Free agents are a dicey proposition for a new Seahawks kicker

I heard the Seahawks had a kicking problem last season. Unlike most positions, I don’t have a lot of confidence they’ll find the answer among free agents.

There are some pretty good kickers on the free agent market. The problem is, the Seahawks probably won’t be willing to pay top dollar for those few. Seattle already signed former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Jason Myers to a one year contract for just over $700,000 with no money guaranteed. Myers looked excellent as a rookie in 2015 when he made 26 of 30 field goals.

He lost his gig last season to Josh Lambo, mainly because he missed all three of his kicks over 50 yards. Lambo was available in mid-October, by the way. Just sayin’. The Jags wisely signed him to a two year contract, so there’s no second shot at getting him for the Seahawks. We can only hope Myers regains his form. Or maybe just never try a long field goal. Inside the 50, Myers made 11 of his 12 attempts, including all five between 40 and 49. So at least he’s got some leg.

As for the free agents out there, the field isn’t quite as good as it appears at first glance. Kicking god Adam Vinatieri is already off the market, as he re-signed with the Colts last week. There are a few more top talents technically on the market right now. But like Vinateri, their teams are almost a lock to bring them back.

There are free agents, and then guys that likely won’t be free agents.

Matt Bryant is another of the great 40+ kickers in the league. Yes, he’s still on the market, but it’s a sure bet the Falcons won’t let him go. He’s coming off an excellent year, as he only missed five kicks. If Atlanta somehow fails to bring him back, he’ll likely be too expensive for the Seahawks. He made just over $2.8 million last season, and would certainly expect a similar deal.

Graham Gano is going to force the Carolina Panthers to make a decision. Most sources expect the Panthers to put the franchise tag on him. Might be just as well, because I really doubt he’ll match his career year of 2017 when he made 29 of 30 field goals. Regardless, the three biggest names in free agency really aren’t on the market.

Chandler Catanzaro. He doesn’t have the name recognition of the older guys, but that’s only because he didn’t kick for George Halas. After two excellent years and a bad one with the Cardinals, he came back strong for the Jets. He made 25 of 30 field goals and was perfect on extra points. New York has a ton of cap space, and Catanzaro should be relatively cheap. They’d be idiots to let him walk. Then again, they’re the Jets, so keep your eyes open.

Cody Parkey. He was solid for the Dolphins last year, as he made 21 of 23 field goals. While he did shank three extra points, he’d only missed one in his previous 82 attempts. He was also a major factor in leading Miami to the league’s lowest opponent starting field position. Like Catanzaro, he should be relatively cheap, so the Dolphins should re-sign him immediately. As it’s Miami, he could be available.

So who exactly is out there for the Seahawks?

Ah, thought you’d never ask. We’ll start with the best, or at least, the kicker who’s proven himself more than the rest. That would be…

Sebastian Janikowski. Yes it’s true; he really did start his career as Jan Stenerud’s Pop Warner kicking coach. At least it seems like it. But compared to Bryant and Vinateri, he’s a baby. He missed all of 2017 with a back injury, which is why the Raiders cut him loose. Until then, he’d missed just one game in 15 seasons, and made at least 80 percent of his field goals in eight of the last nine seasons. He won’t come cheap, as he made $3 million last year. That’s a no go for the Seahawks.

Mike Nugent. After several years with the Cincinnati Bengals, Nugent had a Blair Walsh experience in 2016. He missed six field goals and six extra points. Both Dallas and Chicago gave him a shot at four games last year. The best that can be said is that he only missed two field goals for the Cowboys, and two extra points for the Bears. He’d come cheap, and for good reason.

Caleb Sturgis. He suffered a torn hip flexor after the first game of the season for the Eagles. Notice a trend here? Everyone is either coming off an injury, or even worse, a bad case of the yips. Sturgis was more than solid for Philadelphia in 2016, as he made 35 of 41 field goals and only missed one extra point. He should actually be affordable.

So that should only leave Janikowski, who will be too costly; Nugent, who will be too Walshy; and Sturgis, who should be a good fit on the field and in the budget. Frankly, there’s no one out there who’s a sure bet to be better than Myers. The Seahawks might take a flyer on one of these guys to compete in camp, but I think it’s much more likely they look to the draft for competition.

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