Less than two weeks before the start of the new year of the NFL league on March 17 at 4pm, New York time, which also marks the official start of the free agency and the time when teams must meet the 2021 salary cap. For weeks, the teams made preparatory moves to meet the salary cap, but the pace of transactions has accelerated in recent days.
Specifically, on Wednesday, several major names were released or reports emerged that they had been informed of their imminent release. Among the list was the New York Giants’ receiver, Golden Tate, Gabe Jackson of the Las Vegas Raiders, Weston Richburg of the San Francisco 49ers and several other lesser-known names. In addition, never fearing a spin on the line, Raiders and offensive line coach Tom Cable are not just looking to replace Jackson, he reports that the team also buys Trent Brown, which could lead to the replacement of the entire right side of the line.
However, in the midst of all launch activity and reports about impending launches, the Seattle Seahawks have remained quiet until now. This is exactly the opposite of what many expected, with many fans anticipating the announcement of contract extensions for any of several players, in order to reduce the 2021 ceiling for those players. Names on the list that are likely candidates for the extension include Tyler Lockett, Carlos Dunlap, Jarran Reed, Duane Brown, Jamal Adams and possibly Quandre Diggs.
So the question for many is: why Seattle’s apparent backwardness when it comes to advertising these extensions. The answers to this question are manifold, but at the end of the day the simplest explanation comes down to the fact that the logical order to execute these extensions from a fan perspective is not necessarily the same order that would be dictated by the operational needs of a point advantage of the team. Jumping right into the heart of just a part of what is possibly at stake is the need to extend more recent acquisitions and, at the same time, not alienate those who have been in the system for several seasons. What it boils down to is the message that is sent to the players on the list by the team if Dunlap or Adams are extended before extending Lockett, Brown or any other player who has been in the system for several years.
During the off-season of 2018, Seahawks fans were able to enjoy the off-season saga of whether or not they would extend Earl Thomas so that the training camp could finally open without Thomas’s presence. This led to the extension of the three-year contract for Brown, under which he is expected to play this season, with comments from the team that they want players who want to be there. The message, obviously, at that point was that the team was open to extending players, but the players who would receive extensions would be the ones who would buy the system and demonstrate their commitment to the team.
In short, from an employee list management and salary cap perspective, extending Dunlap and Adams makes more sense, but would making these changes risk alienating Lockett, Brown or possibly Reed? Together, Dunlap and Adams have only a season and a half in Seattle, while Reed and Lockett have five and six years on the team, respectively. Even Brown has three and a half years in the system, but even after being a full participant in off-season training after being acquired in the middle of the Houston Texans’ season, Brown did not receive his extension until the training ground was opened. So how would Brown react if Adams or Dunlap got an extension at the beginning of the off-season, after having to wait until August, the off-season, after being acquired in the trade?
Obviously, the lowering of the limit and the unique situation of a continuous pandemic in this off-season make this something that should be easily explained, but at the end of the day the team does not only have to manage the squad and the limit, it also needs to manage the players that make up the cast. This means taking the necessary steps to ensure that, when the moves are made, the impact of those specific moves is made with the needs of the rest of the squad in mind, not only from football and the financial perspective, but also from a management perspective. staff .
So while ESPN’s Brady Henderson suggested that the Seahawks could free Dunlap to free up space, and fans on social media are looking to ask where the extensions are, the team is doing what it normally does this time of year, waiting patiently. John Schneider and Pete Carroll are no strangers to negotiations and everyone is probably familiar with the idea that whoever speaks first loses in negotiations. With everyone waiting for contract extensions for team members like Lockett, Dunlap, Adams and others, this gives players a significant head start.
Putting it all together means that the delicate balance that the team must walk to create a cover space without rocking the boat makes the situation such that it will not be a surprise to see the team really making no move in the next few days. If past history is any indication, any move or announcement the team might make is much more likely to arrive at the end of next week or possibly a few months, rather than this week. This can be frustrating for fans who are hungry for news or action, but it is the simple reality of the situation.