Most NFL fans are aware by now of the reputation that Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have developed for maximizing production out of undervalued players. But once you win a Super Bowl, the value of your players that go on the market can skyrocket and the opportunity for more money will materialize. Part of sustaining success is figuring out how to absorb these inevitable losses.
In recent years, the New York Giants, St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears have made or won Super Bowls, only to flounder and underperform the next year. For Seahawks fans, this begs the question: Will Seattle be able to maintain a roster going forward that can perform to the level it did during last year’s title run, particularly with some of the losses they’ve endured through roster cuts and free agency?
We can see this when we examine some of the pieces that Seattle has already lost to this point in the offseason. I conducted a poll on seattlepi.com (one of our media partners) to see who fans think will end up as the biggest loss for the Seahawks.
As expected, most of the votes were for wide receiver Golden Tate who opted to sign with the Detroit Lions after they offered him a five year, $31 million contract. Tate was Russell Wilson’s most dangerous receiving target, catching 64 passes for 898 yards. He’s also a supremely talented punt returner, averaging the second most yards per return in the NFL last season (11.5) to Kansas City’s Dexter McCluster.
While the loss of Tate is indeed a big one, I don’t see it as overly debilitating. Seattle’s receiving corps was oft-criticized last year as a weak link of the team, but Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse have shown steady improvement and seem primed to continue to develop. And, perhaps even more importantly, prize receiver and all-around dynamo Percy Harvin seems set to return healthy next year. While counting on Harvin to stay on the field is a tenuous endeavor, his infusion into the line-up at full strength would do wonders in offsetting the loss of Tate.
To me, the most underrated loss would seem to be the move of defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, who only received 5% of the vote in the poll. McDonald signed a four year, $12 million contract with Tampa Bay. The Seattle defensive line is very rotational, meaning that McDonald only played a certain portion of the snaps. But in his time on the field, he was highly productive in notching 5.5 sacks (a fantastic total for his position) and disrupting opposing offenses. Michael Bennett was inarguably the top priority for Seattle to sign on the defensive line, but the loss of McDonald is definitely a blow to the depth of the unit that will have to be addressed somehow.
With Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas all seemingly in line for hefty paydays, Schneider and Carroll have to be extremely tactical in how they spend money on the rest of the roster. Throwing $30 million at Tate would have been excessive and the decision to let him walk will probably end up being the best move for both sides in the long run. Tate gets to join a dynamic, pass-heavy offense in Detroit, lining up opposite Calvin Johnson (the best wide receiver in the game) and catching passes from gun-slinging quarterback Matthew Stafford. Seattle, meanwhile, now has a little more flexibility in trying to lock up the rest of the team.
Cornerback Walter Thurmond (Giants), defensive tackle Red Bryant (Jaguars) suspended corner Brandon Browner (Patriots) and offensive lineman Breno Giacomini (Jets) are all additional notable pieces that will be taking their game elsewhere next year. Again, these are all big losses but nothing that would seem to be franchise altering considering the enviable depth that Seattle has been able to accumulate.
Now that they’ve won a Super Bowl, Schneider and Carroll have arguably an even more arduous task in trying to maintain the level of play that the team has achieved. If there’s one team that would seem capable of avoiding a substantial regression following their championship, Seattle would appear to be it. But nothing is certain in the NFL and it will surely be interesting to see how this front office will attempt to offset these losses during this offseason and the years that follow.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
