Seahawks 2018 offseason thread

[blstoker]

Weird thought but...

What about Malcolm Butler to play beside Sherman?

Pending FA and in the outs with Darth Hoodie and the Patriots Organization.

Right now I feel that starting CB is one of the positions we don't have to be shopping for - and Butler won't be cheap. If he wants to fill the nickel, but there cheaper options for that position.

 

[MrS]

I'm not saying you're wrong or anything - just pointing out that the team has to be careful in how it comes by the money.

If it's gonna take $12 million per to keep Richardson (Sportrac market value estimate), then cutting Avril and Lane is a near swap (though this year will be most likely less and then more of a hit in future seasons). I would think that trading the pick for him that the front office is expecting to retain him, though, so they're gonna have to come up with the money somewhere.

i think its still possible we trade some vets on defense to open up cap space, namely sherman and thomas.

i know i will get hate for this, but sherman is $11m cap hit and may never be the same guy. thomas is a great player, i think a HOFer, but he is on the downward curve of his career and we could still get good value in a trade.

bottom line is, we are starting a mini rebuild and this team is going to be very different in 2 years.

 

[blstoker]

i think its still possible we trade some vets on defense to open up cap space, namely sherman and thomas.

i know i will get hate for this, but sherman is $11m cap hit and may never be the same guy. thomas is a great player, i think a HOFer, but he is on the downward curve of his career and we could still get good value in a trade.

bottom line is, we are starting a mini rebuild and this team is going to be very different in 2 years.

As they say - it's better to part with a player a year or 2 too early than a year or 2 too late.

 

[JMR]

i think its still possible we trade some vets on defense to open up cap space, namely sherman and thomas.

i know i will get hate for this, but sherman is $11m cap hit and may never be the same guy. thomas is a great player, i think a HOFer, but he is on the downward curve of his career and we could still get good value in a trade.

bottom line is, we are starting a mini rebuild and this team is going to be very different in 2 years.

I have a tough time seeing a team trading for Sherman for the exact reasons you say. I can see the upside in trading ET though, especially after him twice making public statements indicating he'll be a problem without an extension.

 

[blstoker]

I have a tough time seeing a team trading for Sherman for the exact reasons you say. I can see the upside in trading ET though, especially after him twice making public statements indicating he'll be a problem without an extension.

Actually, those statements could make anyone but Dallas leery of trading for him - which could harm his trade value. With Sherman and Thomas, if we're saving money on them I think it's because they've been extended.

 

[JMR]

Actually, those statements could make anyone but Dallas leery of trading for him - which could harm his trade value. With Sherman and Thomas, if we're saving money on them I think it's because they've been extended.

Possibly, but that kind of stuff didn't stop us from trading for Duane Brown, which I think we pretty much all agree was a great move. (or at least better than not making it) Coaches/teams are normally confident to over-confident they can fix a failed player; I think it's similar to one who wants a new contract. ET's talent value probably outweighs the potential contract squabble in the eyes of most teams, IMO of course.

 

[blstoker]

Possibly, but that kind of stuff didn't stop us from trading for Duane Brown, which I think we pretty much all agree was a great move. (or at least better than not making it) Coaches/teams are normally confident to over-confident they can fix a failed player; I think it's similar to one who wants a new contract. ET's talent value probably outweighs the potential contract squabble in the eyes of most teams, IMO of course.

I’m not saying that no deal is possible, but even teams looking to deal may offer less of a package for him if there’s concern he’ll bolt for Dallas in a year. I’m not saying his value is 0, just saying it’s gonna be lower than a 3x All-Pro under the age of 30 should be.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

I’m not saying that no deal is possible, but even teams looking to deal may offer less of a package for him if there’s concern he’ll bolt for Dallas in a year. I’m not saying his value is 0, just saying it’s gonna be lower than a 3x All-Pro under the age of 30 should be.

My guess any team interested in him will be allowed to talk to him to see if a extension is possible. Seems he wants one, so maybe it can be worked out.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

I have a tough time seeing a team trading for Sherman for the exact reasons you say. I can see the upside in trading ET though, especially after him twice making public statements indicating he'll be a problem without an extension.

I agree it would be hard to trade Sherman. However if a team wants to extend him and Shermsn price is reasonable, maybe .

 

[Anointed One]

Any team that trades for Thomas will make sure that he's good with signing an extension with them...

 

[blstoker]

Any team that trades for Thomas will make sure that he's good with signing an extension with them...

Agreed. I'm just not explaining it very well. Overall, it gives Thomas an effect that is similar to a no trade clause.

 

[JMR]

I agree it would be hard to trade Sherman. However if a team wants to extend him and Shermsn price is reasonable, maybe .

I guess it depends how "reasonable" we are talking about. But a 30 year old CB coming off an achilles rupture is not really the kind of player teams go after in a trade, especially when you don't really know how well he's going to recover and/or what kind of player he'll be on the other side of it.

 

[JMR]

A couple soundbites from Sherm over the last 24 hrs:

1) fully expects to be back with the Hawks next year

2) acting as his own agent for the time being

3) plans to paly 5-6 more years whether it's in Seattle or elsewhere

Reports say his rehab is coming along very well. He is on track to be practicing at the start of training camp but most likely not before.

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

Early Super Bowl odds have the Seahawks at 25-1. I'd drop a 100 on that.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Right now I feel that starting CB is one of the positions we don't have to be shopping for - and Butler won't be cheap. If he wants to fill the nickel, but there cheaper options for that position.

I agree. Additionally, despite being a rookie, Shaq Griffin played fairly decent despite being targeted quite frequently. He wasn't anything spectacular, but he's going to continue to improve.

If the Seahawks part ways with Richard Sherman, CB would definitely be an area that should be addressed, but right now I'm pretty comfortable with Sherm and Griffin at #1 and #2. Additionally, Justin Coleman played pretty well at nickel. Some CB depth may be necessary but that can be fulfilled through the draft.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Early Super Bowl odds have the Seahawks at 25-1. I'd drop a 100 on that.

It's a decent value bet, but there are so many questions this offseason. We still don't know if the Seahawks are going to go into rebuild mode or simply retool.

There's a possibility the Seahawks may trade Earl Thomas. Kam Chancellor may not ever play again, Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett probably won't be with the team next year and there's a chance that the Seahawks move on from Sherman given the nature of his injury and the cap space we could save by cutting him. Not to mention that the Seahawks probably don't have the cap space to give Sheldon Richardson a reasonable deal.

Therefore the defense could look vastly different.

2017 starters (using a base nickel package because I believe we only had 3 linebackers on the field 30% of the time):
Edge: Michael Bennett
Edge: Cliff Avril
Interior: Sheldon Richardson
Interior: Jarran Reed
ILB: Bobby Wagner
OLB: K.J. Wright
CB: Richard Sherman
CB: Shaq Griffin
Nickel: Justin Coleman
FS: Earl Thomas
SS: Kam Chancellor

Projected 2018 starters (Italics indicate change from 2017):
Edge: Frank Clark
Edge: ???
Interior: Jarran Reed
Interior: Naz Jones
ILB: Bobby Wagner
OLB: K.J. Wright
CB: Richard Sherman (Maybe)
CB: Shaq Griffin
Nickel: Justin Coleman (RFA)
FS: Earl Thomas (Maybe)
SS: Kam Chancellor (Maybe)

There are too many questions at this point in the year to reasonably determine what to expect from the Seahawks in 2018 IMO. After the draft I think we will have a lot more answers.

 

[seahawksfan234]

i think its still possible we trade some vets on defense to open up cap space, namely sherman and thomas.

i know i will get hate for this, but sherman is $11m cap hit and may never be the same guy. thomas is a great player, i think a HOFer, but he is on the downward curve of his career and we could still get good value in a trade.

bottom line is, we are starting a mini rebuild and this team is going to be very different in 2 years.

I'd also say that perhaps K.J. Wright might be on the chopping block. He had a great 2016 year but was merely average in 2017. Cutting Wright would save $7.2m. He may merely have been overshadowed by Wagner, but in terms of value his performance doesn't warrant the cap hit he currently has.

I agree regarding moving Earl Thomas. I really hate to say it because he is a key component of what this defense is trying to do, but the Seahawks need to rebuild. He's going into a contract year and it doesn't appear that he is too enthusiastic about returning to Seattle. He will be a 29 year old free-agent who will be 30 by the 2019 NFL season. IMO he's a first ballot Hall of Famer, but given his tackling technique, recent injury issues and reliance on athleticism, I don't think he will be worth whatever he could get on the open market as a free agent. He played well in 2017 but battled injuries and eventually age is going to take a serious toll on him with the way he plays.

Personally I think the Seahawks are better off taking a first rounder for him and looking towards the future. As someone who loves Thomas and think he would be a devastating loss to our defense it's hard for me to advocate such a trade, but it appears to be the most prudent move.

 

[seahawksfan234]

A couple soundbites from Sherm over the last 24 hrs:

1) fully expects to be back with the Hawks next year

2) acting as his own agent for the time being

3) plans to paly 5-6 more years whether it's in Seattle or elsewhere

Reports say his rehab is coming along very well. He is on track to be practicing at the start of training camp but most likely not before.

Good update. I really hope he recovers from his injury. I have to imagine an Achilles injury is quite difficult for a CB with limited athleticism to recover from.

 

[seahawksfan234]

To end my long string of posts:

Luckily it appears the Duane Brown situation seems to be stable. He was holding out for a new contract when he was with the Texans, but I haven't heard anything about him demanding a new contract from the Seahawks. Given our cap situation, that is quite fortunate for us.

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

It's a decent value bet, but there are so many questions this offseason. We still don't know if the Seahawks are going to go into rebuild mode or simply retool.

There's a possibility the Seahawks may trade Earl Thomas. Kam Chancellor may not ever play again, Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett probably won't be with the team next year and there's a chance that the Seahawks move on from Sherman given the nature of his injury and the cap space we could save by cutting him. Not to mention that the Seahawks probably don't have the cap space to give Sheldon Richardson a reasonable deal.

Therefore the defense could look vastly different.

2017 starters (using a base nickel package because I believe we only had 3 linebackers on the field 30% of the time):
Edge: Michael Bennett
Edge: Cliff Avril
Interior: Sheldon Richardson
Interior: Jarran Reed
ILB: Bobby Wagner
OLB: K.J. Wright
CB: Richard Sherman
CB: Shaq Griffin
Nickel: Justin Coleman
FS: Earl Thomas
SS: Kam Chancellor

Projected 2018 starters (Italics indicate change from 2017):
Edge: Frank Clark
Edge: ???
Interior: Jarran Reed
Interior: Naz Jones
ILB: Bobby Wagner
OLB: K.J. Wright
CB: Richard Sherman (Maybe)
CB: Shaq Griffin
Nickel: Justin Coleman (RFA)
FS: Earl Thomas (Maybe)
SS: Kam Chancellor (Maybe)

There are too many questions at this point in the year to reasonably determine what to expect from the Seahawks in 2018 IMO. After the draft I think we will have a lot more answers.

No doubt our D is going to look different this up coming season, but the one thing I think most of us believe is the FO will do what it takes to put a championship team on the field. This is one of the more interesting off seasons we've had in some time.