I'm still holding out a little hope that Kenny McIntosh may have something to contribute. He's been the victim of some pretty bad luck, though he also might be the second coming of Rashaad Penny.
I think John and Mike want K9 back, and I think K9 wants to stay in Seattle. That's not a bad place to start negotiations. The valuation won't just come off of the Super Bowl performance, it will be on the 4 year body of work, the injury history, and what they see as his potential for continued growth. I love that Ken almost never fumbles, and that's a pretty important attribute for a RB. I've typed this before, but to repeat myself, he had a couple of runs in the SB that showed the patience I've rarely seen from him. Rather than bouncing it outside like his wont to do, he waited, waited and then burst through the line. If that's something he can consistently do, there is a lot more than 1000 yards in his future in a season.
The biggest stumbling block might be the term of the agreement, not annual value. JS will want 3 years as a maximum, and Ken's agent will want 4 or 5. Hopefully they get it worked out. I don't want to 'need' a RB going into the draft. Charbs will likely miss half the season, MacIntosh is coming off injury himself, and then there's Holani who looked ok in minimal carries. For a team that wants to prioritize the run, this feels light if K9's not back.
There are some decent FA RB's out there if we can't agree to terms with Ken, so that might be Plan B more so than the draft.
Ideally we'd get both K9 and Jobe signed. I'd feel ok going into free agency and the draft even if we only signed those two from our own FA group.
Patrick Surtain had Jalen Milroe on his recent podcast. The interview with Milroe was very enlightening for me and I came away with the impression he is very level headed, humble and improvement oriented. Some topics covered were his Super Bowl experience, the team culture, life as a backup QB and his thoughts on the QB position today.
Thanks. I've had no doubts about Milroe's work ethic or smarts. Whether or not he can evolve into a NFL starter is an open question, but there is no question he will put in the work. None.
I don't think we'll have enough options to trade up high enough to get Love unless we use next year's draft capital. Claiborne is interesting. Singleton looks fast. Price and Coleman are both likely options if we don't re-sign Walker.
It's looking like our beloved Seahawks are officially for sale, as is being reported by the Seattle Times and the Seahawks' home page. Apparentyly any profits made will be going to charity, so maybe Ms. Allen says "Oh, what the hell, sign everybody up and let the next owner sort it out."
I still think it’s crazy that $35 million a year for JSN is reasonable and maybe a steal, but $12 million a year for K9 is a reach. Similar yardage totals this past season and K9 dominated in the SB and JSN was nearly nonexistent. Great receivers come out of college at least as often as great RBs. With MM’s desire to be a run first, clock eating offense it’s odd that RBs are so easily overlooked. No offense to Holani or Charbs, but they can’t do what K9 does. The Hawks picked a 7th round RB last draft that I remembered as dominant at Oregon State and I’m not sure he even finished the season in the NFL. The whole “RBs are interchangeable” trope is silly!
Very true, and as I said I'm not trying to disparage JSN who I think is an amazing talent. I'm just uncomfortable putting $35 million or more in one offensive weapon when any injury can sideline them indefinitely. I actually love the 2 headed RB approach the Hawks use as it seems to maximize the contributions of both (and allows one to pick up the slack in event of injury). I also feel like another commenter who said that once a player has demonstrated value, the team should pay them at least partially to remain a desirable destination for free agents. I'd be less supportive if this was K9's 3rd contract. The LOB players all deserved their big 2nd contracts, but many were injured after the 3rd and never recovered. K9 still has some good years left so I hope they pay him to stay in Seattle.
Demond Claibourne knows how to follow his blocks, hesitates 'n shoots through the line as well as shedding groups of players trying to take him down. Does seem to be quite a few good to potentially great RBs available even in the mid-rounds like Mike Washington from Arkansas. 6'05' 225 lbs, 34" arms. At his size he should be able to block well 'n can also catch some.
I am very cautious about 2nd contracts with backs. Walker seems to miss a fair amount of games and that does not improve with age. We have Cam Akers on the practice squad that was great than one injury and he lost that burst. He replaced Todd Gurley that was amazing and done at 26. We had our own
Rashaad Penny. Probably one of the best talents. Injuries accumulated and he was done at 28.
So I get JS is cautious. Walker was good in year 4. How will he look in year 7 ( I assume he wants a 3 year deal ) I’d try a 2 year easy out deal. We have a wide receiver that we have to pay soon , then spoon , Murphy etc down the road.
Side note : Mills looked like beast in the SB. He will get more snaps in 26. At who’s expense and how will it impact who
Not paying Walker could be a big mistake. The team drafts a guy, he starts playing game-changing ball, he earns SB MVP, the team has lots of cap space, and they don’t pay him beyond his rookie contract?
Handle that wrong, and you can go from “12 as one” to “F this team” overnight.
JS needs to be seen making a solid offer. Walker doesn’t seem like an ego-driven, chase the money guy. But he could leave if he’s made an offer he can’t refuse. That would mean that his fate would depend on how much another team is willing to offer him and how much Walker wants to stay. The team can’t control others’ offers or Walker’s decision, so I can see why the rumors are murky.
So, maybe he stays and maybe he’s poached. The only thing JS knows for sure is that he can’t be seen as kicking Walker to the curb. The story should be seen as, “Ken got paid.”, rather than, “Cutthroat business.”
$61m isn't a ton of money when there are 18 free agents (9 UFA, 7 RFA, 2 ERFA). Among those are Shaheed, Mafe, Jobe, Bryant, Okada, Woolen, and Thomas. There are going to be some very difficult business decisions that have to be made, and some of those guys are going to feel like it's a cutthroat business.
True. It looks like a lot of money, until it’s spent.
Shaheed wasn’t drafted here and didn’t make a big impact on the passing game. While I’d like him to stay, he could be an acceptable cap casualty.
Mafe didn’t produce well, so few will be surprised if he walks.
Jobe probably gets extended, while Woolen probably doesn’t. Woolen is really talented, but had some lapses. I’d be surprised if both corners are gone.
The results weren’t terribly different when Okada came on for Bryant. If Okada is less expensive, maybe he stays.
Thomas might not break the bank, but he also might be replaceable, so it’s hard to say.
JSN and Witherspoon are in the queue. JS will need to leave significant money in his account, when the day comes.
I think K9 is in a unique spot. He was drafted by the team, is still on his rookie contract, shows elite skills as a playmaker, and won the SB MVP award. He’s well liked and respected, and has his image on team promotions. Charbs will start the 2026 season injured. It would be a big risk to start the season with a rookie or other outsider as the #1 back. Nobody currently on the team would be able to replace Walker.
JS certainly has his work cut out for him. However, I'm not sure I agree about Shaheed and Mafe. The points you made about the others are legit, but it is hard to say how things will unfold.
For Shaheed, I think he was targeted in the same way Williams and Jones were targeted before him. That is to say, I don't think the team went after him as a rental. As a returner, he is gold. If he touches the ball, he can take it to the house any time. If the opponent avoids him, the field position game advantages the Seahawks. As a receiver, coming in mid-season was a huge disadvantage and I imagine that his impact in the passing game was about as expected. With a full offseason on the team, it will be a much different story in 2026, and his skillset as a receiver complements the team well.
For Mafe, I see his "lack of production" as a bit of a misnomer. While I don't have a lot of stats that I can point to, what I saw when watching Mafe during games was a player who was consistently engaged and contributing to the defense swarming to the ball. While stats are only credited to one or two players, the Seahawks defense was pretty special in the way that there were consistently a bunch of players around the ball. I think Mafe was one of the better ones at regularly being one of those guys. I think it is at least as likely as not that the Seahawks decide to release/trade Nwosu for the 11.5m in cap savings and take advantage of Mafe's "lack of production" to extend him on a more team friendly deal.
I’d love to see Shaheed return (pun intended.) And it would be great if he can develop into a legit #2 and depth for #1. Given that the team prioritizes ST, I could definitely see him back for the upcoming season.
Regarding Mafe, I agree that there are numbers and then there is playing within the scheme. I still think the numbers could have been stronger, even within the scheme. Also, of Hall and Mafe, I would prioritize Hall. I’m not negative on Mafe, but he’s further down on my list.
In some ways I see Mafe like I saw Noah Fant. Both are really talented. And both *almost* make a lot of great plays. Tons of potential. Close to playing great. Frankly, I’m not sure why some players make great plays consistently and why others almost do. I keep hoping it’s due to a small sample size, but the pattern continues.
Players don't typically like the franchise tag, so openly stating that we're not going to use it on K9, and Schneider's reluctance to use it in the past, should be seen as a good thing from the players' perspectives. It's not a great look if your current team doesn't value you as much as another team, but it's better than having no control over your next contract. I think it'll be "Ken got paid" at worst and "Ken got paid by us" at best.
If Ken gets paid record breaking money by another team, and the Seahawks don’t go that rich, there will be no hard feelings. If he leaves for mid-tier money that the Seahawks don’t match, there will be some explaining needed. Maybe it’s the guaranteed number, duration, or structure, but it would feel hollow. A story like, “Ken was looking for a fresh start”, won’t ring true either. He truly likes Charbs and running is a team focus.
JS needs to play this just right to avoid an overpay, and to avoid looking like an ungrateful cheapskate. This could be a touchier situation than with JSN and Witherspoon, who will both get big paydays and who will not be leaving the Pacific Northwest.
The route to the Seahawks taking a great RB without having the "first round RB" tag would be to trade back out of pick #32, which would surprise almost nobody. Of course, the attraction of sticking at 32 is the extra year of team control.
If we took a RB with pick 45, that would be quite consistent with where JS has taken them in the past. And probably got another day 3 pick in the bargain.
I like this. Pick up one of the FA backs - which one has good field vision, can pass block, can get tough yards and can catch the ball. Sounds like Charbs but can never have too many versatile backs. And then go get a similar back in the draft outside the first round. I think the trenches and the secondary should still be priorities.
I know paying K9 might not make sense, but many felt paying Kupp didn’t make sense and allowing $9 million of Kupp’s salary to guarantee last Friday happened. I think K9 is special in this running game scheme. Collinsworth was stupid to say he’s not a good receiving back. I still think he will sign with Seattle at a discount like Earnest Jones. My guess is 3 years for 30-33 million. It took K9 1/2 a season to get rolling this year and he still got 1000 yards rushing the ball. (I had him pegged at 1400+ going into the season) If they can give him a running mate RB1B to bear some of the burden and allow him to stay at 16-19 carries a game, he should stay healthy and get 1400+ yards on the ground and 500+ yards receiving. Well worth it. This will allow the Hawks to get an edge or CB at pick 32 and 64. Staying cheap at edge and CB saves more money that what K9 will cost at a discount. ($10-$11 million APY) I also think the Hawks have to acquire solid players before the draft this year given they have significantly less draft capital that in the past few years. I’m biased towards keeping players I like, so that probably colors my thinking here.
As we know, RBs have short careers even by NFL standards plus the position has been devalued. Which is to say that RBs already play at a discount and it’s hard to see Walker taking a further markdown.
Going back to high school, K9 has put in a lot of blood and sweat to get to a place where he’s a UFA. This could well be his one bite at the apple. He owes it to himself to make it as big as he can.
Personally, I hope that Walker stays in Seattle. $1.5M for a plug-and-play draftee RB plus $12.5M for the next Julian Love sounds good until you consider that neither is a sure thing. And, whoever replaces Walker is unlikely to have his explosiveness. On the other hand, (1) Seattle went 17-3 because of its defense and its QB/WR combination, and (2) history says that RBs have a limited shelf life. In that light, Walker isn’t a core guy.
The rub is Charbonnet’s injury. Let Walker go and you incur the risk that the draft choice will be a bust and they open the season with Holani and McIntosh at RB. That’s probably unacceptable, so Schneider hedges by signing a UFA RB such as Rico Dowdle. Even that costs something, so the $14M saved is now $14M-Cost of Draft Choice-Cost of FA. (There’s also the question of whether K9’s market value is truly $14M.)
I’m rambling. The point is that the savings from moving on from Walker are not as great as they might seem at first blush. Still, you can’t pay everyone and there’s something to the argument that the focus should be on core players even if that means short-term pain. My guess is that Schneider makes a good-faith offer that won’t be enough and that Seattle opens training camp with a lesser-talented and less expensive FA, a draftee, and Holani/McIntosh.
I agree K9 is potentially elite. His only drawback is he’s not a workhorse like Taylor or Henry. If they pay him RB1 elite money and play him like an RB1 (20-28 carries a game) he’s unlikely to finish the season and will miss the playoffs. There was a valid reason he was limited to 14-17 carries a game in the regular season. They don’t believe he will hold up if they make him the RB1. If he can get a 3 year $40 plus million contract, is played like a workhorse, he likely plays one of those three seasons and misses most of the other two. He better pay attention to the guarantees and meaningless incentives that can’t be earned him the hospital bed. I still think he could take less to stay with the Hawks. Personally, the difference between $33 million and $42 million is just being able to waste $10 million on a bunch of stuff you don’t need and will never use. You could be right he will look for the max, but maybe Walker isn’t interested in a 10 car garage and Tiffany jewelry. He’s a shy, introverted guy. Sam Darnold went with him to Disney to help deflect from the attention he did not want. He’s comfortable with the personnel in the Seahawks locker room. I could easily be wrong, but I feel he will take a slight discount to stay.
I doubt K9 will return at a discount, but I like your thought process about using those higher value draft picks for higher value positions. I'd rather pay K9 and draft a CB or OLB at #32 than pay Woolen/Jobe/Mafe and/or free agents and draft a RB at #32.
I certainly think you could be right and K9 will seek market value, but I see similarities to Earnest Jones who clearly wanted to stay and took a little less than market value by most people’s accounts. Staying cheap at high salary positions does seem to be a good way to go to get more value for your salary cap dollars.
Danno, I think your last line typed explains what’s going on here. You like him as a player, so do I.
The thing is Kenny is sharing time here as a starter. I think he wants to be the main guy, which he was when he got the MVP. He could lead the league in rushing yards on the right team. With Charbonnet on the team that will not happen here.
As much as I like K9, especially after the write up Joe did on him when we drafted him. I got to know him and his style. He is a bell cow and has the break away speed to pop for over 30+ all game long. As much as sharing time helps his career, he could be a top three back in the league if he was not sharing time. I think we will see him do that elsewhere though
There are three BIG differences between K9 and EJ.
First, EJ was not coming a huge playoff performance, Superbowl MVP and being louded as one of the best at the position by national media.
Second, EJ is already in his third team. He kwons how It can be like out there. And is greatful the Hawks took a chance on him. I feel like K9 feel quite underaprecciated and light feel its best to go to a place to be the real lead back.
Third and most important, RBs carriers are SHORT! And can end on any snap. They must cash in as much as they can when the opportunity presents itself. It's much different from ILBs.
I'm still holding out a little hope that Kenny McIntosh may have something to contribute. He's been the victim of some pretty bad luck, though he also might be the second coming of Rashaad Penny.
I think John and Mike want K9 back, and I think K9 wants to stay in Seattle. That's not a bad place to start negotiations. The valuation won't just come off of the Super Bowl performance, it will be on the 4 year body of work, the injury history, and what they see as his potential for continued growth. I love that Ken almost never fumbles, and that's a pretty important attribute for a RB. I've typed this before, but to repeat myself, he had a couple of runs in the SB that showed the patience I've rarely seen from him. Rather than bouncing it outside like his wont to do, he waited, waited and then burst through the line. If that's something he can consistently do, there is a lot more than 1000 yards in his future in a season.
The biggest stumbling block might be the term of the agreement, not annual value. JS will want 3 years as a maximum, and Ken's agent will want 4 or 5. Hopefully they get it worked out. I don't want to 'need' a RB going into the draft. Charbs will likely miss half the season, MacIntosh is coming off injury himself, and then there's Holani who looked ok in minimal carries. For a team that wants to prioritize the run, this feels light if K9's not back.
There are some decent FA RB's out there if we can't agree to terms with Ken, so that might be Plan B more so than the draft.
Ideally we'd get both K9 and Jobe signed. I'd feel ok going into free agency and the draft even if we only signed those two from our own FA group.
This is off topic.
Patrick Surtain had Jalen Milroe on his recent podcast. The interview with Milroe was very enlightening for me and I came away with the impression he is very level headed, humble and improvement oriented. Some topics covered were his Super Bowl experience, the team culture, life as a backup QB and his thoughts on the QB position today.
The watch is fairly lengthy but worth it, IMO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwBfGAQ5bvo&t=1806s
Thanks. I've had no doubts about Milroe's work ethic or smarts. Whether or not he can evolve into a NFL starter is an open question, but there is no question he will put in the work. None.
If this is just about money, isn’t the equation Walker v Shaheed? Put crudely, of course, and it’s more than money.
I don't think we'll have enough options to trade up high enough to get Love unless we use next year's draft capital. Claiborne is interesting. Singleton looks fast. Price and Coleman are both likely options if we don't re-sign Walker.
The other thing...I like Emmett Johnson but he has a fumble history.
It's looking like our beloved Seahawks are officially for sale, as is being reported by the Seattle Times and the Seahawks' home page. Apparentyly any profits made will be going to charity, so maybe Ms. Allen says "Oh, what the hell, sign everybody up and let the next owner sort it out."
I still think it’s crazy that $35 million a year for JSN is reasonable and maybe a steal, but $12 million a year for K9 is a reach. Similar yardage totals this past season and K9 dominated in the SB and JSN was nearly nonexistent. Great receivers come out of college at least as often as great RBs. With MM’s desire to be a run first, clock eating offense it’s odd that RBs are so easily overlooked. No offense to Holani or Charbs, but they can’t do what K9 does. The Hawks picked a 7th round RB last draft that I remembered as dominant at Oregon State and I’m not sure he even finished the season in the NFL. The whole “RBs are interchangeable” trope is silly!
In fairness, Darnold overthrew a potential 80yd TD to wide-open JSN and threw behind JSN in the end zone at the end of the first half.
Very true, and as I said I'm not trying to disparage JSN who I think is an amazing talent. I'm just uncomfortable putting $35 million or more in one offensive weapon when any injury can sideline them indefinitely. I actually love the 2 headed RB approach the Hawks use as it seems to maximize the contributions of both (and allows one to pick up the slack in event of injury). I also feel like another commenter who said that once a player has demonstrated value, the team should pay them at least partially to remain a desirable destination for free agents. I'd be less supportive if this was K9's 3rd contract. The LOB players all deserved their big 2nd contracts, but many were injured after the 3rd and never recovered. K9 still has some good years left so I hope they pay him to stay in Seattle.
Demond Claibourne knows how to follow his blocks, hesitates 'n shoots through the line as well as shedding groups of players trying to take him down. Does seem to be quite a few good to potentially great RBs available even in the mid-rounds like Mike Washington from Arkansas. 6'05' 225 lbs, 34" arms. At his size he should be able to block well 'n can also catch some.
I am very cautious about 2nd contracts with backs. Walker seems to miss a fair amount of games and that does not improve with age. We have Cam Akers on the practice squad that was great than one injury and he lost that burst. He replaced Todd Gurley that was amazing and done at 26. We had our own
Rashaad Penny. Probably one of the best talents. Injuries accumulated and he was done at 28.
So I get JS is cautious. Walker was good in year 4. How will he look in year 7 ( I assume he wants a 3 year deal ) I’d try a 2 year easy out deal. We have a wide receiver that we have to pay soon , then spoon , Murphy etc down the road.
Side note : Mills looked like beast in the SB. He will get more snaps in 26. At who’s expense and how will it impact who
We keep and who we let go ?
Not paying Walker could be a big mistake. The team drafts a guy, he starts playing game-changing ball, he earns SB MVP, the team has lots of cap space, and they don’t pay him beyond his rookie contract?
Handle that wrong, and you can go from “12 as one” to “F this team” overnight.
JS needs to be seen making a solid offer. Walker doesn’t seem like an ego-driven, chase the money guy. But he could leave if he’s made an offer he can’t refuse. That would mean that his fate would depend on how much another team is willing to offer him and how much Walker wants to stay. The team can’t control others’ offers or Walker’s decision, so I can see why the rumors are murky.
So, maybe he stays and maybe he’s poached. The only thing JS knows for sure is that he can’t be seen as kicking Walker to the curb. The story should be seen as, “Ken got paid.”, rather than, “Cutthroat business.”
$61m isn't a ton of money when there are 18 free agents (9 UFA, 7 RFA, 2 ERFA). Among those are Shaheed, Mafe, Jobe, Bryant, Okada, Woolen, and Thomas. There are going to be some very difficult business decisions that have to be made, and some of those guys are going to feel like it's a cutthroat business.
True. It looks like a lot of money, until it’s spent.
Shaheed wasn’t drafted here and didn’t make a big impact on the passing game. While I’d like him to stay, he could be an acceptable cap casualty.
Mafe didn’t produce well, so few will be surprised if he walks.
Jobe probably gets extended, while Woolen probably doesn’t. Woolen is really talented, but had some lapses. I’d be surprised if both corners are gone.
The results weren’t terribly different when Okada came on for Bryant. If Okada is less expensive, maybe he stays.
Thomas might not break the bank, but he also might be replaceable, so it’s hard to say.
JSN and Witherspoon are in the queue. JS will need to leave significant money in his account, when the day comes.
I think K9 is in a unique spot. He was drafted by the team, is still on his rookie contract, shows elite skills as a playmaker, and won the SB MVP award. He’s well liked and respected, and has his image on team promotions. Charbs will start the 2026 season injured. It would be a big risk to start the season with a rookie or other outsider as the #1 back. Nobody currently on the team would be able to replace Walker.
JS has his work cut out for him.
JS certainly has his work cut out for him. However, I'm not sure I agree about Shaheed and Mafe. The points you made about the others are legit, but it is hard to say how things will unfold.
For Shaheed, I think he was targeted in the same way Williams and Jones were targeted before him. That is to say, I don't think the team went after him as a rental. As a returner, he is gold. If he touches the ball, he can take it to the house any time. If the opponent avoids him, the field position game advantages the Seahawks. As a receiver, coming in mid-season was a huge disadvantage and I imagine that his impact in the passing game was about as expected. With a full offseason on the team, it will be a much different story in 2026, and his skillset as a receiver complements the team well.
For Mafe, I see his "lack of production" as a bit of a misnomer. While I don't have a lot of stats that I can point to, what I saw when watching Mafe during games was a player who was consistently engaged and contributing to the defense swarming to the ball. While stats are only credited to one or two players, the Seahawks defense was pretty special in the way that there were consistently a bunch of players around the ball. I think Mafe was one of the better ones at regularly being one of those guys. I think it is at least as likely as not that the Seahawks decide to release/trade Nwosu for the 11.5m in cap savings and take advantage of Mafe's "lack of production" to extend him on a more team friendly deal.
I’d love to see Shaheed return (pun intended.) And it would be great if he can develop into a legit #2 and depth for #1. Given that the team prioritizes ST, I could definitely see him back for the upcoming season.
Regarding Mafe, I agree that there are numbers and then there is playing within the scheme. I still think the numbers could have been stronger, even within the scheme. Also, of Hall and Mafe, I would prioritize Hall. I’m not negative on Mafe, but he’s further down on my list.
In some ways I see Mafe like I saw Noah Fant. Both are really talented. And both *almost* make a lot of great plays. Tons of potential. Close to playing great. Frankly, I’m not sure why some players make great plays consistently and why others almost do. I keep hoping it’s due to a small sample size, but the pattern continues.
Players don't typically like the franchise tag, so openly stating that we're not going to use it on K9, and Schneider's reluctance to use it in the past, should be seen as a good thing from the players' perspectives. It's not a great look if your current team doesn't value you as much as another team, but it's better than having no control over your next contract. I think it'll be "Ken got paid" at worst and "Ken got paid by us" at best.
Exactly. Especially on the tag.
If Ken gets paid record breaking money by another team, and the Seahawks don’t go that rich, there will be no hard feelings. If he leaves for mid-tier money that the Seahawks don’t match, there will be some explaining needed. Maybe it’s the guaranteed number, duration, or structure, but it would feel hollow. A story like, “Ken was looking for a fresh start”, won’t ring true either. He truly likes Charbs and running is a team focus.
JS needs to play this just right to avoid an overpay, and to avoid looking like an ungrateful cheapskate. This could be a touchier situation than with JSN and Witherspoon, who will both get big paydays and who will not be leaving the Pacific Northwest.
The $1.5m argument is a compelling one.
The route to the Seahawks taking a great RB without having the "first round RB" tag would be to trade back out of pick #32, which would surprise almost nobody. Of course, the attraction of sticking at 32 is the extra year of team control.
If we took a RB with pick 45, that would be quite consistent with where JS has taken them in the past. And probably got another day 3 pick in the bargain.
I like this. Pick up one of the FA backs - which one has good field vision, can pass block, can get tough yards and can catch the ball. Sounds like Charbs but can never have too many versatile backs. And then go get a similar back in the draft outside the first round. I think the trenches and the secondary should still be priorities.
Still not persuaded there’s a trading partner out there.
Agree. Who wants the 32nd pick? You’d have to be convinced that it’s your only chance to draft a player you really value.
I know paying K9 might not make sense, but many felt paying Kupp didn’t make sense and allowing $9 million of Kupp’s salary to guarantee last Friday happened. I think K9 is special in this running game scheme. Collinsworth was stupid to say he’s not a good receiving back. I still think he will sign with Seattle at a discount like Earnest Jones. My guess is 3 years for 30-33 million. It took K9 1/2 a season to get rolling this year and he still got 1000 yards rushing the ball. (I had him pegged at 1400+ going into the season) If they can give him a running mate RB1B to bear some of the burden and allow him to stay at 16-19 carries a game, he should stay healthy and get 1400+ yards on the ground and 500+ yards receiving. Well worth it. This will allow the Hawks to get an edge or CB at pick 32 and 64. Staying cheap at edge and CB saves more money that what K9 will cost at a discount. ($10-$11 million APY) I also think the Hawks have to acquire solid players before the draft this year given they have significantly less draft capital that in the past few years. I’m biased towards keeping players I like, so that probably colors my thinking here.
As we know, RBs have short careers even by NFL standards plus the position has been devalued. Which is to say that RBs already play at a discount and it’s hard to see Walker taking a further markdown.
Going back to high school, K9 has put in a lot of blood and sweat to get to a place where he’s a UFA. This could well be his one bite at the apple. He owes it to himself to make it as big as he can.
Personally, I hope that Walker stays in Seattle. $1.5M for a plug-and-play draftee RB plus $12.5M for the next Julian Love sounds good until you consider that neither is a sure thing. And, whoever replaces Walker is unlikely to have his explosiveness. On the other hand, (1) Seattle went 17-3 because of its defense and its QB/WR combination, and (2) history says that RBs have a limited shelf life. In that light, Walker isn’t a core guy.
The rub is Charbonnet’s injury. Let Walker go and you incur the risk that the draft choice will be a bust and they open the season with Holani and McIntosh at RB. That’s probably unacceptable, so Schneider hedges by signing a UFA RB such as Rico Dowdle. Even that costs something, so the $14M saved is now $14M-Cost of Draft Choice-Cost of FA. (There’s also the question of whether K9’s market value is truly $14M.)
I’m rambling. The point is that the savings from moving on from Walker are not as great as they might seem at first blush. Still, you can’t pay everyone and there’s something to the argument that the focus should be on core players even if that means short-term pain. My guess is that Schneider makes a good-faith offer that won’t be enough and that Seattle opens training camp with a lesser-talented and less expensive FA, a draftee, and Holani/McIntosh.
I agree K9 is potentially elite. His only drawback is he’s not a workhorse like Taylor or Henry. If they pay him RB1 elite money and play him like an RB1 (20-28 carries a game) he’s unlikely to finish the season and will miss the playoffs. There was a valid reason he was limited to 14-17 carries a game in the regular season. They don’t believe he will hold up if they make him the RB1. If he can get a 3 year $40 plus million contract, is played like a workhorse, he likely plays one of those three seasons and misses most of the other two. He better pay attention to the guarantees and meaningless incentives that can’t be earned him the hospital bed. I still think he could take less to stay with the Hawks. Personally, the difference between $33 million and $42 million is just being able to waste $10 million on a bunch of stuff you don’t need and will never use. You could be right he will look for the max, but maybe Walker isn’t interested in a 10 car garage and Tiffany jewelry. He’s a shy, introverted guy. Sam Darnold went with him to Disney to help deflect from the attention he did not want. He’s comfortable with the personnel in the Seahawks locker room. I could easily be wrong, but I feel he will take a slight discount to stay.
Isn’t Walker’s liability in the passing game about his blocking?
I would agree he isn’t the best at pass blocking, but as a receiver, he’s good to very good in my opinion.
I doubt K9 will return at a discount, but I like your thought process about using those higher value draft picks for higher value positions. I'd rather pay K9 and draft a CB or OLB at #32 than pay Woolen/Jobe/Mafe and/or free agents and draft a RB at #32.
I certainly think you could be right and K9 will seek market value, but I see similarities to Earnest Jones who clearly wanted to stay and took a little less than market value by most people’s accounts. Staying cheap at high salary positions does seem to be a good way to go to get more value for your salary cap dollars.
K9 is not going to take a discount. Full stop.
Danno, I think your last line typed explains what’s going on here. You like him as a player, so do I.
The thing is Kenny is sharing time here as a starter. I think he wants to be the main guy, which he was when he got the MVP. He could lead the league in rushing yards on the right team. With Charbonnet on the team that will not happen here.
As much as I like K9, especially after the write up Joe did on him when we drafted him. I got to know him and his style. He is a bell cow and has the break away speed to pop for over 30+ all game long. As much as sharing time helps his career, he could be a top three back in the league if he was not sharing time. I think we will see him do that elsewhere though
There are three BIG differences between K9 and EJ.
First, EJ was not coming a huge playoff performance, Superbowl MVP and being louded as one of the best at the position by national media.
Second, EJ is already in his third team. He kwons how It can be like out there. And is greatful the Hawks took a chance on him. I feel like K9 feel quite underaprecciated and light feel its best to go to a place to be the real lead back.
Third and most important, RBs carriers are SHORT! And can end on any snap. They must cash in as much as they can when the opportunity presents itself. It's much different from ILBs.
But lets see. We just never know for sure.