Prepare for the feeding frenzy.
The NFL’s free-agency period has begun. Teams were allowed to begin negotiations with other teams’ unrestricted free agents Monday, and players can sign with new teams beginning at 1 p.m. PST Wednesday. So the action is about to begin.
The Seattle Seahawks have 17 unrestricted free agents, including seven starters. The Seahawks will have to make some difficult decisions because they have a limited amount of space under the $155 million salary cap, with about $122 million already committed to players.
Here’s a ranking of Seattle’s top seven unrestricted free agents:
1) T Russell Okung
2015 salary cap number: $7,280,000
Left tackle is the most important position on the offensive line, and Okung has been Seattle’s left tackle the past six seasons. For the most part Okung has done a good job, being named to the Pro Bowl in both 2012 and 2014.
However, Okung also has a history of injuries, missing three games last season and 13 over the past three campaigns. The Seahawks would like to bring Okung back, but probably not at a salary greater than last season’s, given the team’s financial limitations.
The Seahawks have no apparent successor to Okung, and he may also be in demand, considering the limited number of options available at left tackle on the market.
Okung is taking the unusual step of acting as his own agent, so that may throw a wrinkle into negotiations.
2) LB Bruce Irvin
2015 salary cap number: $2,895,542
Irvin made the successful transition to strong-side linebacker after originally being drafted as a defensive end, and he continued to be used as a pass rusher on passing downs. Irvin was a contributor, but wasn’t considered as crucial to the defense as fellow linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, and in all likelihood he’s become too expensive for the Seahawks — there’s been talk of Irvin being offered contracts in the $9-million-a-year range, and Seattle declined a $7.8 million team option prior to last season.
Atlanta and Jacksonville, teams with former Seahawks defensive coordinators as head coaches (Dan Quinn in Atlanta, Gus Bradley in Jacksonville) are the teams that keep being mentioned as leading for Irvin.
3) CB Jeremy Lane
2015 salary cap number: $691,279
Lane’s ranking here may come as a surprise, but he may be Seattle’s highest-priority re-signing. Yes, he’s had all kinds of injuries, and yes he has just six NFL starts under his belt. However, he performed well when thrust into the starting lineup late last season, and he provides the added bonus of being capable of lining up either on the outside or in the slot.
The other thing that makes Lane valuable is that he’s homegrown. The Seahawks have a specific step-kick technique they teach their cornerbacks, and that can be hard to learn. One only has to look at last year’s Cary Williams fiasco — a big-money free agent who appeared in just 10 games before being cut — to see that attempting to fill the position with someone from outside the organization is a risk.
4) DT Brandon Mebane
2015 salary cap number: $5,700,000
Mebane is an often-overlooked piece of Seattle’s defense, as the stout defensive tackle plays an important role in stopping the run in early-down situations, something he’s done over the course of nine seasons in Seattle. The main issue with Mebane is his age, as he’s now 31 years old, and there’s always injury concerns once a player reaches his 30s — Mebane had his 2014 season ended by injury, and he played through a series of nagging injuries last season.
Will Mebane be willing to take a pay cut? That may be the only way the Seahawks can afford to bring him back.
5) DT Ahtyba Rubin
2015 salary cap number: $2,600,000
Just about everything said about Mebane applies to Rubin as well. He joined the team on a one-year deal prior to last season and was everything the Seahawks could have hoped as an early-down run stuffer, particularly given his modest contract. But he also will be on the wrong side of 30 once next season starts.
On Monday night, the Seahawks and Rubin agreed to terms on a three-year contract, making Rubin the first of Seattle’s unrestricted free agents to re-up with the team. Financial terms were not immediately known.
6) WR Jermaine Kearse
2015 salary cap number: $2,356,000
Kearse is coming off his best season, having caught 49 passes for 685 yards and five touchdowns. But despite his local ties — Kearse is from Lakewood just outside Tacoma and attended the University of Washington — Kearse has said he won’t take a hometown discount, and reports already have surfaced that he won’t be back. With few receivers available on the market this season, Kearse has a chance to get a significant raise.
The Seahawks, with Tyler Lockett having an impressive rookie season and Paul Richardson expected back from injury, seem well positioned to replace Kearse should he depart.
7) G J.R. Sweezy
2015 salary cap number: $1,556,212
Sweezy was part of a Seahawks offensive line that had a tumultuous season, getting torched early in the campaign and improving significantly in the second half. However, Sweezy seems an unlikely candidate to re-sign with the Seahawks. A market seems to have developed for Sweezy, and the Seahawks have shown a reluctance to spend big money on their offensive line outside of left tackle.
The Seahawks also have a ready-made replacement for Sweezy in the form of second-year guard Mark Glowinski, who received good reviews in his one start last season.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/seattlesidelines, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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