RENTON — The NFL’s new league year is less than a week old, but already the Seattle Seahawks have provided a good reminder that, even for the best teams, there is no such thing as maintaining the status quo.
In a league that has both free agency and a strict salary cap, it is impossible to keep a team together from one year to the next, and sometimes that means losing cornerback Byron Maxwell to the Eagles, or receiver Golden Tate to the Lions a year earlier. What that also means is that even the best teams, like Seattle, occasionally need to admit their flaws and make bold moves to address them.
There weren’t many game-changing pass-catchers available in free agency, and none that fit Seattle’s budget constraints, so the Seahawks surprised everyone by trading for Saints’ tight end Jimmy Graham, a dynamic, 6-foot-7 receiving threat who should significantly upgrade Seattle’s red-zone efficiency while giving quarterback Russell Wilson the kind of weapon he hasn’t had in his NFL career.
“We have to continue moving this thing forward,” general manager John Schneider said after his team swapped center Max Unger and a first-round pick for Graham and a fourth-rounder. “We always talk about not having any finish lines, and this is just part of it — tough decisions, but exciting futures as well.”
In today’s NFL, sustaining success doesn’t just mean keeping your own — the downside to developing so much inexpensive talent is that you simply can’t afford to keep everyone when it comes time for a raise — it means hanging onto the most important players, then hoping to replace others through the draft, free agency and the occasional blockbuster trade.
Two seasons ago, because they had drafted so well, the Seahawks were in an unusual and very enviable position, having developed so much young talent that they won a Super Bowl with stars like Wilson, cornerback Richard Sherman, free safety Earl Thomas, strong safety Kam Chancellor, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner and more all playing at a bargain prices. Even players who got cut before that season have since gone on to earn big paydays — safety Ron Parker just inked a $30 million deal with Kansas City Saturday.
In just two offseasons, a lot of important players on that team have signed multi-year, multi-million dollar deals with other teams — Tate, tackle Breno Giacomini, cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond last year; Maxwell, guard James Carpenter, linebacker Malcolm Smith and linebacker/defensive end O’Brien Schofield so far this year — which is both a testament to how incredible a collection of talent was on that 2013 roster, and also to how hard it is for the Seahawks or any other team to stay on top.
The Graham trade notwithstanding, the most important thing Seattle can do this offseason is lock up two key players before they can become free agents. Last year, Seattle accomplished that goal by signing Sherman and Thomas to contract extensions, and this year they’ll try to lock up Wilson and Wagner to long-term deals in the next few months.
But keeping those two isn’t enough, not with several holes to fill, so with that in mind, a quick recap of the first week of free agency and what the Seahawks have gained, lost and still need to get done.
Coming
Graham was the obvious big addition for Seattle last week, but not the only one. With Maxwell leaving and with nickel corner Jeremy Lane recovering from two serious injuries, cornerback was one of the team’s most obvious needs. Seattle addressed that by signing former Eagles starter Cary Williams to a three-year deal (though with all the $7 million of guaranteed money coming in 2015, it’s a deal Seattle could pretty easily get out of next year if they find capable corners in the draft). The Seahawks also added Will Blackmon, who spent the 2013 offseason with Seattle before being cut at the end of training camp.
And if you’re worried the Seahawks haven’t done much in free agency so far, remember that this tends to be their M.O. — and that of other consistently strong franchises like Green Bay.
While Seattle did give out one significant contract early in signing Williams, they generally tend to avoid the early bidding wars and find value in the latter stages of free agency. If you’ll recall two years ago, neither Cliff Avril nor Michael Bennett were snapped up in the first couple of days of free agency, and Seattle ended up landing two of the biggest bargains of that offseason by signing both.
Going
The Seahawks knew all along they probably couldn’t afford to keep Maxwell, and sure enough the Eagles offered him more than $10 million per season to pry him away.
Sending Unger to New Orleans created a void in the line, which is only compounded by the fact that Carpenter signed with the Jets last week.
As expected, Smith left seeking a chance to start, which he should get in Oakland. And don’t be surprised if safety Jeron Johnson does the same, though as of Saturday he had yet to find a new home.
Schofield is off to Atlanta as well, and receiver/punt returner Bryan Walters signed with Jacksonville. Earlier in the week Seattle released tight end Zach Miller in a cost-cutting move, though that loss is obviously mitigated by the Graham trade.
Still need to address
With 40 percent of the starting offensive line now on other rosters, that is the most glaring need for the Seahawks. Alvin Bailey is the likely replacement at guard currently on the roster, but whether it’s in a value free agent or the draft, look for the Seahawks to find somebody to compete for that job.
At center, the replacement could be former Raiders starter Stefen Wisniewski, who visited the Seahawks, and with whom, according to coach Pete Carroll, there is mutual interest. Wisniewski wouldn’t come cheap — he reportedly turned down $6 million per season from the Raiders — but he would provide a legitimate starter to help stabilize the line, and he’s young enough, turning 26 later this month, to be a long-term solution there, not just a one-year replacement.
Seattle’s defensive line returns all of its starters, but the possibility remains that Tony McDaniel or even Brandon Mebane could be a cap-casualty down the road. Even if they’re both back, the Seahawks could use more depth on the line, and given their history, defensive line is one of the most likely places they’ll look to address in free agency.
Even with Williams and Blackmon on board, the Seahawks need more cornerback depth, but having already made two signings, look for them to use the draft to add help there. And either in free agency or the draft, the latter seeming more likely, the Seahawks could stand to add help at receiver, and if a new receiver can return kicks and or punts, that would be even better.
Herald Columnist John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com
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