Why did we release Leon Washington?

Don't know where I saw/heard it, but I understand the Buccaneers were wanting to trade for him and we turned it down to release him instead. That says we'd rather let him test the market and possibly get a better deal or sign back with us than snag a draft pick out of it. Pretty decent move, I'd say.

And yes, Pete's said he has no problem at all putting Harvin back for returns. While Leon was great at them, so's Harvin, and that puts Leon in a bad position, skills-wise. His one solid contribution to the team just got undermined.

Leon was signed to a contract at a point in time where KR specialists had a bigger impact on football games. I think it wasn't even a month after we signed him to that contract, that the NFL neutered that advantage to a shadow of it's former self.

KRs are still important. But not to the degree they were in 2011. His value was severely lessened through no fault of his own. And it was apparent last year, that he wasn't really able to augment his value by being a viable change of pace back. His success was extremely modest as a RB.

BattleOfSeattle":2q38gggw said:

You don't give up a first, third, and seventh round pick, in addition to $25.5 million guaranteed to not be used in as many ways as his talent allows.

Click to expand...

To be factual, only $14.5M is fully guaranteed.

The other $11M is guaranteed only for injury.

Link to source

I think we will bring him back for less money when he sees there isnt much of a market for a 30 year old return man

BattleOfSeattle":lf57yi21 said:

redhawk253":lf57yi21 said:

i agree with the main parts of your post.. except for 2 things.. i dont really want harvin returning kicks with the amount were paying him and his value in the offense.. i think it will fall to someone else on the team or maybe one of our draft picks.. and 2....... leon doesn't have breakaway speed? i think you need to check up on that logic.. thats one of his best weapons.. he isn't really the shiftiest guy.. he was just good at seeing an opening making one cut and using burst to try and get through the opening before it closed.. a guy lacking breakaway speed doesn't have 8 kick/punt returns for tds...

Click to expand...

Percy Harvin is a weapon, and that is why he was acquired. He's extremely versatile, and one of the most explosive players in the league. You want the ball in his hands as often as possible. Considering how much draft capital we relinquished in order to obtain the rights to him, as well as the financial commitment we've given him—why wouldn't you try to maximize his attributes and value? You don't give up a first, third, and seventh round pick, in addition to $25.5 million guaranteed to not be used in as many ways as his talent allows.

I think you're confusing "lack of breakaway speed" with "slow", which is certainly not what I was insinuating. Leon is still plenty fast, but he does not have the kind of fifth-gear speed that Percy does, at not least not at this point in his career. I can recall numerous occasions where Leon was tackled in the open field, whereas someone with more burst and speed in the same position would have taken it to the house. That's not necessarily a slight on Leon. He was a Pro-Bowl returner for a reason. But again, it's a combination of factors that played into this decision. The only thing I wish the front office did differently here was trade Leon to the highest bidder, but it was a classy move to allow him to go to a team of his choosing.

Click to expand...

you just supported my argument for not using harvin in kickoff returns.. one of the most dangerous plays in the game.. you don't put a guy that is going to be implemented in the offense in a ton of different ways and have so much value and importance in that sense on a kickoff return where its common knowledge many guys get injured. he is going to be more valuable to the team in the offense than on returns.. we didn't give up 3 picks and 25.5 million in guarantees to a guy because we like'd the added ability to return kicks which many different players can take care of.. this isn't to say they will never use harvin in any returns.. i can imagine scenarios where were down with little time left and it would give us a boost.. but i dont think we can necessarily asume that he's going to be returning all or even a majority of our kicks.

and i still think you are mistaken on leon.. you didn't say comparatively the same speed as harvin.. you said "he lacks breakaway speed" theres only one time comes to mind leon was caught in "open field" from BEHIND... and that was when he slowed up and started to show boat in the panthers game where he got tackled on the one yard line... any other time you are referring to he is being caught by a player coming at an angle... leon definately does not "lack breakaway speed" as evidenced by his returns this past season.

leon is a terrible running back.

i never saw him run more than 3 yards in the last 3 years.

every time we put him in it was during garbage time.

if we ever used him in the backfield when it mattered, it was a mistake.

onanygivensunday":dffcj78o said:

BattleOfSeattle":dffcj78o said:

You don't give up a first, third, and seventh round pick, in addition to $25.5 million guaranteed to not be used in as many ways as his talent allows.

Click to expand...

To be factual, only $14.5M is fully guaranteed.

The other $11M is guaranteed only for injury.

Link to source

Click to expand...

I understand that. I'm only speaking from a worst-case scenario in regards to total potential cost as an argument to why he should be used to the fullest of his abilities.

Why are we still arguing this?

Bottom line Pete Carroll wants to use Harvin on Kickoffs, I think Pete's earned the trust of us all to do what he wants. So far he's done a damn good job with this team. You play the best guys at every position no matter what. That's how he's built this team (on competition). Why would he change that now?

DJrmb":2dxp76d5 said:

Thought this was a nice little nugget of info for those of us that had much respect for Leon and those of you that are angry he's gone. The Seahawks still have class even in the business side of these things

@RossTuckerNFL: Leon Washington just told us on @SiriusXMNFL that Bucs tried to trade for him but Seahawks granted him his release

Click to expand...

We could have gotten some compensation for Leon but he didn't want to go there so we granted him his release so he can choose where he wants to go. Thanks Leon for everything, and thanks Pete and John for being good at what you do but also compassionate to those who've given so much to this organization.

Click to expand...

Unless he goes to the Niners

Seems every player has his fans. :229031_shrug:

Loved Washington. But a combination of age, salary, and being surpassed by other talented guys means he has to go elsewhere.

Thanks Leon, loved your efforts for our club. No hard feelings, I hope and best wishes going forward. And I love that Pete/John released him rather than trade him to a team he didn't want to play for. :th2thumbs:

CANHawk":2ht1g83v said:

Well, one thing that isn't really being discussed is that Leon is set to make a lot of money this year for a 30 y/o 3rd down running back who at this point is really only a return guy. What I imagine might have happened is that we decided he's not worth the money to us (given we have Harvin, Tate and others who can return kicks, that's fair) so they released him (and his fat contract). Now, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that he has to clear waivers before he's a UFA. So the way I can imagine it happening is that they granted him the opportunity to see if anyone is interested in taking on his current contract, or at the least willing to offer him something better than what we were willing to offer. If nobody is, I can see Leon come back for a deal somewhere closer to the vet minimum.

How many times have we seen guys leave and come back in the past? I think LeRoy Hill has done it at least 4 times in the PC era. I'm not holding my breath that Leon comes back mind you (because somebody could very well decide he's worth the money... I think he IS worth the money) but it's a possibility that he's not done here...

Click to expand...

No. He's been in the league too long. He is UFA and can sign with any team.

Hawk Strap":a6qin93j said:

DJrmb":a6qin93j said:

Thought this was a nice little nugget of info for those of us that had much respect for Leon and those of you that are angry he's gone. The Seahawks still have class even in the business side of these things

@RossTuckerNFL: Leon Washington just told us on @SiriusXMNFL that Bucs tried to trade for him but Seahawks granted him his release

Click to expand...

We could have gotten some compensation for Leon but he didn't want to go there so we granted him his release so he can choose where he wants to go. Thanks Leon for everything, and thanks Pete and John for being good at what you do but also compassionate to those who've given so much to this organization.

Click to expand...

Unless he goes to the Niners

Click to expand...

If the front office thought Leon would do something like that don't you think they would have followed through with the trade they had lined up with Tampa?

We're talking one of the greatest returners of all time here. I don't see that the money he made was too much. Look up punt returners. Harvin's not on that list. Kickoff returners. Nope. Leon is. Lest we forget:


[youtube]J_GikD6Np9o[/youtube]

What did that little blurb just say at the end there? Oh yeah, 2nd ALL TIME in return TD's. Had three TD returns last year.

Why let him walk? Harving is great and I'm as jacked as the next guy, but he's a downgrade on special teams. He's not the greatest returner of all time. And Leon is #2.

This is the NFL....Big business. And being that it is a business these types of cuts/releases are more commonplace. Get used to it. You don't have to like it and I don't think there is one fan here that wanted this, but there it is.

The kickoffs were going out the back of the endzones way too much last year, and that isn't changing. Paying a guy to watch them does not make sense from a business standpoint.

Besides money his roster spot is extremely valuable. Harvin can return kicks very well AND he can do several other things. We've talked about just how hard it is going to be to make this roster at this point, so why clog up a spot for a guy who can just do one thing that we should be able to get out of players who are also capable receivers or perhaps a capable RB we can pick up?

What would be more valuable? Harvin + a dynamic, explosive change of pace back or Harvin + Leon who can return kicks? Harvin + a dynamic 6th WR with a ton of upside that may be able to turn into a starter or Harvin + a dedicated kick returner? Harvin + more depth on the d-line where we sorely need to take shots on potential pass rushers or Harvin + a return specialist?

I love Leon. He's a great guy, great player, great at what he does, but he became redundant when we acquired Harvin, and simply can make far better use of that roster spot, because there aren't many.

SalishHawkFan":1o9gmrk7 said:

What did that little blurb just say at the end there? Oh yeah, 2nd ALL TIME in return TD's. Had three TD returns last year.

Why let him walk? Harving is great and I'm as jacked as the next guy, but he's a downgrade on special teams. He's not the greatest returner of all time. And Leon is #2.

Click to expand...

Great return there. What vision!

I have to disagree respectfully with you that Harvin is a downgrade on special teams.

Leon Washington has eight KO returns for TDs at age 30. Harvin already has five, and he is only 24. He is putting on an even more torrid pace in this area than Leon did!

I honestly don't think 2.5 mil is too much for one of the top returners in the league. He lead the NFC in return yardage last year, you don't do that when you're slow. He was 3rd in the league for average.

I wish he could've broken the record as a Seahawk, but signing Harvin to a big deal, you know you're going to start to see guys leave. I understand why it was done. I don't like it, but I understand it.

You have to cut somewhere. Might as well start where the guy who's being paid all the money can earn it as well.

Basis4day":16qp42ds said:

CANHawk":16qp42ds said:

Well, one thing that isn't really being discussed is that Leon is set to make a lot of money this year for a 30 y/o 3rd down running back who at this point is really only a return guy. What I imagine might have happened is that we decided he's not worth the money to us (given we have Harvin, Tate and others who can return kicks, that's fair) so they released him (and his fat contract). Now, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that he has to clear waivers before he's a UFA. So the way I can imagine it happening is that they granted him the opportunity to see if anyone is interested in taking on his current contract, or at the least willing to offer him something better than what we were willing to offer. If nobody is, I can see Leon come back for a deal somewhere closer to the vet minimum.

How many times have we seen guys leave and come back in the past? I think LeRoy Hill has done it at least 4 times in the PC era. I'm not holding my breath that Leon comes back mind you (because somebody could very well decide he's worth the money... I think he IS worth the money) but it's a possibility that he's not done here...

Click to expand...

No. He's been in the league too long. He is UFA and can sign with any team.

Click to expand...

I didn't know that. Thanks for the info. Point still stands though, if he doesn't get a better deal than we are willing to give he could still be back.

SalishHawkFan":1jpec2nk said:

We're talking one of the greatest returners of all time here. I don't see that the money he made was too much. Look up punt returners. Harvin's not on that list. Kickoff returners. Nope. Leon is. Lest we forget:


[youtube]J_GikD6Np9o[/youtube]

What did that little blurb just say at the end there? Oh yeah, 2nd ALL TIME in return TD's. Had three TD returns last year.

Why let him walk? Harving is great and I'm as jacked as the next guy, but he's a downgrade on special teams. He's not the greatest returner of all time. And Leon is #2.

Click to expand...

Jerry Rice is the #1 WR off All Time. Maybe we should bring him out of retirement? :sarcasm_off:

That is an old video, Leon only had 1 TD last year on returns (both punts and kickoffs). Players get old, Leon had clearly lost a step last year. There were 3 or 4 times that everyone at my house looked at each other and said "the old Leon would have scored on that". That's not saying he's garbage, Leon is still a very goo, experienced, and fast return man. But at this point in their careers Leon is on the downturn as Harvin is just getting started.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/9703/leon-washington

SalishHawkFan":8je08ttk said:

We're talking one of the greatest returners of all time here. I don't see that the money he made was too much. Look up punt returners. Harvin's not on that list. Kickoff returners. Nope. Leon is. Lest we forget:


[youtube]J_GikD6Np9o[/youtube]

What did that little blurb just say at the end there? Oh yeah, 2nd ALL TIME in return TD's. Had three TD returns last year.

Why let him walk? Harving is great and I'm as jacked as the next guy, but he's a downgrade on special teams. He's not the greatest returner of all time. And Leon is #2.

Click to expand...

Downgrade on special teams?? Please.

I"m sure the fact that Leon has been in the league 6 or 7 years longer has NOTHING to do with the fact he has more kickoff TD's :roll: