Is History Bound To Repeat Itself In Seattle?

My article last week was completely nullified by the Seattle Seahawks trading their 31^st pick in the draft for New Orleans Saints Pro-Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham.  Seattle traded their first round pick in the 2015 draft and center Max Unger for a surefire offensive weapon at the tight end position.  However, this is not the first time Seattle has paid a steep price for a top 10 tight end in the NFL.

On August, 2^nd 2011, John Schneider and Pete Carroll signed Zach Miller, a tight end who was coming off of the best season of his career in Oakland.  The year before Miller was signed to the Seahawks roster, the tight end had amassed 60 receptions for nearly 700 yards and a career high 5 touchdowns.  Miller’s receptions total made him a top ten tight end in the NFL and an All-Pro.  To put those numbers into context, remember that Miller was catching passes from Jason Campbell, who went 1-7 as a starting quarterback in the league since 2011.

Zach Miller, just 25 years old, was signed to a 5-year, $34 million dollar contract with $17 million guaranteed.  Miller was released from that contract on March 6, 2015 for having failed a physical.  His first season in Seattle was less than favorable.  The tight end had a grand total of 25 receptions for 233 yards and no touchdown catches.  Granted these numbers came before Russell Wilson’s tenure, so it’s tough to compare those numbers to what the Seahawks could have done with him this year.  Since 2012 with Russell Wilson behind center, Miller has had 8 touchdown catches with 77 receptions and 859 yards receiving.

Seattle’s newest tight end is 28 years old upon arrival, a few years older than Miller was.  When comparing career numbers between both tight ends, Graham has 51 touchdown catches, which is nearly double Miller’s career totals and around 1,000 more receiving yards with a similar number of receptions, being at around 350. Graham also has two more Pro Bowl appearances.  Graham also had a Hall of Fame quarterback and a league leading offense in New Orleans.  He is under a similar contract structure that Miller had when he arrived in Seattle, having signed a 4-year contract with $21 million guaranteed in 2013.  In 2014, Graham had 2 more touchdowns, 200 more receiving yards, 100 more receiving yards and 8 more receptions than Miller had in his first season in Seattle.

Only time will tell how this trade is going to impact the Seahawks going forward into the 2015 NFL season.  Pat McPherson will remain the tight ends coach in Seattle, a position that he has held since Miller was signed in 2011.  In January 2015, a few months before Miller was let go, McPherson had this to say, “If I could take any guy in the league, on the last play to win a game — whether it’s a run or a pass or you need a guy to protect — I’d take Zach, (he) can do it all.”  It will be an exciting offseason in Seattle and hopefully Pete Carroll and his staff have learned from their mistakes.