The Seahawks have traded Michael Bennett, may yet trade Earl Thomas, and are rumored to cut Richard Sherman Friday. Fear not; all these things must come to pass, but…
It is not the end of the Seattle Seahawks. Not by a long shot. Michael Bennett has anchored their defensive line for five years, it’s true, but he wasn’t the best defensive end on the team last season, and wasn’t going to be this year, either.
That distinction goes to Frank Clark, who outplayed Bennett last year, and is really coming into his own in his fourth year with the Seahawks. Clark is eight years younger than Bennett, and was only called offsides three times, compared to Bennett’s 57 penalties. Okay, Bennett was “only” called for offsides 10 times, but 57 really feels right.
I really wish we could keep Bennett, but economics dictate otherwise. It’s fair to question whether the Seahawks got the best value possible for him. This is true especially in light of a report the Patriots offered a third round pick to Seattle. According to the story, the offer came very late. The Seahawks had already agreed in principle to the trade with the Eagles, so that was it.
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Should they have backed out of the deal with the Eagles? That could certainly make your next deal a tough one. You don’t want potential trade partners looking at you like you’re Josh McDaniels, right? Personally, I’d take a half-empty bag of Doritos from anyone before I’d make a deal with New England for anything, but that’s just me. Yes, that’s stupid. You take first round picks from the devil if you can. Then the devil doesn’t have those players, and he’ll have to cheat even more to win. I don’t care; that’s still how I feel about it.
Earl Thomas, whither thou goest?
As for Earl Thomas, the rumors change as fast as Tyler Lockett’s direction on a punt return. He’s on the trading block. No, wait, he’s definitely in the Seahawks plans. Believe me, I’m not knocking these sources. That’s exactly what’s going on with the Seahawks and Thomas. If they get an offer they like, they’ll move him. That has always been the philosophy of Pete Carroll and John Schneider.
We mused a while ago about just what Thomas was worth, and clearly they haven’t gotten close to that offer yet. If they get what they want, say a first and a second round pick, they may pull the trigger. I wouldn’t do it.
Listen, there are 32 first round picks every year. There are 32 second round picks every year. It’s the same every round. And how many of those picks turn into six time Pro Bowlers? Not many, that’s the short answer. There are very few players like Earl Thomas. And you simply don’t trade away a player who will end up in Canton for a chance at guy who might be great, or might be making wine instead.
Now, if it was Cleveland calling with their draft pick bonanza… that’s a whole ‘nother picture entirely. Which makes me think the Seahawks do have one untouchable, that being Russell Wilson. I’d trade him for the Brown’s entire draft, sure, but that’s about it. But not if the Browns do the drafting! We do not need Johnny Manziel 2.0.
Richard Sherman could be gone for nothing at all
At least the Seahawks got something for Bennett. Only time will tell if Marcus Johnson and a fifth round pick will be worth more than a third round pick by itself. I gave some background on Johnson yesterday. For now, I’m satisfied Seattle got something for Bennett. You know, something other than three Pro Bowl years and a Super Bowl.
If they trade Thomas, they’ll certainly get much more that a backup and a low pick. Here’s the sad news. If Richard Sherman doesn’t suit up this fall in Navy and Action Green, Seattle won’t have gotten a thing for him. That can’t be a surprise to anyone.
You may not have heard, but apparently the Seahawks shopped Sherman around a bit before last season. Yeah, that was about the biggest story of the off-season in 2017. Last year Seattle couldn’t get value for a four time Pro Bowler who’d never missed a game in his career. Surely no one thought they could get anything at all for a player coming off surgery to both Achilles. What can you get for a player who missed the last seven games and would turn 30 before training camp, when you couldn’t get a decent offer when he was healthy? Nada. Zip. No… okay, you get it.
Sherman reportedly said his goodbyes to his teammates already. It’s possible that he could return to Seattle at a lower salary, or at least a more cap-friendly salary. Unfortunately that doesn’t seem likely at this point. It seems much more likely that Byron Maxwell will take over permanently. Assuming the Seahawks sign him, that is.
Without these three, what do the Seahawks have left?
Losing Bennett hurts, but the Seahawks have a few options in place, and there are no guarantees Bennett wouldn’t continue his decline of the past few years anyway. Losing Sherman hurts more, but Maxwell did fill in well last season. Now Earl Thomas, that’s a special case. If Kam Chancellor is able to play at all, he probably won’t be available at the start of the season. Without Thomas, that could really put the Seahawks in a very deep hole. The uncertainty surrounding Chancellor is the biggest reason I don’t believe Thomas is going anywhere.
But if he does go, the Seahawks will have cleared nearly $21 million in cap space between Bennett, Sherman and Thomas. That tidy little sum cold bring some talent to Seattle’s defensive backfield. Unfortunately the Rams put the franchise tag on Lamarcus Joyner, so he’s out of the picture. But Tre Boston is on the market. His passer rating against for the past two seasons is 35.7 and 39.6. There are options, even when it comes to replacing the irreplaceable.
If all three go, well, that sucks. But the Seahawks will still have excellent young defenders like Nazair Jones and Shaquill Griffin, who stand to be even better in their second year in the league. They have the powerhouse linebacker tandem of K.J. Wright and All-Pro Bobby Wagner. They have a likely Hall of Fame coach, too. Oh, and there’s this short kid they saw on a baseball field last week. He can play a little. I think the Seahawks will be okay as long as this kid plays.
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