many realise, and their are employees whose sole job is to make it work, not saying that everyone can get paid, but the core group can indeed be retained should they want to do so.

[burrrton]

Like others have said, cap issues aren't unique to the Hawks- everyone deals with that.

And let's be clear, our depth isn't wholly, or even predominately, due to the cap space created by some of our best players being bargains right now. It was created by creating a great team out of low-round/undrafted-FA players in addition to good FA pick-ups.

If you think that was all luck the last 4 years, yeah, you could argue that depth will vanish over time.

I think, however, it was due to a good eye for talent and an ability to develop players to your system.

As such, I'm optimistic about our ability to get those we need paid and stay good/great.

[NorthHawk]

Here's a link to the 2013 CAP info for the Seahawks.

http://www.overthecap.com/teamcap.php?T ... &Year=2014

Only 19 players costing 1 million or more towards the Cap.
It's interesting how they put this team together.