Seahawks’ Jackson to test free-agent waters
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, March 2, 2004
The NFL’s free agent signing period began last night, which was a good and bad thing for the Seattle Seahawks.
The good comes with the talented crop of defensive players available on the market, some of whom could begin visiting this week.
As for the bad … well, that has to do with one of Seattle’s own free agents.
The Seahawks failed to get a long-term deal done with wide receiver Darrell Jackson by Tuesday night’s deadline, meaning he will now be available for other teams to pursue. The 25-year-old wideout is generally regarded as the top receiver on the free agent market, now that San Francisco’s Terrell Owens is no longer available.
The Seahawks had discussions with Jackson’s agent in an attempt to get him re-signed, but the two sides were unable to come to terms.
Jackson could still re-sign with Seattle, although he is likely to first gauge interest from other teams.
The Seahawks did get five players under contract Tuesday, signing all of their restricted players to one-year tenders. All could be pursued by other teams, but Seattle would have the right to match any offer and would get compensation.
The compensation for offensive lineman Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack would be a first-round pick because his tender is worth $1.368 million. The other four players have lesser tenders that would warrant compensation based on where they were originally drafted: fullback Heath Evans (third round), linebacker Orlando Huff (fourth), wide receiver Alex Bannister (fifth), and center Dennis Norman (seventh).
The Seahawks have salary cap room that is somewhere in the neighborhood of $14 million, meaning they have plenty of options when hosting free agents. Some of the top available defensive players include defensive end Jevon Kearse (Tennessee), defensive tackle Warren Sapp (Tampa Bay), defensive end Marcellus Wiley (San Diego) and cornerbacks Ahmed Plummer (San Francisco), Bobby Taylor (Philadelphia) and Antone Winfield (Buffalo).
Other free agents who played with the Seahawks last season include four starters: cornerback Shawn Springs, middle linebacker Randall Godfrey, strong safety Reggie Tongue and defensive tackle Cedric Woodard. Punter Tom Rouen and defensive end Lamar King, a former first-round draft pick, are also available to negotiate with other teams.
Jackson was the Seahawks’ leading receiver last season, when he caught 68 passes for 1,137 yards and nine touchdowns. Seattle is likely to continue its pursuits of Jackson, but might eventually have to replace him.
Other free agent receivers include Carolina’s Kevin Dyson, Detroit’s Bill Schroeder, San Francisco’s Tai Streets and Baltimore’s Marcus Robinson. Owens and Minnesota’s Randy Moss have been mentioned as possible trade bait, although the Seahawks are unlikely to break up their offense just to acquire one of those stars.
Next month’s draft boasts one of the deepest groups of receivers in recent memory, with Pittsburgh’s Larry Fitzgerald, USC’s Mike Williams, Texas’s Roy Williams and the University of Washington’s Reggie Williams all likely first-round picks.
