Seahawks Re-sign Breno Giacomini

Backup offensive tackle Breno Giacomini has agreed to an extension with the Seattle Seahawk. The deal will pay him $1.5 million in 2012 and $3 million in 2013.

While re-signing Giacomini wasn’t necessarily a priority, it was near the top of the Seahawks wish list. Giacomini filled in admirably once starter James Carpenter was placed on injured reserve. He struggled at first, but showed remarkable improvement with each game. The guys at Pro-Football Focus even rated him as the best tackle in the NFC in week 15.

The money involved in this deal indicated that Giacomini wont be spending the entirety of this deal on the bench. Carpenter isn’t likely to be ready to play at the beginning of the season, so Giacomini goes into 2012 as the likely starter at RT. If Giacomini establishes himself enough to keep the starting job after that, he’ll get a nice raise for 2013. If not, then he’ll be overpaid for a backup and likely released, allowing him to look for another opportunity to start.

This deal shows that the Seahawks aren’t fully committed to James Carpenter as the long term RT anymore. Carpenter struggled for most of year until his injury, and never really improved. Carpenter seems better fit to move inside and play guard. If Giacomini sticks at RT, then Carpenter likely becomes the team’s LG once the Seahawks decide to move on from Robert Gallery.

Giacomini is the first of 18 free agents that the Seahawks have to be signed.