Pete Carroll addresses Seahawks free agency questions
While Pete Carroll signed an extension of his own with the Seahawks recently, a contract which keeps him in Seattle through 2021, several key players remain in question for the team in 2019.
When Pete Carroll stood in front of the media days following their wild-card playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys, he was confronted with multiple questions regarding the Seahawks impending free agents.
Their biggest concern right now seems to be whether they can keep defensive end, Frank Clark, around for at least a few more seasons. “I’m counting on it,” said Carroll in his presser per The News Tribune. Clark, who was drafted by Seattle in the 2nd round of the 2015 NFL Draft, had a tremendous year in 2018, leading the team in sacks with 13.
The Seahawks head coach said he and general manager John Schneider have already been in the process of addressing contract negotiations all around. Those negotiations include linebackers K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner, offensive lineman D.J. Fluker and J.R. Sweezy, and quarterback Russell Wilson, even though Wagner and Wilson are under contract through the 2019 season.
Carroll made it clear that he wants to have each of these players back on the team but the question of concern is, do they have enough cap space? Spotrac projects their cap space to be a little over $60 million in 2019 and it won’t be cheap to retain any of these big names, especially Wagner or Wilson, who are among the best in the league at their respective positions.
As for how the infamous Earl Thomas situation goes, every indication implies that the Seahawks will be moving on from their All-Pro safety and the situation seems mutual. Pete Carroll was even vague on the subject when asked. Aside from the clear contract disparities between the two sides, Thomas’ season-ending injury in 2016 and again in 2018 should be concerning regarding his future. Either way, both sides should be blessed for what Thomas contributed during his nine years with the team.
Next. Mid-season grades for Seahawks free agents were.... dark
Whether Seattle has the ability to re-sign one, some, or all of these players, 2019 looks bright for the franchise. After all, they did go 10-6 in a season many believed they wouldn’t even reach six wins. And that’s after the exit of star players Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman, Cliff Avril, and Kam Chancellor to free agency and retirement.