By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer
The money is there, as is the salary cap flexibility. But don’t expect the Seattle Seahawks to be major players in NFL free agency, which officially started late last night.
It is highly unlikely that the Seahawks will be anywhere near as active as they were last March, when the team signed off on $47 million worth of contracts for four new defensive starters and also traded for a young quarterback. This year, the team does not have as many glaring holes, and the market isn’t quite as attractive.
Defensive end and cornerback are the team’s top two priorities, while the other areas of need depend on the status of several of Seattle’s own free agents. Tight ends Christian Fauria and Itula Mili are both free agents, as is fullback Mack Strong. Valuable reserves like quarterback Trent Dilfer and offensive lineman Todd Weiner are also free to negotiate with other teams. Running back Ricky Watters is another free agent, and is not expected to re-sign with Seattle.
The Seahawks have used second-round picks on cornerbacks in each of the past two NFL drafts, so expect Seattle to opt for a veteran to team with Shawn Springs. Some of the players available include Duane Starks (Baltimore), Walt Harris (Chicago), Terrance Shaw (New England) and Tom Knight (Arizona).
The defensive end position is very thin as far as free agents go, with Joe Johnson of the New Orleans Saints at the top of the list. Several veterans have become available in the past few days – most notably Baltimore’s Rob Burnett, Jacksonville’s Renaldo Wynn and Green Bay’s John Thierry. Relatively unknown players like Kenny Mixon and Lorenzo Bromell of Miami and Kenard Lang of Washington also make up the crop, while undersized pass rushers like Leonard Little (St. Louis) and Reinard Wilson (Cincinnati) might not fit into Seattle’s system.
After keeping the purse strings tight during his first two years with the team, coach/general manager Mike Holmgren has money to spend this offseason. The Seahawks already locked up one key free agent when left tackle Walter Jones was named the team’s franchise player, which will keep him in Seattle for at least one more season at a price of almost $5 million.
Strong has been one of Seattle’s most consistent performers over the past two seasons, but the Seahawks have insurance at that position after drafting fullback Heath Evans in the third round last year. The market is also fairly deep, with Green Bay’s William Henderson and Greg Comella of the New York Giants among the free agents available.
Fauria, 30, has been the Seahawks’ starting tight end for the good part of the past seven seasons, but speed has always been a question. A few big names like Shannon Sharpe and Ken Dilger have emerged on the free agent market, and the draft is fairly deep at the position (including the University of Washington’s Jerramy Stevens, a projected second-round pick). After Fauria and Mili, the only other tight end on the roster last season was Russell Stewart, a rookie from Stanford who played high school football in Bellevue.
Weiner has been a valuable backup at tackle, and last season he started almost every game while former first-round pick Chris McIntosh struggled with a nerve injury to his neck. All indications are that McIntosh will be the front-runner for the job next season, but Weiner hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to Seattle.
“He wants to be a starter, and he’s proven that he’s a top-caliber guy,” agent Mark Bartelstein said of Weiner. “We expect there to be a lot of interest. But he likes it there in Seattle, and we’ll stay in touch with them and see how it develops.”
Recent history says not many of Seattle’s own free agents will be back. Of the 12 former starters who fulfilled their contracts and became eligible for free agency over the three years of the Holmgren era, only two – Sean Dawkins in 2000 and Willie Williams last summer – re-signed with the team before the following training camp.
There is a very real possibility that the Seahawks could head into next season without a single player with more than five seasons in Seattle, as Fauria, Strong and recently released Michael Sinclair entered the 2001 season with the longest tenures on the team.
Maybe the Seahawks won’t spend as freely as they did last March. But with only one first-round draft pick – unlike the two they had in the top 17 last year – the Seahawks will need to find some immediate help in the coming weeks.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
