The Seahawks have a very high opinion of cornerback Byron Maxwell, who is about to become an unrestricted free agent. They also know that there is a good chance they can’t afford to keep Maxwell, who is going to be one of the top players available when free agency kicks off next week.
“Based on what the landscape looks like from our eyes, in unrestricted free agency, he would be very highly sought after,” Seahawks GM John Schneider said of Maxwell on Sports Radio KJR last month. “Now, are we going to give it a good ride and try to do what we feel is appropriate for our organization in trying to keep him? Absolutely. Is it going to be good enough? I can’t answer that. I just really don’t know. We love him, we drafted him, we helped develop him. He has worked his tail off to get to where he is. He really stepped up these last two years… He stepped in and was an extremely reliable guy for us. So where his market goes, I think it should be extremely high. Whether or not we’ll be able to keep him, I’m not sure, but we’re going to do whatever we can to try to do that. We’re going to recruit him and talk to him and try to put together a nice offer for him, but I just can’t tell you that it’s going to be good enough.
To prepare for a future that likely doesn’t include Maxwell, and with Jeremy Lane’s status for 2015 very much in doubt, the result of a knee injury suffered in the Super Bowl, the Seahawks will need help at cornerback, and they get started on that process by looking at two of the top veterans on the market, according to reports.
Cary Williams, who was released by Philadelphia in a salary-cap saving move, is scheduled to visit the Seahawks today, according to multiple reports, including this one from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Williams, 30, started every game in two seasons with the Eagles after signing there in 2013. He previously played in Baltimore, and the Ravens could also be suitors for his services.
Another possibility, though he’s not available yet, is Green Bay’s Tramon Williams, who will become a free agent if he can’t reach a new deal with the Packers before next week. Williams, 31, signed with Green Bay as an undrafted free agent in 2006 when John Schneider was part of the Packers front office, and according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Seahawks will pursue Williams if the Packers can’t re-sign him. According to that report, the Packers offered Williams $8 million over two years, but he is seeking $5 million per year in a three-year deal.
Seahawks fans might know Williams best as the player who was covering Jermaine Kearse on the final play of the NFC championship game, though it’s worth noting that Williams’ coverage was actually pretty good; he was simply beat by a perfectly thrown ball and a very good catch.
The Seahawks head into free agency with just over $24 million in cap space, so they do have money to spend, but they can’t be overly aggressive if they plan on signing Russell Wilson and/or Bobby Wagner contract extensions.
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