12th Man Rising
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Demarco Murray to the Seahawks? No thank you!

By Keith Myers

Dec 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray (29) looks on from the sidelines during a break in the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray (29) looks on from the sidelines during a break in the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The rumored interest to move Demarco Murray to the Seahawks makes no sense whatsoever for Seattle.

Demarco Murray wants out of Philadelphia. One of his potential landing spots, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, would be the Seattle Seahawks

If you’re not someone who follows the Seahawks, this probably makes a lot of sense. Marshawn Lynch is on his way out. The Seahawks’ championship window is still wide open, so getting a veteran and proven replacement would be ideal, right?

The problem with that logic is that it doesn’t take into account what is the true state of the Seahawks. The team doesn’t need to “replace Lynch.” Lynch wasn’t the top RB in Seattle last season.

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That distinction belongs to Thomas Rawls. Rawls led the team in rushing yards in last season. He also led the entire NFL in yards per carry. The Seahawks don’t need a new starting RB. They already have one.

Seattle also isn’t exactly flush with salary cap space. They have a lot of free agents that must be either replaced or re-signed. An overpriced running back is luxury the team cannot afford right now.

Murray is due to make $7 million next year. That’s around $5.5 million more than it’ll cost to bring back Christine Michael to be Rawls’ backup. Consequently, it is also about $5.5 million more than the Seahawks can afford to spend on a backup RB.

And then there’s the issue of compensation guarantees. All $7 million of his 2016 salary is guaranteed. $2 million of his 2017 salary is also guaranteed. That means that there’s no way Murray will be willing to take a pay cut. He’d be better off declining it and getting released and keeping the money.

And all of this is before we even get into his on-field performance from last season. Murray ran for only 3.6 yards per carry last season. Ryan Matthews ran for 5.1 yards per carry behind the same offensive line.

So we’re talking about a mostly ineffective player, who is massively overpaid, won’t take a pay cut, and doesn’t play a position where Seattle needs help? Umm.. No thanks. We’re really not interested.

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