Late FA tidbits from ESPN

[Rat]

NFL free agency buzz: Latest on WRs, RBs on the move

What are we hearing as NFL free agency nears? We give you the latest buzz on top players and teams that could be active.

www.espn.com

There are a few Seahawks-relevant pieces in here:

Kenneth Walker seems to be the market-setter as it stands, but Travis Etienne Jr. will be right there in the mix. Some teams I've talked to are setting the market's ceiling at around $12 million. That could go up if enough teams get involved.

I'm hearing Walker will consider the Giants and Commanders among his options, with the Titans as a possibility, too.

Call me delusional: I'm still holding onto faint hope that we get something done with Walker. If I were a betting man, which I'm not because I've destroyed my life with enough addiction issues to even entertain putting money on any of my unhinged predictions, I suspect he's very likely gone, but there is a lot of posturing going down at this time of year, and sometimes deals get done with players who appear destined for a divorce. I feel like people have imagined a scenario where Walker's agent said "this is what we want" and Schneider just shrugged his shoulders and said "well, good luck then". We'll see. Between Charbs' injury and a very weak RB draft class, I'm guessing the front office wants him back more than they're willing to let on.

I'm expecting the Raiders to make a run at Rashid Shaheed depending on how the dominoes in the receiver market fall and the price point. New coach Klint Kubiak loves him. But Vegas' bigger need is the offensive line.

I'm not convinced that Shaheed's allegiance is 100% to Kubiak, given that he didn't chose to go to his team either time they were paired, and he probably wasn't super happy about how little he was used in the passing game here, which has definitely cost him a bigger FA payday, but the fact that Kubiak is so high on him could mean the Raiders are willing to pay the most. They also have, by far, the most cap space in the league.

I do like Shaheed and HOPE he can come back, but I hope the fact that we gave up draft capital to acquire him doesn't mean we're more willing to overpay. What he delivered down the stretch is already worth what we gave up. There should be no feeling to need to validate anything further.

The Seahawks will attempt to re-sign safety Coby Bryant, one of the hotter names on the defensive side of the market. He has interest in returning to Seattle but will have other suitors.

I honestly thought Coby was one of our least-likely FAs to make it back. We're deep at his position, but he still didn't get any shortage of play time with that situation, so maybe he's not assuming moving on is a better option for him.

 

[FrodosFinger]

Walker and Shaheed are both leaving. Boye Mafe and Coby Bryant are more than likely going elsewhere. I like Etienne but if we can get a guy like Algeier in or Rico Dowdle that can split carries with Charbonnet (should be healthy first week of October) they should be fine. Bring Linderbaum in for a visit, bring Jamel Dean in for a visit. I wouldn’t mind Pickens or Diggs in free agency if the price is right. Bottom line is you have to spend 90% of your cap space during a 4 year span so you want to utilize it to maximize and complement your roster

 

[TheLegendOfBoom]

I think Coby should be back.

Since, Coby, does not really play one particular position 100 percent of the time, I think teams are unsure how much and how they can utilize his services to justify giving Coby a big contract. Seattle, and Macdonald, maybe one of the few teams that has a viable plan for Bryant and maybe Coby also does not want to leave even with more possibly a little more money.

I think once Julian Love calls it quits, and I think Love, will be done here in 2 years, Bryant, slides into that role.

I think Bryant stays, Walker walks.

I think there are very capable backs in this draft.

 

[Runscott]

Walker and Shaheed are both leaving. Boye Mafe and Coby Bryant are more than likely going elsewhere. I like Etienne but if we can get a guy like Algeier in or Rico Dowdle that can split carries with Charbonnet (should be healthy first week of October) they should be fine. Bring Linderbaum in for a visit, bring Jamel Dean in for a visit. I wouldn’t mind Pickens or Diggs in free agency if the price is right. Bottom line is you have to spend 90% of your cap space during a 4 year span so you want to utilize it to maximize and complement your roster

Yep. Neither one of these two wants to be a Seahawk. Not judging - their reasons are their own, but it's not purely money. I got the impression that K9 doesn't like JS much - he didn't react well to JS' joke about him trying to negotiate a contract before the parade. Money being equal, I think he still leaves. Shaheed would probably take less from another team, as he needs targets to increase his value.

We'll be fine without these two.

 

[Rat]

bring Jamel Dean in for a visit.

That's a name I'm surprised I havn't heard more, as he's an excellent cover corner who would be an outstan-dean addition to the secondary. I've been curious what his cost would be. He'd be an upgrade for sure.

 

[Rat]

I got the impression that K9 doesn't like JS much - he didn't react well to JS' joke about him trying to negotiate a contract before the parade.

I never see Walker react much to anything. I think he's just kind of awkward.

 

[Runscott]

I never see Walker react much to anything. I think he's just kind of awkward.

Watch the interview where he responded to that situation - he was visibly irritated.

 

[oldhawkfan]

Watch the interview where he responded to that situation - he was visibly irritated.

You’re probably reading way too much into this. As spectacular as K9 can be on the field, he’s painfully awkward in front of a camera.

 

[Runscott]

You’re probably reading way too much into this. As spectacular as K9 can be on the field, he’s painfully awkward in front of a camera.

You could very well be right about that (and Rat as well). Given that Rat's reference says the market is likely 12K, I really hope JS is willing to match such a number - to me it's entirely reasonable.

I'm enjoying the discussion, even though we are all mostly in the dark. Lots of fun stuff coming up.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Watch the interview where he responded to that situation - he was visibly irritated.

You're reading WAY to much into it.

 

[Trackhawk]

You could very well be right about that (and Rat as well). Given that Rat's reference says the market is likely 12K, I really hope JS is willing to match such a number - to me it's entirely reasonable.

I'm enjoying the discussion, even though we are all mostly in the dark. Lots of fun stuff coming up.

I’d sign him for twice that, in a heartbeat. Give him 6 years if he wants.

 

[Seahwkgal]

Regarding Shaheed, wasn’t he brought in to replace Horton more or less? I would love it if Shaheed stayed but Horton coming back would definitely tap into his future playing time plus Horton will be much cheaper.

 

[flv2]

Tough to justify paying both Kupp and Shaheed if you think Horton will be a WR2/3 this season. Nice problem to have, but just a reminder that whilst Horton flashed he hasn't necessarily proven himself.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Horton looked better in our offense than Shaheed. Shaheed makes our special teams leagues better. But his catch radius kinda sucks. And Horton produced better in our offense. (Now we have a new offense, who knows if this still stands?)

Walker really only became a big threat end of year. I'd rather keep our DBs than our RBs, honestly.

But my biggest concern is that the reason we are losing FAs is likely the reason we aren't attracting many either. It feels like we might be a B-tier or even C-tier FA destination given recent developments. We will see, but that is my worry.

 

[BirdsCommaAngry]

I’d sign him for twice that, in a heartbeat. Give him 6 years if he wants.

As long as you're paying him and not the team, I'm good with it!

 

[GeekHawk]

It feels like we might be a B-tier or even C-tier FA destination given recent developments. We will see, but that is my worry.

Recent Developments... Like, winning a Super Bowl? That's a pretty recent development.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Recent Developments... Like, winning a Super Bowl? That's a pretty recent development.

Recent developments:

1. Sale = Ownership change.
Looking through past top teams, bad owners rarely field top teams. Good owners repeatedly seem to. (You could argue that people measure Repeatedly Winning Team = Good Ownership but bad owners tend to make decisions that make it harder for teams to compete, keep important players, or even make crucial investments for the future. Even more critical? Good owners do not seem to meddle with their best decisionmakers (GM & Coaches). We don't know what kind of owners we have next, which means we don't know how well they will work with this GM or this staff. I suspect players and agents know this too.

2. Millionaire tax = Total compensation change.
WA state is getting ready to implement an income tax. One thing that makes WA an attractive FA destination is the lack of state income tax. Players and agents might adjust comp expectations due to the new taxes on them. WA might become less attractive both for players on the fence about leaving, and on the fence about joining.

 

[Hawkinaz]

That's a name I'm surprised I havn't heard more, as he's an excellent cover corner who would be an outstan-dean addition to the secondary. I've been curious what his cost would be. He'd be an upgrade for sure.

I have a friend who is an big Bucs fan he had been saying half of the past season that the Bucs need to let Dean walk

 

[JustTheTip]

While the millionaires tax is a valid point of discussion on how players view the Seahawks as a destination, be VERY careful not to let let any aspects of politics behind the tax creep into the discussion. Keep it to how it may impact the Seahawks ability to sign players.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

So now we know that if K9 signs somewhere else, it's because he hates John Schneider. Um......ok.