The Seahawks suffered a surprising 28-26 loss to the Rams today, but that stunner was nothing compared to Friday’s trade of Percy Harvin to the Jets, a deal which has led to endless reaction and speculation. We’ve learned a bit more about the trade today, as Chris Mortenesen of ESPN reports that Seattle would have released Harvin had it not worked out a trade with New York (or presumably, some other interested team).
Because Harvin is a vested veteran, he would not have been subject to waivers, meaning he would have been eligible to sign with a new club immediately. Financially, it made little difference to Seattle whether Harvin was dealt or cut — either way, the Seahawks would’ve carried $7.2MM in dead money on their 2015 cap. The Hawks are off the hook for the remainder of Harvin’s 2014 base salary $10.5MM base salary. Had it cut Harvin, Seattle would have had to pay Harvin that cash, as his salary became fully guaranteed when he was on the Week 1 roster.
Mortenesen also downplays speculation that Harvin had a rift with quarterback Russell Wilson, noting that Wilson wanted to help Harvin work through his anger management and trust issues. However, Seahawks brass preferred that Wilson focus on football matters, rather than having to worry about Harvin’s attitude. As Mortensen adds (via Twitter), Wilson didn’t give up on Harvin, but the team’s management did.
For his part, general manger John Schneider seems willing to admit that he mad a mistake in acquiring Harvin.“We made a bold move in acquiring him,” Schneider told 710 ESPN in Seattle. “But it became apparent that things weren’t going to work out, and it wasn’t a good fit.”We have to prepare this team for moving forward all the time, and I’m not just talking about this week or next week. I’m talking about 2015 and 2016. We constantly have to look at how we improve the team. This was the appropriate move at the appropriate time.”