Seahawks lose three free agents. Time to panic?
By Dan Viens
The Seattle Seahawks have lost three starters today and are one of the least active teams in the NFL at the start of this year’s free agency period, but don’t expect that to last.
The official start to NFL free agency commenced at 1:00pm PST today, but while other NFL teams are throwing around money like they’re printing it at team headquarters, the Seattle Seahawks are acting like they’re on a sabbatical. There are rumblings about the team making a “strong push” to get left tackle Russell Okung locked up to a new deal as quickly as possible, but most Seahawk-related news has more to do with players signing elsewhere. Bruce Irvin is going to be a Raider, Brandon Mebane has agreed to a 3-year deal with the Chargers, and guard J.R. Sweezy is now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
What gives? Is it time to panic?
Let’s break it down:
Do the Seahawks feel their roster is so talented and “set” that they don’t need to be active? Absolutely not. In fact, both Pete Carroll and John Schneider have said on the record they need to get better, particularly on the offensive line.
Are they willing to just sit back and rely on the draft to improve the team? Unlikely. While there will certainly be opportunities for rookie draft picks to make an immediate impact on the 2016 squad, relying on that would be foolish. The Seahawks are not foolish.
Is there a lack of salary cap space? Well, yes and no. They have around $18 million right now, and that’ll be closer to $23 million once they make a move with retired RB Marshawn Lynch. They could also free up even more money by releasing, trading or restructuring injured TE Jimmy Graham, which Keith touched on here this morning. There might not be enough money there to make a big splash in free agency, but they can add players. They can add good players.
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And this is where the truth likely lies.
The Seahawks are one of the best organizations in the league at evaluating talent and managing their salary cap. They’re prepared to spend big when needed, and we’ve seen them do that the last three years in keeping their young core of superstars (Wilson, Wagner, Sherman, Thomas) together long term. Now the trick is to build a championship team around them, and that takes a solid plan, some luck, and a lot of discipline.
Surely the team would liked to have kept Mebane, and in fact there were reports of a late offer to try and do so. But they were able to sign fellow DT Ahtyba Rubin to a 3 year deal yesterday, and are working hard to retain Okung.
Trust that John Schneider and Pete Carroll have a plan. There are surely current free agents they like, and who they feel will help the team win. There may even be a bigger move none of us see coming that will reveal itself shortly. But most likely, there’s a group of players they’ve deemed attractive who aren’t going command the crazy Day One interest.
Once the “silly money season” dies down, the desperate teams flush with cap space spend their money, and the biggest free agents names are locked down, the market will settle. There will still be outstanding players available at a more reasonable cost, and some of them will become Seahawks.
Next: Jimmy Graham ready for week one?
It’s natural as a fan to get anxious when you see other teams making splashy moves. It’s tangible. It’s sexy. But it’s too early to panic.