Pro Bowl guard Larry Warford’s asking price has been revealed

Larry Warford is a schematic dream for the Seahawks. Despite being to 3 straight Pro Bowls, he was released last week. So, what would it take to sign him?

I have heard over the last couple of days that the reason the Saints released Larry Warford was twofold. First, he carried a top 3 cap hit for a team that desperately needed cap space. Second, he is not considered explosive or overly athletic. The Saints are going to try and employ a new up-tempo offense going into 2020 and Warford simply was no longer a schematic fit for the new system. That being said, he would be a schematic dream for the Seahawks.

Sure, he may not be overly athletic or quick. However, that sure hasn’t stopped him from being a top tier guard in the NFL. It’s not often a guard of his caliber becomes available this late into free agency. Reports have surfaced that the Pro Bowl guard has generated a lot of interest over the last week.

With so many potential suitors, it was just a matter of time until an asking price was revealed. Reports have surfaced that Warford is seeking a contract of around $7 million per year. The Saints saved $7.75 million from his release, so he is more or less just looking to recoup what was lost. When you put his salary demand of $7 million into perspective, it would barely squeak into the top 20 in terms of top salaries for guards, right at number 20. Certainly not an unreasonable number for a player of his caliber.

Seattle appears to be trying to build around Russell Wilson and his arm this off-season. They focused on signing offensive linemen who were better pass protectors. Focused on signing/drafting targets who would thrive over the middle of the field. This isn’t even mentioning Coach Carroll saying they are trying to do more ‘cool things on offense’ than in previous years. Sounds to me like they may be opening up the playbook.

It would certainly help Seattle push this new agenda along having a Pro Bowl guard who is thoroughly in his prime. Warford has not battled any sort of injury spell in recent seasons, missing just 2 games in the last two seasons. When you combine the last 4 seasons total snaps, penalties, and sacks allowed, we get a total of 3,747 snaps played, allowing a total of 21 penalties, and sacks. That number is good for one penalty/sack every 178.5 snaps or roughly 2-2.5 games. This figure would have been second on the Seahawks last year, behind only Duane Brown (264).

Seattle should sign Warford to a one year deal. His style of play and Damien Lewis‘s appear to be very similar. This would allow Lewis to learn behind one of the best in the business for a season while getting Russell Wilson the best protection that can be had right now. This move would be especially savvy considering the possibility of there not being any rookie minicamps, training camps and a shortened pre-season/season. This could complicate the preparedness that Lewis will have going into the year.