Seahawks News Thread

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Feb 14, 2004
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Franchise/transition tags: Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have three top-priority free agents they want to keep: defensive end Michael Bennett, receiver Golden Tate and kicker Steven Hauschka.

But considering where the team is headed with it salary-cap issues one year from now, it appears unlikely Seattle would use a franchise tag on any of them.

There are three possible franchise designations -- exclusive tender, non-exclusive tender and transition player. All three are explained here.

The Seahawks know a day of reckoning is coming after next season when the contracts are up for cornerback Richard Sherman and free safety Earl Thomas, and quarterback Russell Wilson is eligible to renegotiate his original contract.

That’s going to cost $35 million to $40 million to keep all three of them. A franchise designation could make sense next year for Sherman or Thomas.

But for now, the cost is just too steep for Bennett or Tate. Bennett would receive a raise of almost $8 million, going from $4.8 million to $12.6 million. Tate’s salary would be an astronomical increase from $880,000 against the salary cap to $11.6 million.

That’s just too steep a price to pay for a team that has to plan ahead for the enormous salary issues coming soon.

However, a franchise tag for Hauschka isn’t completely out of the question. It would cost the Seahawks a comparatively low $3 million, moving Hauschka from $620,000 to $3.6 million.

It may seem a little far-fetched to use the franchise tag on a kicker, but the Seahawks have done it before. General manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll opted to use it on kicker Olindo Mare in 2010, but they haven’t used it since.

Hauschka was one of the best kickers in the league last season, missing only two attempts, and one of those was blocked. He also improved his distance on kickoffs with touchbacks on 52 percent on those kicks.

Nevertheless, it’s more likely the Seahawks will try to sign Hauschka to a multiyear deal than use the franchise tag.

Franchise/transition tags: Seattle Seahawks - ESPN
 
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Derrick Coleman Jr @DC2forlife
For those not in the NFL combine keep grinding! I didn't get an invite but I still got my opportunity! SB48 title is now next to my name!
 
Feb 14, 2004
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NFL salary cap increase gives Seattle Seahawks wiggle room

It appears Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider will have a little more of owner Paul Allen’s money at his disposal when making critical roster decisions this offseason, as the NFL is set to raise its salary cap to roughly $130 million, nearly $4 million more than expected, according to NFL.com.

That should be welcome news to Schneider, who will attempt to keep a championship roster together in Seattle after a 13-3 2013 season capped by the first Super Bowl win in franchise history.

It won’t be easy.

Apart from the Dallas Cowboys (a projected $20.9 million over the old cap of $123 million according to figures from OverTheCap.com) and the Pittsburgh Steelers ($8.6 million over), Seattle has the least amount of money to spend against the 2014 cap. However, those numbers don’t take into account the money saved by cutting or restructuring the contracts of veteran players like wide receiver Sidney Rice or defensive end Chris Clemons, whose releases would save the team a combined $23.8 million over the next two seasons.

The extra cap money could potentially go toward locking up the team’s own unrestricted free agents before they hit the open market. The contracts for defensive end Michael Bennett, wide receiver Golden Tate and kicker Steven Hauschka all expired after the season, but it is widely assumed Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll would like to see each back in 2014.

NFL salary cap increase gives Seattle Seahawks wiggle room - Seattle Seahawks & NFL News
 
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Marshawn Lynch resolving DUI case

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has agreed to plead guilty Friday in an Oakland, Calif., courtroom to the lesser charge of reckless driving, which will end his pending DUI case.

"We are resolving the case Friday by pleading to a wet reckless," said Ivan Golde, Lynch's attorney. "We have a strong case for trial and could win the case, but the last thing he needs is to go through a public trial.

"He's a Super Bowl champion, and he has endorsements pending. For a guy in his position, it just doesn't make any sense to go through a public trial. He has a lot at stake here. You know Marshawn. He's not a media guy. It wouldn't have been good for him to go through all that."

Lynch also will receive two years of probation as part of the plea bargain, along with a monetary fine that will be determined by the judge.

Lynch, 27, was arrested in the early morning on July 14, 2012, by the California Highway Patrol after an officer allegedly observed him driving north on Interstate 880 in Oakland weaving in and out of lanes in a Ford van and nearly colliding with two cars.

Golde said Lynch recorded a .08 blood-alcohol level on the field sobriety test, the lowest level that is above the legal limit. Golde said in December that he planned to try the case but would leave the final decision to Lynch.

"With the way the media is today, it would be tough for him to go through a trial like this,'' Golde said Thursday. "It was better to plead to the much lesser charge, which basically is an unsafe lane change."

Golde also believes that pleading to the lesser charge will enable Lynch to avoid any further penalties from the NFL.

"I can't speak for the commissioner [Roger Goodell],'' Golde said, "but my feeling is Marshawn is OK and will avoid a suspension."

Pleading to the lesser charge means Lynch will not have to attend a four-month DUI school, which is mandatory for DUI convictions in California. But he'll still need to attend six classes on driving safety and alcohol consumption.

Marshawn Lynch of Seattle Seahawks pleads guilty to reckless driving - ESPN
 
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