Seahawks sign kicker Blair Walsh: wait… what?

The Seattle Seahawks signed former Vikings kicker Blair Walsh, leaving many of us wondering “what they heck is going on?”

In a completely unexpected move, the Seattle Seahawks signed kicker Blair Walsh today. The move potentially leaves Steven Hauschka completely out of a job.

Walsh is only 27. He was a first team All Pro back in 2012, and led the entire league in FGs in 2015. His career long is 56 yards, so he’s got the length that teams covet.

On the other hand, Walsh will be best known in Seattle for missing the FG at the end of regulation in Seattle’s 10-9 playoff win over Minnesota in 2015. Walsh missed a 27 yard kick, and the Seahawks moved on an escaped that frozen game.

The fallout from that game seems to have broken Walsh. He was cut after nine games last season because he struggled to convert over and over again. At the time he was just 12 of 16 on FG attempts. That included too many misses from short range, including four of 19 extra point attempts.

What we don’t know at this time is the terms of the deal. If there is little or no guaranteed money, they signing could just be negociation leverage for a Steven Hauschka deal. If not, than this could be a cost-saving move.

Hauschka also had a down year in 2016, including extra point troubles. He owns the 3rd highest accuracy rate in NFL history though, so dropping him after 1 down year feels like an overreaction.

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The Seahawks appear to be banking on Walsh rebounding. There is some historical evidence to suggest that he should do so. As Jacob Stevens pointed out, Seattle got 2 good years out of Olindo Mare after he had a terrible season in 2007.