RENTON — Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin is under contract for one more season in Seattle, but while attending an Atlanta Hawks playoff game this week, he made no secret of his plans once he hits free agency in 2016.
“I’m going to be in Atlanta next season. I’m ready,” Irvin told the website blacksportsonline.com. “Atlanta is where I want to be. Believe that.”
Irvin has never been shy about speaking his mind, and he took to Twitter to express his unhappiness with the Seahawks not picking up his fifth-year option, which would have paid him $7.8 million in 2016 (under the league’s current collective bargaining agreement, teams can exercise a fifth-year option on first-round picks, but have to do so after year four of their deals).
Seahawks general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll both said during draft weekend that they want Irvin to be in Seattle’s long-term plans, but there’s a difference between wanting Irvin and being willing to pay what it takes to keep him in free agency.
The Seahawks also declined the option on James Carpenter, their 2011 pick, said it wasn’t a reflection of their opinion of him, then let him walk in free agency. They also talked over and over again about how much they wanted to keep Golden Tate, but they simply couldn’t afford what Detroit was willing to pay on the open market; same thing with Byron Maxwell this offseason.
Letting those players go doesn’t mean the Seahawks were lying about their desire to keep them, just that they couldn’t afford to do so under the restrictions put in place by the league’s salary cap.
As for why Irvin would declare his desire to play for the Falcons, he is from Atlanta, and going there would allow him to play for former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, now Atlanta’s head coach.
Declaring those intentions now, however, probably won’t go over well with Seahawks fans, presuming Irvin isn’t traded between now and the 2015 season. Irvin’s agent is also likely to disapprove of his client seemingly removing leverage from future negotiations in free agency.
One thing these comments would seem to make clear is that Irvin won’t negotiate on an extension with Seattle prior to becoming a free agent, not unless the Seahawks blow him away with a huge offer, a highly unlikely scenario considering they weren’t willing to pick up his option.
Turbin recovering from hip surgery
Seahawks running back Robert Turbin, Marshawn Lynch’s backup for each of the past three seasons, is recovering from offseason hip surgery, though he is expected to be ready for the start of the season, a league source confirmed.
Turbin, a fourth-round pick in 2012, is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and despite the Seahawks picking Christine Michael in the second round of the 2013 draft, Turbin has remained Seattle’s No. 2 behind Lynch while also being the regular back in the two-minute offense.
Turbin appeared in all 16 games last season, starting three, and also played a bit of fullback following an injury to Will Tukuafu. Turbin rushed for 310 yards on 74 carries and had 16 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
If Turbin isn’t ready for the start of camp or preseason games, Seattle should have plenty of bodies at the position, having added undrafted rookies Thomas Rawls and Rod Smith, as well as Demitrius Bronson, who spent time with Seattle last offseason.
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