The Seahawks took care of three needs in three days last week when they traded for wide receiver Percy Harvin and signed pass rushers Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett.
The question now is: What next?
They still need a starting weakside linebacker, a run-stopping defensive tackle, a kicker and some more people in the secondary and on the offensive line. And it would be a bonus to get a tight end to push Anthony McCoy.
General manager John Schneider told John Clayton that they are going to concentrate on keeping some guys already on the team.
"At this point, we're going to focus on our own players," Schneider said on 710 ESPN on Saturday. "There are a couple of guys we'd like to get extensions with.
"There's a plan in place here. There are several phases to free agency, so we'll see how that goes," he said. "In the meantime, we'd kind of like to focus on our own guys, guys we have drafted."
The question is: Which couple of guys does he want to extend?
The top options would seem to be safety Kam Chancellor and receiver Golden Tate, who both are entering the final year of their rookie deals. They also should extend tight end Zach Miller to add some cap space. And they could extend Earl Thomas a year early to save headaches in 2014.
Chancellor is not going to get the $8 million a year that Thomas will command. But if Kam is willing to accept $4 million a year, they probably can strike a deal.
Tate finally emerged last season, catching 45 passes for 688 yards and seven touchdowns. It was a good showing, although hardly meritorious of a big pay day. The Hawks don't need to go any higher than $3 million a year for him. If he is not interested, he should just play out his deal and see what he can get in 2014.
Miller's deal runs through 2015, but he has the highest cap hit on the team in 2013: $11 million. The Hawks could add three years to his contract and turn his $15.6 million in salary and roster bonuses the next two years into lower salaries and a guaranteed signing bonus.
That could free up $8 million in cap space over the next two years ($6 million this year) without costing the team another penny until the extension years arrive. At 27, Miller is young enough to make the move worth it.
The Hawks do not need to use the money this year, but they certainly could roll it over for use next offseason.
Other key players whose contracts expire after 2013: OT Breno Giacomini, CB Brandon Browner (RFA), FB Michael Robinson, WR Doug Baldwin (RFA), CB Walter Thurmond, TE Anthony McCoy, OL Paul McQuistan, DL Michael Bennett.
As for free agents, the Hawks are very likely to add an outside linebacker to replace Leroy Hill and either re-sign Alan Branch or add another defensive tackle to replace him before the draft. Tony McDaniel, a part-time player for Miami and Jacksonville the past seven seasons, visited the Seahawks on Thursday.
They might also add a corner -- there are tons of them on the market -- and a veteran offensive lineman.
The Hawks don't have a ton of cap space left -- about $6 million -- and need to save about $4 million for draft picks. If they don’t do any extensions to create more room or trade Matt Flynn, they won't be able to sign Branch or more than a couple of veterans.
AVRIL AND BENNETT WERE NOT WANTED
How did the Seahawks end up with two of the top four available pass rushers?
Their own teams didn't want them, and, surprisingly, no one else ponied up much cash either.
"I'm not even sure if they (the Detroit Lions) wanted me to come back, honestly," Avril told Sirius XM NFL Radio. "There really wasn't much communication, honestly. So I took it as if I guess my time was done in Detroit.
"I just didn't get that vibe (from the Lions). Like I said, there wasn't really an offer, there wasn't much communication. I kind of took the hint. I thought it was a hint. We just couldn't make anything happen."
Bennett sang the same tune about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I just didn’t feel any love from them at all,” he told the Tampa Tribune. “And that’s kind of disappointing, because for a team that you put everything you had into for four years to do that, you’re just kind of, ‘OK, whatever.’
“You do everything you can to grow as a player and get better as a player and you prove yourself over and over again for them, but I guess that’s just who they are.”
HAWKS HAVE GOTTEN MORE VERSATILE
Avril, Bennett and Percy Harvin all make the Seahawks more versatile.
Bennett figures to be used as an inside rusher mainly, but he expects to see action across the line.
“I’m not concerned at all (about playing time),” he said. “Everybody is capable of playing on the defensive line here, and I plan to be part of the rotation here. I’ll be all over the place here.”
Avril played linebacker at Purdue, and Schneider indicated he might be used at strongside linebacker at times.
Meanwhile, Harvin can line up everywhere on offense and return kicks.
OTHER HAWK TALK
**For a few hours between Monday and Tuesday, some Seahawk fans might have dreamed of former starter Matt Hasselbeck returning as a backup to Russell Wilson. After all, they recently spent time together at Disney World while at a charity function. But less than a day after being released by Tennessee, Hasselbeck signed with Indianapolis to back up Andrew Luck. It means Hasselbeck will still see the Seahawks next season, although not in Seattle: The Hawks host the Titans and visit the Colts.
**The rumor of Doug Baldwin possibly going to Indianapolis in a trade was pretty silly. It all started with a tweet by Colts owner Jim Irsay about a big deal for a receiver. Some then connected the Stanford dots -- Colts QB Andrew Luck, new OC Pep Hamilton and Baldwin. The receiver shot down the rumor himself on Twitter.
**In a sign of how underpaid/overachieving the Seahawks are, five players received more than $200,000 from the NFL's performance-based pay program: CB Richard Sherman $249,201, Chancellor $229,952, QB Russell Wilson $222,167, CB Brandon Browner $215,201 and LB K.J. Wright $205,668.
**KR Leon Washington drew interest from the Buccaneers, Lions and Colts before signing a one-year deal with New England.
**OT Frank Omiyale, who spent last season with the Seahawks, reportedly visited Carolina on Saturday.
Comments