UPDATE: right after posting what you’ll read below, the NFLPA executive committee unanimously approved the CBA, so it looks like this pesky little lockout thing is over. Good times.
While it’s not quite a done deal yet, all signs point to the NFL lockout finally coming to an end today.
According to profootballtalk.com and others, teams will be able to start negotiating with free agents as soon as tomorrow, but won’t be able to sign free agents until Friday.
Also, the Seahawks are expected to report Wednesday.
So what does all this mean for the Seahawks? Well, as we said before the lockout, Seattle is a team that was set up to make some big changes this offseason. Seattle will have a lot of money to spend, thanks in part to the restructuring of deals of players like Sean Locklear and Jordan Babineaux, who are now free agents. And thanks to this lengthy lockout, the Seahawks will be looking to spend that money in a very short time frame, which should make for some wild times ahead. So let’s take a quick look at the Seahawks’ priorities:
1. Figure out the QB situation
Obviously the biggest question is whether or not Seattle will re-sign Matt Hasselbeck. Nothing is final yet, but it sounds like teams won’t get an exclusive window to negotiate with their own free agents, so that means no head start on trying to re-sign Hasselbeck. The 35-year-old Hasselbeck is considered the top free agent quarterback, so whoever signs him, be it Seattle or some other team (Tennessee? Minnesota? Arizona?) expect it to happen pretty quickly.
If, as Pete Carroll said at the end of the season, Hasselbeck is the Seahawks’ top priority, they’ll need to act quickly to lock him up, and if not, we’ll see what they have in mind at that position. Right now, Charlie Whitehurst is the team’s only quarterback under contract, so while the Seahawks may not keep Hasselbeck, they’re going to have to add a few people for training camp. For starters, expect Seattle to bring in an undrafted rookie free agent who could be a project for the future. Also, don’t be surprised if Seattle kicks the tires of Matt Leinart. No, the former USC Trojan hasn’t panned out in the NFL, but it will cost next to nothing to find out if the 28-year-old former top-10 pick can turn things around under his old coach. But if Hasselbeck isn’t around, Seattle will also need someone to compete with Whitehurst for the starting job. That could be Philadelphia’s Kevin Kolb, but getting him will require some serious compensation, so unless the Pete Carroll and John Schneider are convinced that Kolb is a star in the making, that may not be the direction Seattle wants to go. There are other free agents available, then there’s always the chance of a trade for Carson Palmer (though Cincinnati still maintains Palmer won’t get a trade), but no matter what happens, whether it’s signing Hasselbeck or some other move, expect Seattle to address this position soon.
2. Re-sign Brandon Mebane, add depth to the D-line
The defensive tackle is Seattle’s most attractive free agent behind Hasselbeck, and might be just as valuable to the Seahawks. We saw last year how thin the team was on the line when injuries decimated a group that early in the season anchored the league’s No. 2 run defense. Seattle drafted only one defensive lineman in April, and that was seventh-round pick Pep Levingston, so they need to not only retain Mebane, but add more depth and talent.
3. Improve the secondary
Seattle ranked 27th in pass defense last year, which is part of the reason why you saw the Seahawks take three straight defensive backs at one point in the draft. Still, the Seahawks can’t go into training camp expecting fifth and sixth-round picks to be ready to step into the starting lineup, so help is needed. Marcus Trufant is still under contract, but Kelly Jennings is a free agent, and doesn’t fit the mold of the bigger, physical corner Carroll and Schneider prefer. Walter Thurmond will get a chance to compete for a starting job, but with a good class of free agents available, expect the Seahawks to look for outside help, even if it doesn’t get in the bidding war for this year’s top free agent, Nnamdi Asomugha.
4. Settle the O-Line
After the Seahawks drafted T James Carpenter and G John Moffitt with their first two picks, line coach Tom Cable said the line could look like this: LT Russell Okung, LG ???, C Max Unger, RG Moffitt and RT Carpenter. Everyone expects that the unnamed left guard will be Robert Gallery, who Cable coached in Oakland, but that’s far from a done deal. And even if Seattle is able to sign Gallery, they’ll need to do more to improve the overall depth of the line. Injuries have decimated the line the last two years, and the proposed group listed above is very young, so having some solid backups will be important.
There is plenty more for Seattle to do, but that’s just a brief look at some top priorities. Plenty more to come here in the upcoming days.
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