Question to Seahawk fans

[Uhsplit]

I may be wrong, but Sherman seems like the type of guy who is going to chase the almighty dollar regardless of who dangles it in front of his face. Being able to afford Sherman , Thomas, Lynch, and Wilson is a tall order. Regardless, the Seahawks are a deep team, they will be the team to beat in the NFC west for at least the next 5 years.

You might be right. If Sherm is more interested in $ than possible creating a dynasty with many shots at a SB for the next 10 years, then more power to him and I thank him for his efforts. However, someone will have to pay gobs to lure him away.

I am sold on Thurmond, Maxwell, and Lane being our #'s 1,2,3 CBs if that is the case and I do not see a huge drop off if RS bails out. We would then have lots of cap to throw at the DL or ?

 

[HaroldSeattle]

As illustrated in my Sidney Rice breakdown, $8.5 M cap hit with $2.4 bone spread out over 2 years = $8.5M-$1.2M (1/2 of the $2.4 bone)$7.3 cap reduction. Same result.

OK. However cutting guys like Okung or Unger will not help much on cap savings, so looking for cheaper players to replace them, doesn't help.

 

[Uhsplit]

I was thinking Okung and Unger had a little over $20M in combined base salaries in 14/15 dont they?

oops, correction. I think it is closer to $18M in base combined,

 

[gohusk]

I may be wrong, but Sherman seems like the type of guy who is going to chase the almighty dollar regardless of who dangles it in front of his face. Being able to afford Sherman , Thomas, Lynch, and Wilson is a tall order. Regardless, the Seahawks are a deep team, they will be the team to beat in the NFC west for at least the next 5 years.

I don't see him giving much of a home town discount and in his situation he probably shouldn't. This is his job. I wouldn't show up for work for the love of it and I certainly wouldn't take a significantly lower offer out of some sense of loyalty. I used to have a problem with the guy leaving for the $'s but at my age I couldn't care less. Some team is going to offer him a ridiculous contract and he's going to take it. I just don't want some lame speech where he's trying to hide that fact. When Cano showed up he had that "Hey man, I went to the highest bidder" look on his face, and that's fine as long as he earns his money before he becomes an overpaid over the hill veteran who's salary is an albatross. When Aroid left town he said he was insulted by the Mariners offer.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Rechecking #s I got to say oops, because Okung would save 6,680,000 and Unger 5,600,000. Still these two are easily the best two on the OL, so I don't see them getting cut. Who would be left? McQuistan made 3,375,000 this year (his contract is up) Carpenter 2,084,000 this year ( cutting him would actual raise the cap hit) and Giacomini made 4,250,000 (cutting him would save 3,500,000)

 

[gohusk]

People want to bash Okung but two of the injuries were

1. A 300+ lb guy came down right on his ankle
2. He got judo-thrown by a guy and got a torn pec.

The turf toe is something to be concerned about but he's looking great now that he's back in the lineup. I think it would be a huge mistake letting him go. And it's not like the teams bidding for him wouldn't have that in the back of their minds as well. With Sherman and ET it's going to be a bidding war and I don't think the salary cap is going to allow both of them to be on the same roster.

 

[Uhsplit]

As mentioned and we are all aware, there will be tough decisions ahead. I feel confident Pete and JS will be able to reload effectively.
If our OL was solid and highly effective, no way would I like to see it get torn apart. Yet I feel the OL is our current weakness (it was pass rush/DL last year). I would like to see it perform better than it has. Additionally, RW is one of the few QB's that does not require a highly effective OL to succeed.

 

[cwood]

I don't see him giving much of a home town discount and in his situation he probably shouldn't. This is his job. I wouldn't show up for work for the love of it and I certainly wouldn't take a significantly lower offer out of some sense of loyalty. I used to have a problem with the guy leaving for the $'s but at my age I couldn't care less. Some team is going to offer him a ridiculous contract and he's going to take it. I just don't want some lame speech where he's trying to hide that fact. When Cano showed up he had that "Hey man, I went to the highest bidder" look on his face, and that's fine as long as he earns his money before he becomes an overpaid over the hill veteran who's salary is an albatross. When Aroid left town he said he was insulted by the Mariners offer.

I don't understand why fans expect players to give hometown discounts, either. There is definitely some value to staying where you are comfortable, but I think any of us would relocate for a million or two dollar difference. It's easy to say someone else is making "enough" money, but I think most of us would chase it if given the opportunity.

That said, I doubt Seattle will have a problem retaining most of its players. There is enough room to fudge the salary cap that teams can usually squeeze guys in as long as they don't go crazy on the free agent market. Seattle is simply going to need to adopt a model like the Packers where they keep most of their own players at the expense of being able to sign outside free agents.

 

[WizardHawk]

Always easier to get guys to take a lower salary on a team that is a contender. As long as the Seahawks appear to have the ability to reach the playoffs every year I doubt they have a problem getting some to rework their salary structure.

 

[Schmoopy1000]

Always easier to get guys to take a lower salary on a team that is a contender. As long as the Seahawks appear to have the ability to reach the playoffs every year I doubt they have a problem getting some to rework their salary structure.

its easier with some older good players.
Don't think it is as easy for 1st time contract year players. They all know that is where they need to make what they can.

 

[geezer]

The average career in the NFL is 3.5 years? We should not be negative about any player leaving his team for more money. Get everything you can while it is there to be taken.

 

[TheDman875]

Getting rid of dead weight money from Sidney Rice should help a little bit. There's no doubt that they will lose some players.

I believe Zach Miller's guaranteed salary is now paid out as well. He's due 5.8 mil next season which means he'll likely be restructured or gone to pave way for our young upcoming TE Luke Willson.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Unfortunately this is how successful NFL franchises work. You draft well, sign core critical players, and have to make a tough decision to let some go assuming that players are not going to take pay cuts because they want to be part of your team.

Seattle actually can keep quite a bit of their core with the re-signing of Wilson/ET/Chancellor considering that outside of Okung (who is injury prone, -$$$$) and Unger (Centers don't get paid a ton) there's not really any crazy stand out lineman on the team. There's no amazing guard/RT, Clemons is getting older, Avril has been outdone by Bennett this year who is not an ELITE DE, Mebane is good but not anywhere near elite and everyone else on D/O-Line is meh. KJ Wright/Bobby Wagner are above average at their roles, but again far from elite.

NOBODY on the WR core is elite outside of Harvin who at this rate might get cut if he can't stay healthy. Rice is gone after this year and Tate will get paid but far from big bucks.

Seattle's ELITE players that will get PAID:

Wilson
Sherman
Thomas
Okung (MAYBE)
Unger (for a center)

And that's about it. Outside of that they have very good/above average players of which they can let some go and keep some around and fill through cheap FA (proved they can do this last year) and/or draft.

Chancellor will likely re-structure as the legion of boom has already said they all want to stay together as a core (which makes sense, Seattle has assembled by the best secondary in NFL history. And make no mistake, it IS the best secondary the NFL has ever seen, by far).

 

[Doublejive]

I have no idea what Tate will be asking but hope we keep him as well.

I see Schnieder and Carroll going to the draft for some key positions to keep em young but grow with RW,they will build around RW.

The Defense will be set for a couple years as is.

 

[Uhsplit]

The average career in the NFL is 3.5 years? We should not be negative about any player leaving his team for more money. Get everything you can while it is there to be taken.

Your point has great merit, but I would counter that (and lose in most cases) if a guy elects to sign for 5/$75 instead of let's say 5/$90 he is going to be wealthy beyond his means.

If any of us got, just for fun, say $10 million net at a young age. Could you easily make that last forever if you never worked another day?
There is prestige and respect considered in a big contract. Most people, wealthy and not would agree that $ doesn't buy happiness. While on a much smaller scale, I could make more if I quit my job and searched for my highest bidder but being happy in my gig with little or no commute means more to me.

 

[Uhsplit]

Unfortunately this is how successful NFL franchises work. You draft well, sign core critical players, and have to make a tough decision to let some go assuming that players are not going to take pay cuts because they want to be part of your team.

Seattle actually can keep quite a bit of their core with the re-signing of Wilson/ET/Chancellor considering that outside of Okung (who is injury prone, -$$$$) and Unger (Centers don't get paid a ton) there's not really any crazy stand out lineman on the team. There's no amazing guard/RT, Clemons is getting older, Avril has been outdone by Bennett this year who is not an ELITE DE, Mebane is good but not anywhere near elite and everyone else on D/O-Line is meh. KJ Wright/Bobby Wagner are above average at their roles, but again far from elite.

NOBODY on the WR core is elite outside of Harvin who at this rate might get cut if he can't stay healthy. Rice is gone after this year and Tate will get paid but far from big bucks.

Seattle's ELITE players that will get PAID:

Wilson
Sherman
Thomas
Okung (MAYBE)
Unger (for a center)

And that's about it. Outside of that they have very good/above average players of which they can let some go and keep some around and fill through cheap FA (proved they can do this last year) and/or draft.

Chancellor will likely re-structure as the legion of boom has already said they all want to stay together as a core (which makes sense, Seattle has assembled by the best secondary in NFL history. And make no mistake, it IS the best secondary the NFL has ever seen, by far).

I agree with most of what you wrote, but Kam just signed last year for 5 years $29M plus change. That is not an unfair contract IMO. Granted, that is probably high for a SS, but he is all ours now for 4+ more years.

 

[seahawksfan234]

We all know in the cap era A really good Draft or two in a row will cost a team. I see the Seahawks headed for that same fate.
With a QB on a rookie Contract, when it is time to redo Wilsons contract. No doubt he will get paid, taking a nice chunk from the hawks cap. Then you have to deal with all the draft picks that are kicking ass for you who all will have contracts up around the same time. So no way do I see you keeping all these players wanting to be paid all at the same time. A punishment to teams that have several good players from the draft & not FA. (cant resign them all)
So my question is when this time comes, who do you think you guys will lose in the next couple years?

I have not read any of the other posts in this thread yet but the cap situation for the Seahawks looks extremely grim.

I was going to do an in-depth post on it but decided not to because I want to just be able to enjoy the current run we are on without raining on the parade.

The Seahawks will lose some good players, there is little doubt about that. But we will lock up Wilson long term and we still do have talented players on the roster who are under team control for a while.

The only significant players who have contract expirations after this season are Golden Tate and Michael Bennett. I would add Browner to that list but with his suspension he is not really worth noting. Which means we will go into 2014 with the current roster mostly intact. Therefore it is safe to say the Seahawks have at least one more 12-14 win season left in them (not taking into account injuries) and even if the Seahawks do lose a significant player or two, as long as Russell Wilson is the QB I do not see that we will have a team with a losing record in the next 4 years.

Even if the Seahawks lose some key players there is a long of talent distributed throughout this roster as it is. Plus the Seahawks have made tons of great personal moves throughout the draft and free agency since Pete Carroll came to Seattle. Since Carroll took over we have found ways to fill roster spots with effective players, be it through the draft or free agency.

If the Seahawks have Russell Wilson, Pete Carroll, John Schneider and stay relatively injury free I cannot see another losing season in the next 4 years. I would say longer than that but past 4 years is too difficult to predict. Ever since Carroll got here he has found a way to plug mediocre guys into spots and managed to get the best out of them.

Guys who have contract expirations like Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman coming up can be retained (along with a Wilson extension) if the Seahawks are willing to move on from certain players. Golden Tate is a fan favorite but will likely command $5-6m per season. Red Bryant is having a good year but in 2014 has a $3m roster bonus and the Seahawks would save $5.5m if they cut him. But then you have to take into consideration that Percy Harvin's contract jumps from $4.9m this year to $13.4m next year. As I said, it does not look pretty but I think the Seahawks will manage.

4 years from now the team very likely won't have as dominant as a roster as it has right now but I would be surprised if we did not have a 10-12 win team.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I agree with most of what you wrote, but Kam just signed last year for 5 years $29M plus change. That is not an unfair contract IMO. Granted, that is probably high for a SS, but he is all ours now for 4+ more years.

As I said I'm not going to do an extensive post on it right now but the Seahawks may have to choose between Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman.

Assuming that Russell Wilson gets his extension eventually, it will be difficult to even have 1 of those two guys. I don't think 2 is realistic. Which makes me start to wonder how smart it was to give Kam Chancellor that contract extension.

Don't get me wrong Chancellor is a good player and his contract pays him (IMO) what is he worth. But I'm starting to wonder if that $6m a year or so would have been better spent in the direction of Thomas/Sherman. I say that because although Chancellor is a good SS, he is replaceable. You cannot replace Earl Thomas or Richard Sherman. You're talking about two guys who are the best in the league at what they do. Chancellor is good but you can find oversized SS/LB hybrids in the draft, you can't find players with Sherman or Thomas ability very easily in the draft.

If the Seahawks somehow do manage to fit Thomas and Sherman into extensions it will be really tight and the Seahawks may have to cut some key guys to make it happen.

 

[jakedog56]

Extremely grim is an overstatement.
Moves will have to be made this year to get under, but the Seahawks will be able to keep most of or all of their elite players with some creative cap management.
See my breakdown of the 2014 scenerio on the Hawks board for specific details.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I have no idea what Tate will be asking but hope we keep him as well.

I see Schnieder and Carroll going to the draft for some key positions to keep em young but grow with RW,they will build around RW.

The Defense will be set for a couple years as is.

Before this season I thought that Tate would not be worth the $4 to $5m he would likely get in free agency and that we could easily replace him and save that $4 to $5m. Now I feel differently, I would like to see him retained but I don't think it makes sense.

I say that because I now agree that Tate is worth the $5m or so he will likely command (Before I did not feel he was worth that), but the Seahawks will have to save every little penny to try to fit Wilson, Sherman and Thomas into their budget. Even if we do let Tate walk, fitting those 3 into the cap could be extremely difficult.

If you want Golden Tate back, just know it will probably come at the expense of Thomas or Sherman. You have to ask yourself if you would rather have Tate + Sherman or Thomas or Sherman + Thomas. With Percy Harvin scheduled to be a $13.4m cap hit next year, even if you cut Sidney Rice I'm not sure you should give Tate an extension. Doug Baldwin has really stepped up and Jermaine Kearse has also shown a lot of promise.

These are the type of tough decisions that will have to be made in the upcoming years. The Seahawks front office has shown outstanding ability to acquire talent through the draft, free agency and trades. Dealing with fitting our elite players into our cap space will provide a new challenge for the Seahawks front office and one that I hope they have the foresight to handle effectively.