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Friday, February 29th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 07:46:15 pm
The Seahawks' free-agent kicker is reportedly heading to St. Louis to finalize a contract with Seattle's NFC West rival. Here is the link.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 71 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 06:11:53 pm
The Seahawks just announced that they have waived Tom Ashworth. He was supposed to be paid $2 million in 2008 but counted $2.6 million against the cap. My understanding is that if he was designated a pre-June 1 cut, then his entire remaining bonus of $1.8 million would count against this year's cap. But if they designate him a post-June 1 cut, which you can do with two players, then only $600,000 counts against the cap this year and the other $1.2 slides to the 2009 cap. So cutting Ashworth saves them $2 million off this year's cap.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 17 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:13:18 pm
I spoke with Leonard Weaver's agent, who said that three teams called him today to say they had a sincere interest in Weaver. However, Weaver's agent also said that the second-round pick a team would have to give Seattle as compensation is scaring folks off. That being said, he said it is more likely than not that Weaver returns to the Seahawks. Whether that is with a long-term deal or with playing under the $1.47 million tender offer remains to be seen. He said Weaver is not the type of guy who thinks the grass is greener, so his hope is to sign a long-term deal. Also, on the last thread somebody posted a comment that Asante Samuel's contact with Philly is going to be six years for $47.2 million. It is actually six years years for $57 million, John Clayton and Adam Schefter are reporting, so that puts his average salary right around what Marcus Trufant is being paid with the franchise tag. Also, Alge Crumpler made $2.925 last year and was scheduled to make $3.4 million this year, so I would think that is the type of money they are looking for from whomever signs him. Tim Ruskell has to ask himself -- or probably already has -- is it worth it to give Crumpler that type of money if he feels he can get a long-term solution in the draft.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 15 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 02:06:14 pm
I just spoke with Alge Crumpler's agent, Butch Williams, who said the internet report that Crumpler is going to sign with Seattle is inaccurate. He said Alge already has left Seattle and that he is going to visit one more team before making a decision on where he wants to sign. But to say that he is going to sign with the Seahawks is premature. He did not want to say what type of money Crumpler is seeking but he did say that he was confident that Tim Ruskell and John Idzik were savvy enough to manipulate the cap if it got to the point where they wanted to sign Crumpler. I also asked him how Crumpler's medical tests went. "I don't want to speak for them, but I think it went fine," Butch Williams said.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 13 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 11:42:27 am
Here are some of Tim Ruskell's thoughts on cornerback Marcus Trufant and where and why they have stalled in negotiations: "Nothing has changed. We put the tag on him And we will continue to talk. It is a unique situation. I think it is more than the money. It is a philosophical difference. Who is in the elite class and where in the elite class is Marcus is what it boils down to. My philosophy has always been with corners, the guys who have gotten paid are the guys who are lockdown corners, who can take the other guy out of the game. Darrell Green, Deion Sanders, Champ Bailey, those are the guys who have gotten the big bucks over the last 25 years. We make our evaluation and valuations on our guys. You either see them in that category or you don’t. And that is a great category. And there is another category, the guys who can do everything well. They have the whole package. Some of your lockdown guys, great in the man to man but they can’t tackle. Deion. I think Marcus is the top of the very good that does everything well type of category. That is where our offer is. That puts him above a lot of good guys. You talk about McAlliser. You talk about Ronde Barber. You talk about Woodson. And Newman. And Bly. A lot of good players. If they were sitting there, they would say, ‘No, he is up there with the lockdown guys. That is what he is. Just ask our people we talk to in the league.’ We have to go by what we see. Our evaluation. It has done us well for the last 20 or 25 years and we have to go by that. It has just gotten crazy what has happened to that market. They are approaching quarterbacks. And I think if you go back and talk to those teams that have recently said if we can just bring in a lockdown corner that is going to make our defense fantastic, you know that didn’t happen. In many cases, it went the other way. In a lot of cases, if you bring in a guy like that, the other team goes, ‘Phew.’ Because if you bring in a lockdown corner, I can blitz. The offense is going to go, ‘Let’s go at him so they know they can’t do that.’ Those guys get picked on. That is where the philosophical impasse is with us and his representatives. Who will blink and go across the bridge? We are both pretty staunch in our views. Having said all that, we love Marcus. He is such a good player for our football team. He said during the year, when you all asked why are you having such a good year, who did he credit? Got to have the pass rush. Got to have those guys behind you. It is really a team concept deal. He is a great system guy. What is frustrating, we didn’t want to use the tag. Because it is such a big footprint in the cap. Having said all that, I still think we get it done. I do. I am optimistic that way. I think they are going to wait and see where does Asante Samuel come in. That is a tough one. I have talked about where does the corner rank in terms of value. Do you put the quarterback first and rushing defensive end. I think every team has that list a little different. And can a corner come into your team and change it. If you’re good can he make it great. If you are average can he make it good? When you talk about a quarterback, you say yes. He can take you from poor to average. You have to really pay attention to that when you view your valuations."
Categories: Answers to your questions
• 21 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 10:43:29 am
Not that this comes as a surprise after speaking with Tim Ruskell yesterday, but KJR's Dave Mahler said that he spoke with and text-messaged Josh Brown and asked him what the percentage was that he is leaving. He said Brown texted him back and said, "100 percent."
Categories: NFL free agency
• 28 comments
Posted by Dale Phelps @ 09:15:34 am
The Chiefs, who went through three kickers in a 4-12 campaign last season, apparently have targeted Josh Brown as a free-agent target. The Kansas City Star reports today that Brown is expected to visit with the Chiefs, perhaps as soon as today.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 14 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 08:21:01 am
With Tim Ruskell saying yesterday that the Seahawks are at a point in the cap that if they sign anybody, they will have to either cut a player or restructure a contract, I took a look at the players making the most money and offering the least value. There are five primary candidates. The first is obviously Shaun Alexander, who is scheduled to make $4,475,000 million next season and could give the Seahawks a few million dollars relief if he was designated a June 1 cut. However, Ruskell said yesterday that the team is not planning on asking Alexander to restructure and they are not planning to cut him. So that for now is out. Chris Gray. He is scheduled to make $1.28 million next season. Ruskell said Holmgren is going to have another conversation with him about his future, so I would guess there is a good chance he retires even though his agent told me the other day he was going to. The problem there is that he is the team's only backup center for now. Mike Green. He is going to make $1.3 million next season and was used very little last season. I could see him being asked to make some sacrifices. Tom Ashworth. He is scheduled to make $2 million this coming season and has not proven to be worth the five-year, $13 million deal he inked in 2006. Jason Babin. He will make $887,000 next season, but often was one of the players left off the active roster. Given the development of Baraka Atkins, Babin seems expendable.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 13 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 07:04:10 am
According to the Pewter Report, Tampa Bay, which has $44 million in cap sapce, has its eyes on wide receiver D.J. Hackett and linebacker Nike Koutouvides. Also, Clayton is reporting that the Falcons contacted Josh Brown.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 5 comments
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 04:25:35 pm
On the verge of free agency opening, here is what emerged from a 37-minute conversation with Tim Ruskell: * The team is very tight on the $116 million salary cap because of Marcus Trufant's franchise tag. In fact, to make any moves in free agency, there is going to have to be some other movement on the roster in terms of cutting players or restructuring contracts. * Ruskell does not anticipate either cutting Shaun Alexander of asking him to restructure his contract. He said they are convinced that Shaun can return to his former exploits, and that the retooling of the running game (Mike Wahle, Mike Solari) will help him get there.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 50 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 04:03:36 pm
Tim Ruskell said the sides are at an impasse, in part because they have a philosophical difference on what Marcus should be paid. As we have written in the past, Trufant's side thinks he should be paid like an elite corner, which is about $10 million a season. Maybe a little less, but the idea is that it is the highest-paid player after the quarterback. Ruskell said regardless of what Asante Samuel signs for, there evaluation of Trufant is that he is not a "shut-down corner" in the same mold as Darrell Green or Deion Sanders or Champ Bailey. He is in the next tier, a really good player who can have a positive impact on the game, but is not the type of player who can completely shut down one side of the field. His Pro Bowl season also was positively impacted by the fact that the Seahawks' defense was improved because of the acquisitions of Patrick Kerney and the two safeties. I asked Ruskell if it behooves the Hawks to let him get paid the franchise tag number this year and prove to them that he is indeed a consistent Pro Bowl corner, rather than paying him off a season that could have been a fluke. Ruskell said no, they know that Trufant is a very good corner, last year was not a fluke, but, again, in their evaluation of the position, he is a second-tier corner, not the shutdown corner. The problem, he acknowledged, is which side blinks first. "We are both pretty staunch in our positions," Ruskell said. Having said that, he also said he ultimately thinks something will get done eventually.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 32 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:43:35 pm
We just had a sit-down with Tim Ruskell, and I will do a post in a little bit about everything that we talked about. But I wanted to get out there right away that Alge Crumpler is in town today and tomorrow. He will sit down with Ruskell and he will meet with the Seahawks' doctors to check his full health. Tim said he does not know what the chances are of signing him. There obviously is other interest, but the Hawks are trying to do their due diligence on whomever is available. If I was to guess, I would say that they would not sign him because Ruskell seemed very high on the tight ends in the draft, and that they could get a long-term solution at the position in the early rounds. But he did not want to go without investigating Crumpler as a possibility. More to come.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 16 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:19:13 am
FieldTurf at Qwest Field to be demolished WHERE: Qwest Field WHO: Donny Jones, FieldTurf representative
Categories: Miscellaneous
• 36 comments
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 04:39:31 pm
I spoke with his agent, and to be honest there is not much of an update. Branch had the surgery on the knee and has been in Birmingham, Ala. undergoing rehab. His agent, Jason Chayut, said it still is too early to determine when exactly Branch will be able to play again. I had heard that Branch was saying that he would come back before everybody expected, but Chayut said there is no way to guage that at this point. I asked him exactly what happened on the play where Branch was injured, but he chose to let Branch answer that question himself the next time he speaks with the media. For now, Branch remains in Alabama under the guidance of Dr. Andrews.
Categories: Injuries
• 20 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:14:11 pm
I just spoke with Bentley's agent, Kenneth Zuckerman, who said that not only is Bentley going to command more money on the open market than he made last year ($625K) or than the Seahawks can afford this year, but he no longer wants to play behind one of the top linebacking corps in the NFL. He would rather start. Zuckerman said that Bentley's ability to play all three positions, as well as his prowess on special teams, will make him a commodity on Friday. "I really haven't talked to the Seahawks in too much detail about Kevin," Zuckerman said. "I haven't talked to them in a couple weeks. But Kevin is the kind of guy who will generate interest in the market. So that is right, I don't expect him to be back with Seattle."
Categories: NFL free agency
• 30 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 08:12:12 am
I wanted to give folks an idea of what the Scouting Combine is like, for those who are not familiar with it. Basically, it is a great place to make contacts and talk to people in the league outside of the normal atmosphere, but like you, reporters are required to watch the workouts in the RCA Dome on NFL Network. Last year, they started letting a few select reporters in to view a few hours of workouts and write about it, but from talking to some of the people who attended for a few hours, they said it was essentially what you see on NFL Network but in person. Basically, boring. Guys running 40s, catching and throwing passes, what you see in practice. I asked one exec if he enjoyed doing it and he answered: "Do you enjoy going to the dentist?"
Categories: Scouting combine
• 15 comments
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:35:06 pm
There has been some talk that 37-year-old right guard Chris Gray either will or should retire, opening up some cap room for the Hawks while opening up some opportunities along the offensive line for guys like Ray Willis and/or Rob Sims. I just spoke with Gray's agent, however, and he said that for now Gray is planning on coming back. He said the Seahawks have not contacted him about Gray retiring, and he said he has not had a retirement conversation with Gray. "He's ready to come back and he's ready to play," said John Drana, Gray's agent. Drana said he would not be shocked if the Seahawks called and asked Gray to retire, but as of yet Tim Ruskell has not made that call. "Chris is a serviceable guy," Drana said. "It will be interesting to see what happens."
Categories: Seahawks Roster
• 32 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:11:20 pm
Branch, Tyvon 4.31
Categories: Scouting combine
• 2 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:31:58 am
Here is a link to a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that talks about the Packers' tepid pursuit of Mike Wahle after he was released by Carolina. The story also contains details of the contract Wahle signed with Seattle and why he signed the deal.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 3 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 08:58:13 am
Stewart, Carl 39.0
Categories: Scouting combine
• 5 comments
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:47:03 pm
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.J. Hackett is going to become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, and there is a good chance Hackett will not re-join the Seahawks. Hackett’s Denver-based agent, Kevin Robinson, met with Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell and vice president of football administration John Idzik at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, and Robinson came away from the meeting seemingly discouraged by Seattle’s commitment to their 2004 fifth-round pick. “We are going to test the market,” Robinson said. “I won’t rule out Seattle as a destination but we are going to test the market and see what’s out there.”
Categories: NFL free agency
• 45 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 02:58:13 pm
Keller, Dustin 4.55
Categories: Scouting combine
• 6 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:04:13 pm
Jackson, DeSean 4.35
Categories: Scouting combine
• 1 comment
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 12:10:02 pm
Johnson, Chris 4.24
Categories: Scouting combine
• 11 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 11:47:02 am
Here is a link to the story I wrote today regarding Trufant's negotiations. Sources have told me that the Hawks are offering Trufant less over six years than the $43 million Nate Clements is going to get over the first five years of his contract. Needless to say, the talks have stalled, at least until Asante Samuel sets the market.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 14 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 11:02:49 am
Just as a note, Montana running back Lex Hilliard was not brought in to meet with the media so there was nothing available regarding quotes from him. Here is Dorsey: Q: Is there any award or honor you wanted and did not achieve this year?
A: Not really, the National Championship is the ultimate award so I feel like I have achieved everything I wanted to.
Q: You working out here?
A: No sir. I decided not to work out. I had a death in my family so I had to take some time off. I decided to work out on my Pro Day which is March 26 down at LSU. Sunday, February 24th, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:24:10 pm
HOW GOOD IS THE RB CLASS?
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 10:24:10 am
(lost weight) (how gain weight)
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 08:45:20 am
Jonathan Stewart did 28 reps of 245 pounds, which was third-best among running backs. Rashard Mendenhall did 26 reps, the same amount of Owen Schmitt. Purdue's Dustin Keller was the fastest tight end, running a 4.55 40. Brad Cottam, the 6-7, 270-pound kid from Tennessee, ran 4.63. Martellus Bennett was 4.68. Fred Davis was not among the fastest TEs. Keller had a 38-inch vertical, the best, Bennett had a 34-inch vert and Cottam was 33. Again, Fred Davis was not among the best. Keller also was the best guy in the broad jump.
Categories: Scouting combine
• 17 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 08:21:43 am
The NFL is offering the opportunity for players to takes classes at Harvard, Wharton, Stanford and Northwestern Business Schools, with the idea that they can prepare for their post-playing days. The Seahawks players who have enrolled at the schools are: Will Heller (Harvard)
Categories: Off the field
• 4 comments
Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 04:59:39 pm
Here is a link to a story out of Vancouver, Washington about Curt Warner's house burning down. Thank goodness everybody is OK.
Categories: Former Players
• 5 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:54:52 pm
Q: One penalty in your whole college career? Is that stat correct?
A: I actually got one this season, I had a false start against Northwestern but those were my only two penalties. My redshirt freshman year I had a holding penalty.
Q: How much do you think you helped yourself by staying senior year?
A: It has helped me a lot. Last year I didn’t feel I was good enough to come out, I wanted to improve on things and those things I improved on. I feel I’m a smarter and better player than I was last year. I’m smarter in identifying the defenses. I worked on the little things in my game and I’ve gotten a lot better.
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 12:52:53 pm
Given that this is one of the deepest drafts in recent memory for offensive tackles (Pittsburgh's Keith Colbert said it is the best in the 24 years he has been in the league), and given that the Seahawks need to start thinking about replacing Walter Jones, who for the second straight offseason had shoulder surgery, this may be the best time for the Hawks to take an offensive tackle. I was told by a source and Rob agrees that the Seahawks could/should take a tackle in the first or second round. Rob thinks that if one of the three backs we mentioned yesterday -- Darren McFadden, Rashard Mendenhall or Jonathan Stewart -- are available, take them. But if they are not, the first round could be used to get the left tackle of the future. With that in mind, here are some of the possibiltiies: 1) Jeffrey Otah, Pittsburgh. He is a converted defensive lineman and a JUCO transfer who somehow just naturally grasped the position. He had a poor workout here today, but he still is going to be a first-round pick. He may be a top 20 pick. If he is around, Rob says the Hawks should definitely nab him.
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 07:17:35 am
(Do you see yourself as a kick and punt returner?) Special teams is something Ive definitely been doing all my college career (receiving skills?) I had 22 catches this year and have seen limited action in that area I guess
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 07:07:05 am
Here is a link to the story I wrote for today's News Tribune, which covers a few other topics discussed with Mike Holmgren yesterday here at the combine.
Categories: Scouting combine
• 1 comment
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:28:18 pm
Where do you stand on the Shaun Alexander debate? "I am speaking at his church coming up on Saturday. I don’t see it as much of a debate. Shaun, we know the type of back he can be. We know he has been hurt and it has affected his play the last couple years. I am not ready to buy into the fact that he hit 30 and all of a sudden he can’t play anymore. As I have said so many times, he is the lightning trod all last season. It is going to be a show-me type of year though. But I am not ready to write that one off yet." Given what he will make next year, and given his price relative to his productivity, do you have to ask him to take a pay cut? "I don’t have to ask him to do any of that. Someone else can do that if they choose to do that." Did you hear his stance on that? On the radio he said classy organizations don’t ask their players to do that. "I would argue with him about that. Sometimes you have to do those things. You absolutely have to do those things. And I wasn’t being a wiseguy about that. But I don’t have to do that anymore. Someone else does. And those discussions, I haven’t been privy to that discussion yet. When the time comes, if we have to have that discussion, we will have it. Balancing the salary cap and getting everything working properly, we have good guys who do that. I am still hopeful we can get something long-term with Trufant and give us a little relief from the salary cap. I hope so."
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 02:50:00 pm
We ran into Mike Holmgren wandering through the combine and spoke to him for about 20 minutes. Two names being considered for the running backs coach are Mack Strong and Ernest Byner. Holmgren said that Mack has to figure out if he actually wants to get back into it, or whether he wants to take some time off to get fully healthy. The other thing playing into this is that it is apparent that it is only going to be a one-year contract, after which Jim Mora is likely to hire his own guy. It is hard, Holmgren said, to get somebody to pick up their entire family and move out to Seattle knowing it is only going to be for one season. But, he said, there may be guys willing to do that to stay in the game, get the experience, etc. I think that is the reason they are targeting Mack, because he is in town, has familiarity, Holmgren is comfortable with him and he may not care if the job ends after one season.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 7 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 12:06:42 pm
John Carlson, Notre Dame, TE:He is 6-47/8, 255 pounds. He had 40 receptions for a 9.3-yard Q: How did playing in Charlie Weiss' offense help you prepare for the pros?
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:19:43 am
I hooked up with Rob Rang, one of Sando's go-to guys regarding the draft, who agreed to work with me on draft stuff and the blog, giving his opinion about various players and various positions. Since I think the Seahawks are targeting a running back early in the draft, Rob and I discussed the position at length and what he thinks works best for the Hawks. By far the top three players at the position are Arkansas' Darren McFadden, Oregon's Jonathan Stewart and Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall. Though McFadden has some "character issues," Rob said he still will be a top 10 pick. He said you can go back and forth between Stewart and Mendenhall, depending on the person doing the choosing. They are both good players and both would fit perfectly in the Seahawks' backfield. Unfortunately, Rob says, neither will be available when the Seahawks are picking 25th. They should go somewhere between 10-20. If they are there, Rob says, the Seahawks should snatch one of them up quickly. But since he doesn't think either will be there, he said the Seahawks would be better off taking a tight end like Fred Davis or John Carlson, then waiting til the end of the second round or third round to go after the back.
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 07:35:37 am
(What was the thought process of coming out early)
Categories: Quotes
• 5 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 06:27:30 am
This is old news by now. Sorry for the delay. I was out having a late dinner when the Locklear news came down and I assumed that my desk had put the information on the blog last night. Obviously they had not. It is a $32 million deal with $12 million guaranteed, and essentially solidifies the main concerns along the offensive line. The biggest question remaining there is does Rob Sims become the starting right guard, does Ray Willis become the starting right guard, or do the Seahawks feel they need to go out and get another player to fill that spot and have Sims and Willis for depth and development? I am heading over to the combine right now. I will post some quotes from select players once I am there, as well as glean as much information as I can from the running backs who are brought through. Also, former Seahawks quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn, now coaching the Redskins, is having a press conference this afternoon so I will update you with quotes from that as well.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 14 comments
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 01:09:04 pm
The Seattle Seahawks designated cornerback Marcus Trufant their franchise player, it was announced by the team today. By placing the franchise tag on Trufant, Seattle will tender a minimum of the average salary of the top five cornerbacks in the National Football League, or a 20 percent salary increase, whichever is greater. Trufant will be free to negotiate with any other team, but the Seahawks can match any offer or receive two first-round draft choices if they decide not to match. “We are excited that Marcus will remain a Seahawk,” said President & General Manager Tim Ruskell. “We will continue to talk with his representative in hopes of securing a long-term deal which is our goal.” Trufant, a Tacoma native and Washington State product, was originally selected by the Seahawks as the 11th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. He has started all 78 career games played and finished second on the team in 2007 with 85 tackles (78 solo), leading the team with 16 passes defensed with a career-high seven interceptions, returning one for his first-career touchdown while earning his first-career Pro Bowl berth.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 36 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 12:09:19 pm
The Seahawks have hired Chris Beake as their offensive quality control coach. Beake will replace Gary Reynolds, who left Mike Holmgren's staff to join Nolan Cromwell at Texas A&M. The interesting thing about Beake is that he used to be -- are you ready for it? -- Jim Mora's linebackers coach in Atlanta. Here is a link to a story that lays out his background pretty well. He has no playing experience but to make up for that shortcoming I am told he works his tail off. He should be a good hire, and it wouldn't surprise me if he gets more responsibility next year, when Mora takes over for Holmgren.
Categories: Coaching Staff
• 10 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 11:40:47 am
A lot of folks were requesting information about the tight ends here in Indianapolis. I just spent the past 90 minutes sitting in on and listening to interviews with many of them. The ones who said they already have met with the Seahawks are John Carlson of Notre Dame and Craig Stevens of California. That's not to say that others have not, but those are the ones who specifically said they met with Seattle. A couple others said they have meetings tonight. Mostly they are meet and greets, nothing in depth. The ones who were most impressive to me just in an interview/personality capacity were Martellus Bennett of Texas A&M, Martin Rucker of Missouri and Brad Cottam of Tennessee.
Categories: Scouting combine
• 15 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:41:21 am
I just spoke with Josh Brown's agent, who said he has spoken with the Seahawks but no deal obviously was able to be reached. He did not want to get into specifics but he did not sound optimistic about where things stand with negotiations. The issue, as always, is compensation. This is not from the agent, but I think that Brown is seeking something near what Adam Vinatieri signed with Indy, around $2.5 million per season. The Seahawks are coming in under that, obviously. The agent said that he has no future negotiations scheduled, though he was confident he would meet with the Seahawks at the combine here in Indianapolis. I spoke with one person with a pretty good feel for the situation who said he would not be surprised to see the Seahawks let Brown go and then go after a kicker in the later rounds here, particularly because having to franchise Trufant puts them in a tough spot cap-wise. I think the feeling there is that given the money, a talented kicker can be found in the draft, the same way that Brown was drafted after letting Rian Lindell go. Stay tuned.
Categories: NFL free agency
• 30 comments
Posted by Frank Hughes @ 06:55:50 am
Marcus Trufant was designated as a "non-exclusive" franchise player, which means that he still can negotiate with other teams once free agency starts. If he signs with another team, then the team that signs him must give the Seahawks two first-round draft picks. The Seahawks also have the right of first refusal on any offer Trufant receives. Trufant has not signed the Seahawks tender offer and it is my understanding he will not sign it for a while. As for where they stand in negotiations, I don't know exact numbers but it seems apparent to me that the sides are pretty far apart. I think that Trufant's camp is of the mindset that the market has been set with the Nate Clements' contract of eight years and $80 mi |
