Bruce Irvin as good as gone from the Seahawks

John Schneider addressed the media at the NFL combine, and his comments on Bruce Irvin weren’t exactly optimistic about a his return to Seattle.

John Schneider met with the media on Wednesday at the NFL combine. When the topic turned to free agent linebacker Bruce Irvin, Schneider was surprisingly honest.

"“I love Bruce. it really, truly is a big puzzle we have to work through.“I’ve met with Bruce individually. He knows how we feel about him as an organization. He knows that we are either going to be able to make it work — or we are just going to give him a big hug and congratulate him.“That’s just the way this league is right now.”"

That is about as clear as a general manager will be this time of year. The Seahawks do not have the cap room to give Irvin the salary he deserves, and another team will certainly do so.

The Seahawks drafted Irvin to be a defensive end, but it quickly became apparent that he would never be more than a situational pass rusher at that position. After a disappointing rookie season, Irvin was moved to linebacker.

There he quickly developed into an every-down player. His speed and strength allowed him to be dominant against the run, and his coverage skills developed quickly with coaching and Irvin’s hard work.

Now Irvin is set to cash in on all that hard work. Make no mistake, he should cash in, even if it means leaving Seattle to do so.

NFL careers are short. Guys should “get theirs” whenever they can. I expect the Jaguars and Falcons to open up their check books to try and reel in Irvin, and it would be silly for Irvin not to take advantage of the situation.

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That doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t love to keep Irvin in Seattle if that can be worked out. He is a very good linebacker, and the Seahawks are better with him than without him.

And yet, all signs point to his time in Seattle being over.