The Core

[oldhawkfan]

For the purposes of this post, I am putting players into two categories, Core & Role. For the sake of argument, I am going to define a Core player as a player that is top 10 at his position, all-pro, pro bowl caliber, or a guy who's inability to play seriously limits the teams ability to function highly at that position. A Role player is just that, he fills a role and can be replaced fairly easily, or the team is always looking for his replacement. Call me captain obvious if you will, but this Seahawks team is in very good shape for the next 2-3 years. The defense is definately more loaded with Core players than the offense. Core players are what your team is built around. They are the foundational pieces of the franchise. They are the players that routinely and consistently make your team great. One could argue that the more Core pieces your team has, the stronger and more elite it is.

Offensive Core players:
Russell Wilson
Marshawn Lynch
Max Unger ( I know some will argue this, but the oline is so much better with him there)

The offense is in serious need of 1-2 more Core players. Ideally this would come at oline and a receiving threat (WR or TE)

Defensive Core Players:
Richard Sherman
Earl Thomas
Kam Chancellor
Bobby Wagner
Brandon Mebane

The defense has a Core player at every level of the three levels of the defense. Dline, LB, DB. The defense is in phenomenal shape. There are also arguably 2-3 other defenders who could possibly be borderline Core players.

The following lists are 2015 free agents and team roster with impending free agency status. I'm not a cap guy but I know that some of these guys won't see the end of their contracts because of numbers crunching. But in terms of who is signed and for how long, the team looks to be in good shape for the next few years. Other than the questions surrounding Marshawn and the impending restructure for #3 the Core is locked up and ready to roll. Its a great time to be a Seahawks fan! Enjoy the ride 12s!



PLAYER (25)
POS.
AGE
2014 CAP HIT
STATUS
James Carpenter G 25 TBD $2,431,364 UFA
Kevin Williams DT 34 TBD $2,078,125 UFA
Heath Farwell ILB 33 TBD $1,666,667 UFA
Jeron Johnson S 26 TBD $1,453,125 UFA
Anthony McCoy TE 27 TBD $1,350,000 UFA
Tarvaris Jackson QB 31 TBD $1,250,000 UFA
Clint Gresham LS 28 TBD $887,500 UFA
Demarcus Dobbs DE 27 TBD $673,412 UFA
Byron Maxwell CB 26 TBD $673,363 UFA
Malcolm Smith OLB 25 TBD $656,475 UFA
Michael Morgan OLB 27 TBD $645,000 RFA
D'Anthony Smith DT 26 TBD $570,000 UFA
O'Brien Schofield OLB 27 TBD $570,000 UFA
Ricardo Lockette WR 28 TBD $570,000 ERFA
Jermaine Kearse WR 25 TBD $570,000 RFA
Deshawn Shead S 26 TBD $570,000 ERFA
Steve Schilling G 26 TBD $517,000 UFA
Greg Scruggs DE 24 TBD $368,823 RFA
Will Tukuafu FB 31 TBD $341,470 UFA
David Gilreath WR 26 TBD $318,000 RFA
Tony Moeaki TE 27 TBD $303,529 UFA
Bryan Walters WR 27 TBD $268,235 UFA
Landon Cohen DT 28 TBD - UFA
Sidney Rice WR 28 TBD - UFA
Stacy Andrews G 33 TBD - UFA


PLAYER
POS.
AGE
EXP.
CONTRACT TERMS
AVG. SALARY
GUARANTEED
EXPIRES
Richard Sherman CB 26 3 4 yr$56,000,000 $14,000,000 $40,000,000 2019
Russell Okung LT 27 4 6 yr$48,500,000 $8,083,333 $8,440,000 2016
Earl Thomas S 25 4 4 yr$40,000,000 $10,000,000 $25,725,000 2019
Marshawn Lynch RB 28 7 4 yr$30,000,000 $7,500,000 $17,000,000 2016
Michael Bennett DE 29 5 4 yr$28,500,000 $7,125,000 $16,000,000 2018
Cliff Avril DE 28 6 4 yr$28,500,000 $7,125,000 $16,000,000 2019
Kam Chancellor S 26 4 4 yr$28,002,008 $7,000,502 $7,825,000 2019
K.J. Wright OLB 25 3 4 yr$27,000,000 $6,750,000 $5,000,000 2019
Max Unger C 28 5 4 yr$25,835,000 $6,458,750 $11,500,000 2017
Brandon Mebane DT 30 7 5 yr$25,000,000 $5,000,000 $9,000,000 2016
Doug Baldwin WR 26 3 3 yr$13,000,000 $4,333,333 $8,500,000 2017

Bruce Irvin OLB 25 2 4 yr$9,342,200 $2,335,550 $9,342,200 2016
Jon Ryan P 33 8 6 yr$9,100,000 $1,516,667 $525,000 2016
Steven Hauschka K 29 6 3 yr$8,550,000 $2,850,000 $3,350,000 2017
James Carpenter G 25 3 4 yr$7,641,502 $1,910,376 $6,224,000 2015
Zach Miller TE 29 7 2 yr$6,000,000 $3,000,000 $1,000,000 2016
Tony McDaniel DT 30 8 2 yr$5,750,000 $2,875,000 $1,250,000 2016
Paul Richardson WR 22 4 yr$4,712,835 $1,178,209 $2,381,736 2018
Heath Farwell ILB 33 9 3 yr$4,500,000 $1,500,000 $500,000 2015
Bobby Wagner ILB 24 2 4 yr$4,307,798 $1,076,950 $2,158,753 2016
Justin Britt RT 23 4 yr$3,546,930 $886,733 $1,411,265 2018
Christine Michael RB 24 1 4 yr$3,374,430 $843,608 $1,014,132 2017
Russell Wilson QB 26 2 4 yr$2,996,702 $749,176 $2,996,774 2016
Jordan Hill DT 24 1 4 yr$2,764,140 $691,035 $544,140 2017
Cassius Marsh DE 22 4 yr$2,690,252 $672,563 $470,252 2018
Kevin Norwood WR 25 4 yr$2,640,108 $660,027 $420,108 2018
Kevin Pierre-Louis OLB 21 4 yr$2,605,652 $651,413 $385,652 2018
Robert Turbin RB 25 2 4 yr$2,556,456 $639,114 $456,456 2016
K.J. Wright OLB 25 3 4 yr$2,526,000 $631,500 $486,000 - 2018
Jesse Williams DT 24 1 4 yr$2,371,052 $592,763 $211,052 2017
Tharold Simon CB 23 1 4 yr$2,366,900 $591,725 $206,900 2017
Luke Willson TE 25 1 4 yr$2,338,532 $584,633 $178,532 2017
Garrett Scott LT 23 4 yr$2,321,672 $580,418 $101,672 2018
Eric Pinkins S 23 4 yr$2,308,232 $577,058 $88,232 2018
Jeremy Lane CB 24 2 4 yr$2,225,116 $556,279 $125,116 2016
J.R. Sweezy G 25 2 4 yr$2,156,848 $539,212 $56,848 2016
Byron Maxwell CB 26 3 4 yr$2,153,452 $538,363 $113,452 2015
Kevin Williams DT 34 11 1 yr$2,100,000 $2,100,000 $250,000 2015
Malcolm Smith OLB 25 3 4 yr$2,085,900 $521,475 $45,900 2015
Clint Gresham LS 28 4 2 yr$1,655,000 $827,500 $275,000 2015
Garry Gilliam RT 24 3 yr$1,542,000 $514,000 $12,000 2017
Mike Taylor OLB 25 1 3 yr$1,535,000 $511,667 $5,000 2017
Brock Coyle ILB 24 3 yr$1,533,000 $511,000 $3,000 2017
Alvin Bailey LT 23 1 3 yr$1,491,000 $497,000 $6,000 2016
Keavon Milton TE 24 1 3 yr$1,490,000 $496,667 $5,000 2016
Derrick Coleman FB 24 2 3 yr$1,485,000 $495,000 - 2016
Jermaine Kearse WR 25 2 3 yr$1,440,000 $480,000 - 2015
Demarcus Dobbs DE 27 3 1 yr$1,431,000 $1,431,000 - 2015
Jeron Johnson S 26 3 1 yr$1,359,000 $1,359,000 $250,000 2015
Anthony McCoy TE 27 4 1 yr$1,350,000 $1,350,000 $950,000 2015
Tarvaris Jackson QB 31 8 1 yr$1,250,000 $1,250,000 $1,250,000 2015
B.J. Daniels QB 25 1 2 yr$1,100,000 $550,000 - 2017
Deshawn Shead S 26 2 2 yr$1,050,000 $525,000 - 2015
Ricardo Lockette WR 28 3 2 yr$1,050,000 $525,000 - 2015
Chris Matthews WR 25 1 2 yr$940,000 $470,000 $10,000 2016
Marcus Burley CB 24 1 2 yr$930,000 $465,000 - 2016
Cooper Helfet TE 25 2 2 yr$930,000 $465,000 - 2016
David King DE 25 1 2 yr$930,000 $465,000 - 2016
Patrick Lewis C 24 1 2 yr$900,000 $450,000 $4,000 2016

O'Brien Schofield OLB 27 4 1 yr$730,000 $730,000 - 2015
Landon Cohen DT 28 4 1 yr$730,000 $730,000 - 2015
Will Tukuafu FB 31 4 1 yr$645,000 $645,000 - 2015
Michael Morgan OLB 27 2 1 yr$645,000 $645,000 - 2015
Steve Schilling G 26 3 1 yr$645,000 $645,000 - 2015
Tony Moeaki TE 27 4 1 yr$645,000 $645,000 - 2015
Bryan Walters WR 27 4 1 yr$570,000 $570,000 - 2015
Greg Scruggs DE 24 2 1 yr$570,000 $570,000 - 2015
Steven Terrell S 24

 

[jlwaters1]

Brandon Mebane isn't a core player IMO. He's gone in the next 2 years. He's not a building block.
Bennett and Avril are more core players than Mebane, both are signed to multi-year deals.

I think Irvin is also a core player who will be resigned eventually.

 

[kidhawk]

Brandon Mebane isn't a core player IMO. He's gone in the next 2 years. He's not a building block.
Bennett and Avril are more core players than Mebane, both are signed to multi-year deals.

I think Irvin is also a core player who will be resigned eventually.

Bennett may or may not be considered a core player moving forward, but he has been a core player in his time here. He's been quietly solidifying the middle of our defensive line for years.

 

[Hyak]

Agree - Bennett and Avril have to be in the core group and Mebane is questionable about being a core player at this juncture.

 

[titan3131]

mebane avril bennet are all core. Thinking otherwise is madness.

REMEMBER WE LOST THE SB BECAUSE OF INTERIOR PASS RUSH. Mebane in means we win. HELL even j hill in we win.

And disregarding the injury's Okung is a core player. Yes he has been iffy. But he does play at probowl level 50% of the time. injuries and penalties are his achilles.

 

[Hawkfan77]

mebane avril bennet are all core. Thinking otherwise is madness.

REMEMBER WE LOST THE SB BECAUSE OF INTERIOR PASS RUSH. Mebane in means we win. HELL even j hill in we win.

And disregarding the injury's Okung is a core player. Yes he has been iffy. But he does play at probowl level 50% of the time. injuries and penalties are his achilles.

I love Mebane but he's not part of the core. Heck, he could be a cap casualty this off season.

 

[oldhawkfan]

mebane avril bennet are all core. Thinking otherwise is madness.

REMEMBER WE LOST THE SB BECAUSE OF INTERIOR PASS RUSH. Mebane in means we win. HELL even j hill in we win.

And disregarding the injury's Okung is a core player. Yes he has been iffy. But he does play at probowl level 50% of the time. injuries and penalties are his achilles.

Mebane Avril and Bennett were the hard choices for me. I added Mebane simply because of what they missed with him in there. Where I stated that there were 2-3 others that could be considered Core, Avril and Bennett were players I was thinking of.

 

[tmobilchawker79]

I remember someone saying that Pete's midseason meeting was with 12 core players. I think this thread would be more fun if we tried to pick 12. So far, the list is 8.

My list would be:

Offense: Max, Okung, Wilson, ADB, Marshawn, and Zack

Defense: Kam, Earl, Bobby, Sherm, Mike B., and Cliff

 

[Hawkfan77]

I'm pretty sure KJ is part of the core, the team thinks very highly of him

 

[Bigbadhawk]

I remember someone saying that Pete's midseason meeting was with 12 core players. I think this thread would be more fun if we tried to pick 12. So far, the list is 8.

My list would be:

Offense: Max, Okung, Wilson, ADB, Marshawn, and Zack

Defense: Kam, Earl, Bobby, Sherm, Mike B., and Cliff

Fyi it was 10 core players of which it was confirmed Baldwin, Thomas, Sherman, Kam, Wilson, Lynch, KJ, Bennett were present. If I had to guess the other 2 I would say Avril and Wagnar but who knows. It does appear that everyone on the defense side that he Hawks resigned to 4 year contracts in the last year are considered core so thats why I feel Avril is on the list. Wagnar we know will be resigned this off season so that wouldn't be a shock there.

 

[WilsonMVP]

I'm pretty sure KJ is part of the core, the team thinks very highly of him

They probably see it as

Offense
Wilson
Lynch
Unger
Okung
Baldwin

Defense
KJ Wright
Wagner
Thomas
Sherman
Kam
Bennett

Not sure I would add anyone else to that. To be honest our offense kind of sucks outside Wilson, Lynch and Baldwin. Okung is really good but he is hurt a lot and Unger needs to get his snaps under control

I would imagine there are more core players on D then O though. I would be shocked if they were equal

 

[Bigbadhawk]

And in case anyone is curious on where I got those names here is a link to one of the articles http://nypost.com/2015/01/31/how-one-midseason-meeting-saved-the-seahawks-season/

A few days after the loss, Carroll called in 10 of his core players. Those in the room say what went down was heated, emotional, at times difficult and often brutally honest. A few days later, the NFC West-leading Cardinals came to town and the Seahawks bludgeoned them in a 19-3 victory that reestablished the balance of power in the division.

Baldwin was in the room. So were Thomas, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor from the “Legion of Boom” secondary. Wilson was in the room, as were Marshawn Lynch, linebacker K.J. Wright and defensive end Michael Bennett. No one offered detailed specifics about what was said, but it is clear the discussion was spirited and Thomas was the one to add fuel to the fire, perhaps too much so.

“I caused more of the chaos than anything,’’ Thomas conceded. “I communicate very well on the football field but not in life. I don’t want to make this about me. I’m glad we got it fixed.’’

 

[Rat]

I think Sweezy is a borderline core player. He's the only guy I look at on the offensive line and say "that guy is going to be around for a while".

 

[Hawks46]

I'd say Bennett is definitely a Core guy. I'd also add Okung to that, although he's hard to keep on the field, when he's there he makes a difference.

I don't see Irvin as a Core guy yet, just because he doesn't make a huge impact, but he's on the verge of becoming one. He'll have a bigger impact by far than Wright does if he reaches even 3/4 of his potential.

Mebane is a Core guy now. Make no mistake...he's a difference maker. But, he's on the verge of not being there....1, maybe 2 more years and it's time to upgrade the position. I haven't had time to peruse our DL depth, but if his replacement isn't being groomed, he's soon to be drafted.

I'd say Maxwell is a Core guy. He won't be retained, but we can see the difference when Simon is there vs. Maxwell. It's significant.

 

[SeatownJay]

John Ryan is disappointed that he's not considered core.

 

[AgentDib]

There's a lot of room between core and roleplayer as defined here. We have a handful of guys in the middle who are not that easy to replace but who are also not necessarily in our longterm plans. Maxwell, Mebane, Okung, Unger, Baldwin, and possibly even Irvin. Lynch may not even be on our team next year so as much as we all want him to be core it seems like a stretch there too.

If we are really asking about the long-term building blocks for the team then you have to start with the only six non-rookies signed through 2017. Sherman, Thomas, Bennett, Chancellor, Wright, and Avril. They will likely soon by joined by Wilson and Wagner, which makes those eight players our "core" based on FO dollars spent which is the metric which really matters. I wouldn't be surprised if we add a couple more to that list this off-season, perhaps a WR/TE and another extension.