Why tendering Phil Haynes is somewhat significant
Why tendering Phil Haynes is somewhat significant
The Seahawks are keeping at least one restricted free agent
It was announced on Saturday that the Seahawks are giving guard Phil Haynes the original round tender, locking him in for a $2.54 million cap hit in 2022. This won’t sound like a lot of money once you see the dollar amounts handed out in free agency over the next couple of weeks, but it is rather significant for a guard—especially a supposed reserve—to make that much next season.
If Haynes were considered a left guard, a $2.54 million salary would rank him as the 15th-highest paid left guard of 2022. At right guard, it would place him 19th in the NFL for that position.
Given that the Seahawks already have Damien Lewis assuredly locked down to compete for a starting gig on the offensive line, and Gabe Jackson signed for 2022, it’s somewhat notable that Haynes is guaranteed $2.54 million despite having two career starts—both of which came in place of Lewis last season.
Haynes now has 137 career snaps through three seasons, 136 of which came this past January.
I’ve already proposed in the Seaside Joe newsletter that the Seahawks could afford to trade Jackson and that moving him might make the most sense, because a 31-year-old veteran currently blocking younger guys from competing to start doesn’t quite line up with my expectations for Seattle’s rebuilding plan in 2022. They might also be able to land a decent day three pick in return for Jackson, saving $3 million in the process.
That’s $3 million that will cover the new deal for Phil Haynes.
Haynes might be starting in Week 1.
Interesting! Just so I'm clear -- an original round tender means that if a different team were to sign Haynes, they would owe the 'Hawks a fourth-round pick? And they would also have to beat the Seahawks' offer?
Sounds like Haynes is here to stay.
Thank you for reading the tea leaves for us. I'm hoping you're correct about Seattle's intention to trade Jackson and pick up some draft capital. I feel strongly that the Seahawks need a real rebuild. I'm not confident they'll make the smart moves and take the down year but I hope they will.
For what it's worth, I'm not predicting the Seahawks will return to the Superbowl at any point in the foreseeable future. A lot of pieces have to land right for a rebuild to be successful, let alone Superbowl successful. Each year, only one team wins it all. But there's zero point in not trying. I can be perfectly happy to watch an exciting team that's making smart moves and doing its best, regardless of ultimate outcome. Winning it all is nothing more than the end of a journey and the start of a new one. Not unlike the end of the season for every other team.