Here’s the fifth part of my seven-part series looking at where the Seahawks stand heading into the offseason, position by position. Salary numbers for 2016 are courtesy of OverTheCap.com. Players signed to futures contracts are not included. Unrestricted free agents can sign with any team. Restricted free agents can either have offers matched by Seattle, or the Seahawks receive compensation. Exclusive rights free agents are under team control unless not offered a contract.
LINEBACKER
Under contract
K.J. Wright ($6,250,000)
Bobby Wagner ($6,068,750)
Kevin Pierre-Louis ($696,413)
Brock Coyle ($601,000)
Unrestricted free agents
Bruce Irvin
Mike Morgan
Restricted free agent
Nick Moody
Exclusive rights free agent
Eric Pinkins
The skinny: The Seahawks have their two best linebackers in Wagner and Wright locked up for a long time — Wagner’s contract runs through 2019, Wright’s through 2018, so this unit should be in good shape for years to come.
However, Seattle will have a hard time holding onto its third starter, Irvin. Irvin, who made nearly $2.9 million this season, seems certain to get a big raise on the open market. Irvin said during clear-out day he was willing to take less money to re-sign with the Seahawks, but his agent later said there would be no hometown discount. It seems unlikely Seattle will have the funds available to match what Irvin will be offered.
Therefore, the Seahawks will probably be in the market for a new strong-side linebacker. Morgan was Irvin’s back-up, but he’s primarily a special teamer, and Seattle is certain to have a limit on how much it’s willing to shell out for someone who primarily plays on special teams. The team could switch Wright to the strong side and slide Pierre-Louis into Wright’s weak-side position, but the times the team attempted that during the season were not successes.
So if Irvin leaves, the Seahawks will probably have to replace him, through either a free-agent signing or the draft, rather than find a solution from within.
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