Bruce Irvin said the Seahawks were his top choice in free agency

The Seahawks came into the off-season with a desperate need at the EDGE. A reunion with Bruce Irvin made sense. On todays media conference call, Bruce Irvin said Seattle was top choice from the get go.

After the Seahawks playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Bruce Irvin texted Bobby Wagner to congratulate him. He also said:

"“I wish I was on that plane. I just want to come home. I can’t complain about anywhere I have been, but nowhere else is like Seattle.”"

It appears from the get-go he was destined to reunite in Seattle. He said there aren’t many teams in the NFL that are as player friendly as Seattle. This is true from how the team takes care of its older players, to the practices, to the cafeteria, to the travel and the celebrity drop ins during team meetings. He said having a player’s coach like Pete Carroll makes all the difference in the world.

Playing in the NFL is a grind. Not being around your family for months on end. Having an environment that makes coming to work fun is refreshing. Bruce said not many teams are like this. Being in the NFL as long as he has been, he learned having a coach that looks after its players is imperative. It’s a big part of the reason he wanted to come back to Seattle.

Bruce Irvin let us know that he had an opportunity to come back to Seattle after Oakland released him mid-season in 2018. However, at the time he elected to play for the Atlanta Falcons, instead of re-signing in Seattle. He said that Coach Gruden is as crazy as advertised and he really just wanted to go home to his family. After all, he grew up in Atlanta.

Bruce Irvin was originally drafted by the Seahawks as the number 15 pick in the 2012 draft. He decided to leave Seattle in 2015 and sign with the Raiders in a move to try rush the passer more. Last season, Irvin totaled 8.5 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss and 36 tackles in 13 games played. Irvin had a pressure rate of 11.1% last year. This figure would of ranked second on the team behind Clowney’s 11.9%.

Irvin will likely split time between a rotational pass rusher and as the strongside linebacker. This will be the same role he played during his first stint in the NFL. Bruce Irvin is looking forward to leading the young pass group that the Seahawks have.

If you want to listen to Bruce Irvin’s full press conference, click here.