Seahawks' Bruce Irvin Still Wants Out of Seattle

The pre-draft rumors that the Seahawks were shopping Bruce Irvin, with the Atlanta Falcons the most obvious suitor, had all but died to a whisper…….. before Irvin himself went and threw a barrel of gasoline on the fire.

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While attending the Atlanta Hawks playoff game last night, Irvin told Samuel Logan of blacksportsonline.com he wanted out of Seattle when his contract expires after the 2015 season.

"“I’m going to be in Atlanta next season. I’m ready, Atlanta is where I want to be. Believe that.” Bruce Irvin"

A move to the Falcons makes sense for Irvin on many levels. The area is home to him, and his old Defensive Coordinator with the Seahawks, Dan Quinn, is the new Head Coach in Atlanta.

What doesn’t make sense is why Irvin won’t grow up and shut up.

The Seahawks may have brought some of this on themselves by not picking up Irvin’s 2016 option. But at a cost of nearly $8 million bucks, that option just didn’t make sense. Not for a guy who was drafted in the first round to be a terrorizing pass rusher but has instead become merely a solid Outside Linebacker.

And not for a guy who just refuses to learn how to be a pro.

Memo to Irvin: You’re playing for one of the elite teams in the league, a perennial Super Bowl contender with a player-first culture that other players would give anything to be a part of. The Seahawks selected you higher than anyone expected, and have made you a very rich young man. They took a chance on you when you had numerous off-field concerns and there were other teams who wouldn’t touch you, at least not as high in the draft as they did. Want to move on next year? Fine. Be a good teammate, and be a professional. Keep your mouth shut and play football.

PS: Are you sure Atlanta WANTS you to play for them? Because if you are, well………. are the Falcons guilty of tampering?

Does this put the Seahawks in a tough spot? It may. Just yesterday I listed Irvin as one of those players in a contract year who would be motivated to play his ass off for a new payday. Now I wonder if he may be less-than-motivated, playing out the string until he gets his perceived shot to play a bigger role in Quinn’s defense. I’m not concerned with how they’ll replace him in 2016, he’s replaceable. I’m worried about the effect a one-foot-out-the-door Irvin could have on the 2015 locker room.

In the story, Logan also mentioned that he believes the team is still open to, maybe even trying to, still trade him. This makes little sense unless the team believes he could be a negative influence. The return they could expect now, after all the clubs have filled out their rosters with draftees and free agents, would likely be less than they could get simply letting him walk next year. Depending on the size of the deal he would get, it’s possible a 4th round compensation pick would be coming back Seattle’s way next Spring.

It’s also possible the Seahawks could elect to use the Franchise or Transition tag on Irvin. But with deals coming up for Russell Okung, J.R. Sweezy, and the still-not-extended-yet Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, Irvin is way down the pecking order.

The bottom line here is that Irvin is almost certainly entering his final year as a Seahawk.

Here’s hoping he eventually learns to talk less, and just play.

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Seahawks’ Bruce Irvin Still Wants Out of Seattle

By Dan Viens | May 14, 2015

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