Pete Carroll hinted it would happen, so it is no surprise that the Seahawks are exploring some of the veteran free agents who have been released ahead of the signing period that begins next week.
Defensive end John Abraham, late of the Atlanta Falcons, will be the second defensive lineman to visit the Hawks in the past week. Cullen Jenkins, released by Philadelphia, was in Seattle on March 4. The Hawks also reportedly are among a handful of teams with keen interest in veteran defensive back Charles Woodson.
It is no surprise.
"We’ll still look at every single opportunity," Carroll told reporters at the Combine. "There are guys out there that are at the later stages of their career that we will look at …"
With Chris Clemons working back from ACL surgery, the Hawks need a pass rusher. Abraham, 34, could fill that role. The Hawks are an enticing team for a veteran such as Abraham. The question is: Will the price be right?
Abraham played seven years with the Falcons and was due to make $4.25 million (count $7.2 million) in 2013. He had 10 sacks last season, but an ankle injury in Week 17 forced him to miss most of the playoff game against the Seahawks and hindered him against the 49ers.
He will be 35 on May 6 and is not a full-time player anymore, but he might be worth $3 million as a pass-rush specialist.
General manager John Schneider's interest in Jenkins and Woodson is rooted in their Green Bay ties.
Schneider was part of the Packers front office that signed Jenkins undrafted out of Central Michigan in 2004.
Jenkins, 32, could be an option to replace Alan Branch inside at 3-technique. The 6-foot-2, 305-pounder had 9.5 sacks the past two seasons for the Eagles after spending his first seven years with Green Bay.
As many as seven teams reportedly are interested in Jenkins, who was slated to make $5.5 million next season. He met with the Giants on March 1.
He might be worth $4 million a year over two years, but if some team is willing to pay him much more, the Hawks are unlikely to be interested.
Woodson, who joined the Packers in 2006 when Schneider was there, reportedly is being pursued by the Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and both New York teams. If he is looking to play for a contender, the Hawks would be his best shot among those clubs.
Carroll and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn surely could find a role for the 36-year-old Woodson, although you have to wonder if he would be any better than Marcus Trufant in a nickel role.
The Seahawks are a team on the rise, so it is easy to understand why aging veterans are interested in playing for them.
Carroll and Schneider hoped they would get to this point.
Carroll told John Clayton at the Combine, "John (Schneider) said (when they started out in 2010), 'I hope we become the team that players will want to play for. ' And we're already getting some overtures about that. We look at one another with a little glint in the eye: 'Here (are) those examples.' We can't always act on them, but we're involved in every single transaction that we can possibly be involved with. … If guys want to come here, that just helps us a little bit in recruiting, and we're surely going to respond to that."
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