Don’t turn on your television and tune to the Discovery Channel. That Shark Week is months away.
Instead, it is Shark Week, NFL style. And the biggest chum in the water turns out to be the Seattle Seahawks. Other franchises are circling in the water, smelling blood and they are prepared to take their bite out of the existing Super Bowl champs.
Mind you, this phenomenon is not unique to the Seahawks. Every Super Bowl champion gets their roster picked apart by teams looking to follow the similar system that led to the Promised Land the year previous. Outside of Joe Flacco, the Baltimore Ravens completed roster completely transformed after they won Super Bowl XLVII.
This year, it is the Hawks turn in shark infested water.
Already players are willfully throwing themselves in as bait. Cornerback Walter Thurmond is visiting the Jacksonville Jaguars to potentially reunite with former defensive coordinator and current Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley. Although his fate is yet to be determined, Thurmond would not be the first casualty to the swarming and bloodthirsty sharks around the NFL trying to woo Hawks with irresistible contracts.
The first day of free agency saw Seahawks get gobbled up. Defensive tackle Clinton McDonald signed a $12 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Combination outside linebacker and defensive end O’Brien Schofield also jumped to the New York Giants for a lucrative $8 million contract for two years.
No one can blame such players for taking these contracts. Every one of us would do the same. However, one can also understand why the Seahawks did not re-sign them. Other teams put a premium on the experience of Super Bowl champion and likely overpay. However, despite their early losses, the Seahawks did manage to earn one major victory.
Just as defensive end Michael Bennett was about to dip his toes into the shark-infested waters, Seahawks General Manager John Schneider reeled him back onto the U.S.S. Seattle Seahawks (are you tired of these nautical references yet? Unfortunately for you, I am not). Bennett was signed to a multi-year deal just before free agency truly began.
However, there is one major piece of bait that several teams are waiting to take a bite out of: wide receiver and special teams star Golden Tate. While Tate has intimated (with some quick backtracking) that he might give the Hawks a small hometown discount, reports surfaced that Tate would be visiting the Detroit Lions.
Even as some players are leaving the team, one cannot forget that in a sea of sharks, John Schneider might just be Jaws. Besides resigning Bennett and certainly working to hold on to Tate, early reports show former Green Bay Packer tight end Jermichael Finley coming to visit Seattle. Perhaps most intriguing, wide receiver Taylor Price will be visiting Seattle. Haven’t heard of Price? Don’t feel left out. Price has only had 5 career receptions in 4 seasons with both the Jaguars and the New England Patriots. Is this John Schneider looking to sneak up on the other sharks of the league with an under-the-radar player? No matter what, Shark Week in the NFL is here and Seahawk players are in the sight of many teams.
We’re going to need a bigger… something. Fine, I’m out of nautical puns.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
