Seattle Seahawks News & Rumors

Seahawks Open To Duane Brown Extension

Russell Wilson and Jamal Adams have resided as the Seahawks’ top priorities this offseason, but the team has not forgotten about its Pro Bowl left tackle. Duane Brown joined Adams in not participating at the team’s minicamp, though the veteran blocker did attend while the All-Pro safety stayed away.

Also joining Adams in a contract year, Brown is pursuing an extension. The Seahawks, who traded for the former Texans first-round pick during the 2017 season, appear onboard with such an approach. Although Brown is going into his age-36 season, Pete Carroll is open to keeping him beyond 2021.

He’s a big part of what we’re doing and we’re counting on him being with us. We’ll look down the road together and we’ll see what’s the right thing to do,’’ Carroll said, via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. “… We would love for him to be with us. If he wants to keep playing, we want him to keep playing.

[RELATED: Seahawks Confident On Jamal Adams Deal]

The 14th-year lineman has delivered upper-echelon left tackle play for the Seahawks, and Wilson made upgrading the team’s offensive line an issue earlier this year. Seattle acquired Gabe Jackson via trade, but Brown remains the team’s most accomplished blocker. Pro Football Focus tabbed him as the league’s fifth-best tackle last season.

Exiting minicamp, Brown’s $11.5MM-per-year deal ranks 16th among left tackles. None of the tackles ahead of Brown on the salary list are older than him, however. Brown’s age should cap his earning potential on a fourth contract, but he should be able to secure additional guarantees in the near future. No guaranteed money remains on his 2018 extension.

Another extension would also create cap space, reducing Brown’s $13.3MM 2021 cap number, that would help with an Adams extension. The Seahawks currently have just more than $8MM in cap space.

K.J. Wright Not In Seahawks’ Plans?

There’s been some back and forth all offseason, but it appears like things are close to being set in stone with outside linebacker K.J. Wright and the Seahawks. It doesn’t sound like he’ll be coming back for an 11th season in Seattle.

Pete Carroll said a couple of weeks ago the door was open for Wright to return, but Brady Henderson of ESPN.com writes that he’s not in the team’s plans. Wright has said since February that he wanted to return to the Seahawks, but not at a discount. However, Henderson writes the team’s decision is “only partly about money.”

Instead, it’s “mostly because the Seahawks want their top two draft picks from 2020”, Jordyn Brooks and Darrell Taylor, to become starters next to Bobby Wagner at linebacker in their defense. In other words, the team just wants to get younger on defense, which is understandable.

Wright is the longest-tenured member of the team, and has started at least 12 games in all of his pro seasons except 2018 when he dealt with a knee injury. However, the 2011 fourth-round pick will also turn 32 in July.

Wright won Super Bowl XLVIII with the team, and made the Pro Bowl in 2016. One of the last members of the legendary ‘Legion of Boom’ defenses of yesteryear, it sounds like Wright will need to find a new home if he wants to keep playing. He did say in late March he was interested in playing for the Cowboys, with his old defensive coordinator Dan Quinn now coaching in Dallas.

Seahawks Confident On Jamal Adams Deal

Angling for a new contract for the second straight offseason, Jamal Adams is staying away from Seahawks minicamp. But the team has excused Adams’ absence, stopping any fines from piling up.

Pete Carroll confirmed Adams contract talks have begun, but ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson reports these negotiations have not produced much movement yet. The team nevertheless remains confident a deal will be finalized.

It’s been ongoing and it’s been amicable throughout,” Carroll said of the Adams extension talks. “We recognize that he’s a fantastic football player and we’re in the midst of, it’s a big contract process. But I know he knows he’s been treated with a lot of respect and he’s been very respectful towards the club as well. They’ve been good talks. It just hasn’t been able to get settled at this point, but it’s coming.”

Carroll stopped short of saying he expects an extension to be completed by the start of training camp, but after the Seahawks traded two first-round picks for Adams, it is fairly clear they view him as a part of their future. Carroll expects Adams to show for training camp. The 2020 CBA made holdouts more difficult to wage, so Adams will face significant financial penalties were he to remain away from the team during training camp.

The Seahawks informed Adams they did not intend to complete an extension last year, with Henderson adding the uncertainty regarding the 2021 salary cap factored into the former top-10 pick playing out the fourth year of his rookie deal (at $3.59MM) last season. Now tied to the fifth-year option, Adams is set to earn $9.86MM this season.

Broncos star Justin Simmons stands as the league’s highest-paid safety at $15.25MM per year, setting that new high-water mark earlier this year. Meanwhile, Landon Collins leads all safeties in full guarantees at $44.5MM. Despite Adams doing his best work in the box, he is a three-time Pro Bowler who is one of the best at his position. It will likely take a new safety-record deal for the Seahawks to lock in the 25-year-old standout long-term, given his lengthy quest for a second contract. Should the Seahawks fail to hammer out an agreement with Adams this year, they will have the franchise tag at their disposal come March.

Rashaad Penny Underwent Offseason Knee Surgery

The Seahawks’ Rashaad Penny draft choice surprised most at the time, and the first-round pick has not lived up to the team’s expectations. A 2019 injury did the most to sidetrack the running back’s career.

The ACL tear Penny sustained in December 2019 continues to impact his status. Penny underwent surgery on the same knee this offseason, Pete Carroll said Tuesday. Although Carroll called the operation a cleanup procedure, per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson (on Twitter), the 12th-year Seahawks HC generally veers toward the overly optimistic side when assessing injuries.

Penny is not participating fully at the Seahawks’ minicamp, though Carroll said the fourth-year back is getting some work in. The 2019 knee injury and subsequent surgery sidelined Penny for most of the 2020 season, but he is expected to be ready for training camp this year. The Seahawks did not activate Penny until mid-December of last season — more than a year after the tear — and he logged just 11 touches in the three games he played last season. Seattle did not pick up his fifth-year option in May, turning the 2021 season into a contract year.

Penny’s knee injury halted a season in which he was averaging 5.7 yards per carry; the San Diego State product had amassed 203 rushing yards in his previous two games. The Seahawks brought in Carlos Hyde as a Penny substitute in 2020 but let him defect to the Jaguars this year, thinning out the depth chart behind Chris Carson.

The recently re-signed Carson remains Seattle’s starter, but the team does not have much in the way of experience behind Penny. Recent Day 3 picks Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas and second-stint Seahawk Alex Collins represent the other notable names on the depth chart. Considering Carson missed four games last season, the competition for the Seahawks’ third-string back stands to be more relevant than such battles usually are.

Seahawks’ Duane Brown Wants New Deal

Duane Brown is heading into his age-36 season, but the Seahawks left tackle does not sound like he is planning a near-future retirement. Ahead of his fifth season in Seattle, Brown wants another raise.

The contract-year blocker wants a new deal, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). The Seahawks extended Brown in July 2018 — less than a year after trading for him. That $11.5MM-per-year contract was not a top-tier left tackle deal at the time and is well off the pace now.

A four-time Pro Bowler, Brown has provided the Seahawks left tackle stability by giving an annually embattled offensive line a blindside anchor. Brown’s salary, however, ranks 16th among left tackles. Brown is set to earn $10MM in base salary this season.

The 14th-year vet does not intend to hold out, however, per Garafolo, but this is now one of many contract situations to monitor around the league. He is at the Seahawks’ minicamp but not participating in on-field work, per the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta (on Twitter). The Seahawks have another of these situations unfolding on their roster, though Jamal Adams is not in attendance.

While Brown’s age stands to limit his earning potential in his final NFL seasons, his request for a second Seahawks extension comes months after Russell Wilson made critical comments about his team’s O-line approach. Although the team traded for guard Gabe Jackson, Brown obviously serves as a key cog in Seattle’s O-line equation. Wilson attempted to walk back some of his winter comments last week, but the franchise QB made the O-line an issue publicly and behind closed doors. Brown moving for more security now makes sense.

Prior to Brown’s arrival, the Seahawks were in their second season without Russell Okung. Brown has provided the team with a reliable left tackle. Despite Brown being 35, Pro Football Focus tabbed him as the league’s fifth-best tackle last season. PFF has slotted Brown as a top-25 tackle in each of his four Seahawks slates. Considering Wilson’s comments and Brown’s recent form, it would not surprise if the Seahawks and Brown agreed on a short- or medium-length extension before the season.

Seahawks Excuse Jamal Adams’ Absence

The Seahawks have excused safety Jamal Adams from this week’s mandatory minicamp for personal reasons, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Initially, his absence was believed to be contract-related, but that’s not quite the case.

As a result, Adams will not be fined ~$290K for skipping the three-day minicamp. Still, the two sides still have some contract matters to hash out. Adams is currently playing on his fifth-year option, which means $9.86MM for the 2021 season. Meanwhile, he wants a new multi-year contract to position him as the highest-paid safety in the NFL.

That’s been Adams’ stance for several years, dating back to his time with the Jets. Desperate to get away from Gang Green, Adams agreed to table talks until a later date. With one year to go at a below-market rate, the future is now. But, on the plus side, Adams’ non-participation does not seem to be the start of a holdout.

The advanced metrics knocked Adams for his coverage and run D last year, but he was still a force with 9.5 sacks in just 12 games. The multiple-time Pro Bowler — 26 in October — was rock solid before last year’s injury-filled season. Between 2018 and 2019, only Vikings standout Anthony Harris graded out higher than Adams at safety, according to Pro Football Focus. Eddie Jackson (Bears) was No. 3 on the list, and he currently stands as one of the league’s top-paid safeties.

Jamal Adams Skipping Seahawks’ Minicamp

Jamal Adams is holding out. The Seahawks safety will not participate this week’s mandatory minicamp (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). 

The Seahawks acquired Adams and a fourth-rounder from the Jets last year for a 2021 first-round pick, a 2021 third-round pick, a 2022 first-rounder, and safety Bradley McDougald. Adams, of course, was embroiled in a longstanding contract dispute with the Jets. But, upon arrival in Seattle, he agreed to play on his existing deal, which meant a salary of just $3.59MM last year. Right now, he’s on course to make $9.86MM for 2021, thanks to his fifth-year option.

Broncos star Justin Simmons stands as the league’s highest-paid safety at $15.25MM per year. Meanwhile, Landon Collins leads the position in full guarantees at $44.5MM. Adams is definitely looking to top Simmons’ AAV, and his camp may also be pushing for a new watermark in guarantees.

Adams suffered a torn labrum and a groin injury last year, but he still showed his mettle as a dangerous playmaker. In 2020, Adams’ 9.5 sacks set a new single-season record for defensive backs — he did it in just 12 games. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics had him as a middle-of-the-pack cover man and run defender.

By skipping minicamp, Adams will be subject to fines of ~$93K per day. That’s alright by the All-Pro safety, who is hoping to send a serious message to Seattle.

Sherman Steered Witherspoon To Seattle

  • Richard Sherman surfaced on the Seahawks‘ radar recently, but he is taking his time on deciding his next team. The three-year 49ers corner did advise ex-teammate Ahkello Witherspoon to move to Seattle, however. The former Legion of Boom member told Witherspoon he would fit in well with the Seahawks, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic notes. Witherspoon signed a one-year, $4MM contract with the Seahawks in March. A third-round 49ers pick in 2017, Witherspoon made a 30 visit to Seattle ahead of the draft four years ago.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/14/21

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

  • Signed: LS Mitchell Fraboni

Kansas City Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks