Monday Minute: What are the Seahawks Doing Edition - 3/1/21

Lots of ity bity news this week with some big rumors/speculation to boot. Let's waste no time on a stinking intro.

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Quick Hits

The Jaguars declined the option for TE Tyler Eifert this week. I expected this decision as he didn't really stand out and it gives the Jags even more cap room than they already have. I don't expect the TE position to be high on the list of priorities for Urban Meyer, who seems to neglect the position as far as their receiving capabilities. They have $82M in cap space, the most in the NFL.

The Rooney family, owners of the Steelers, formally announced Ben will be the QB this year. That weird drama is now over as they look to address their OL now. The team also restructured DT Cam Hayward's contract to save $7M in cap space. The Steelers need to work Ben hard to get his cap hit as low as it possibly can go. Anything over $25M is too much for Ben at this point (from the Steelers POV) and he is currently at $41M. The Steelers are currently over the cap by $19M. They can save almost all of that by nixing Ben's $15M roster bonus from his contract.

The Raiders officially released WR Tyrell Williams. He didn't play in 2020 due to a torn labrum. In 2019, he signed a 4 year $44M contract with the Raiders. He made half of that and only needed to play 1 season to do it. His release saved the team $10M this year. The Raiders are now only $9M over the cap. Tyrell is 29 and has only produced one season over 1k yards. I don't expect much from him in the future.

The Texans cut a couple notable players in RB Duke Johnson and C Nick Martin. Nick was the starting center but Duke was the 2nd RB in the rotation next to David Johnson. The Texans did send a 3rd rounder to acquire Duke in 2019. (How did they get only a 2nd for Hopkins? It just doesn't make sense.) Nick's release saves the team over $6M and Duke's saves them $5M. The Texans are now comfortably under the cap with $16M in available space. Duke never really impressed by in terms of his ability to help his team, but Nick will get a job somewhere for sure.

A small headline but a very talented player. DT Jurrell Casey was released by the Broncos this week (something I said may happen in my team needs article). Casey was injured in Week 3 and never returned in 2020. His release saves the team $11M in cap room, which may just be used to extend fellow DT Shelby Harris. The Broncos are sitting pretty with $42M in available cap room. I expect he will have a decent market but he is over the age of 30 now.

And one quick note... similar to JJ Watt. Every player that has been released (not Post-June 1) can sign right away and they don't need to wait until FA opens. The issue for most of these players is they aren't Tier 1 Free Agent signings, so they will probably be waiting until the 2nd or 3rd wave when teams have a better idea of what their cap will look like.

Speaking of EDGE JJ Watt, he has apparently dwindled his list down to just a few finalists for where he will play in 2021 and beyond. The teams that are being reported are the Bills, Titans, and Packers. He has received multiple offers for $15M+ per year (not necessarily from these teams). That seems absolutely crazy to me that he is getting those kinds of offers and Houston didn't even try to trade him. They could've gotten at least a 5th round pick and now they are getting nothing. JJ should consider himself lucky. The Titans may be the most desperate of these teams for EDGE help, and it also gives him the opportunity to beat up on Houston twice a year. Though, I think the Bills should be the favorite of the three.

The New York Jets are making smart decisions? The Word out of Jets camp is that they will wait until they have a good feel for the QBs in this draft before they decide whether or not to trade or keep QB Sam Darnold. Trevor Lawrence obviously won't be available for them, so that means they will be deciding between Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Zach Wilson. This decision probably won't be made until a week or so before the draft between Pro Days, zoom meetings, background research, and watching a lot of tape. The Pro Days for those QBs are March 12 (Trey Lance), March 30 (Justin Fields), and March 26 (Zach Wilson). Based on the 2 QB trades we have seen so far, I don't think Darnold will be getting a 1st round pick in return for the Jets. A mid-2nd rounder is what I am thinking. Washington or Chicago? Darnold may be the next QB domino to fall unless Mariota gets moved prior to him.

OT Isaiah Wilson announced on Twitter last week that he would not be playing football for the Titans anymore. The first-round pick from 2020 is being shopped around by the Titans. Unless the Titans can find a team that is truly desperate, they will cut their losses on a player who has hardly played and made more bad decisions than one can count. If they cut him, he will have a $5M dead cap, but he would have to clear waivers. I don't think anyone will be rushing to trade for him or assume his contract by claiming him. He isn't a risk worth $5M. If you'd like to know more about why he is a bad apple, check out last weeks Monday Minute here.

Big Deshaun Watson news this week. Deshaun... has an android. LOL

Last thing before we get into our main topic... OG Mike Iupati of the Seattle Seahawks retired this week. Mike missed a lot of 2020 due to injury. He made the Pro Bowl 4 times in his career that featured stays in AZ, SF, and SEA. Guess he likes the west coast. This is more bad news for Seattle and Russ in terms of their OL, though Mike was an impending FA.

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Speaking of Russ... jeez man. Things went from 0 to 60 and then 60 to 240 real quick. Cars go 240mph, right? Anyways... Russell Wilson news took over the football media world when all anyone could talk about was Deshaun Watson. It's not every day a Super Bowl winning QB says "don't trade me... but if you do I want to go here or here". Before I talk about the weird nature of the teams, I want to talk about the dynamics of the situation. 

We have been here before with Russell in Seattle. Before Russell signed his current deal of 4 years $140M ($107M guaranteed), the Seahawks brass and Russ were at a stalemate. In 2019, Russ was going to be entering the final year on his 2nd contract and he wanted an extension and a raise, rightfully so. I mean Russell is a phenom at QB. He grew from an inaccurate QB that relied completely on his legs to an All-Pro thrower and probably the best deep-ball passer in the league. Back to the topic... he wanted an extension. He was getting so pissed off with the Seahawks dragging their feet, that in April of 2019 he gave his team a hard deadline to get a deal done. It was reported that he would not have gone back to the bargaining table if they didn't get that deal done by his deadline. Russ was serious about going into free agency at that point, though it was clear he wished things could get done in Seattle.

Fast forward to 2021... a similar issue. Russell is upset that the team can't get the OL fixed after all these years. Russ is upset that when he wanted to leave input in a coaches meeting he was basically shooed away. Russ wants respect just like he did in 2019. Last time it was in the form of money. This time it is in the form of inclusion in the inner circle. Tom Brady has inclusion in Tampa, but Bruce Arians has said that Tom doesn't demand anything. He will give his 2 cents and that's about it. Russell wants to be Tom Brady, he basically inferred as much in previous interviews. All he wants to do is win, just like Tom. He was visibly frustrated in the Commissioner's box at the Super Bowl watching Tom play and not the other way around. Is Russ making public news out of a private situation? Probably yes, but it seems to be the way Seattle responds... until now?

Teams are calling the Seahawks about Russell... and Seattle isn't hanging up. This doesn't seem to be just something that teams are calling about but there is no shot. There is definitely some unrest between the brass and their QB. The thing that will hold everything up? Russell has a no-trade clause so the Seahawks can't just move him tomorrow. That means Russell controls if he stays or where he goes. Russell and his agent leaked to Adam Schefter the teams that he would be willing to play for. Seattle (duh), Dallas, New Orleans, Chicago (?), and Las Vegas (?). 

Dallas makes a whole lot of sense for a few reasons. First, I feel like compensation could be pretty easily agreed upon. Both have disgruntled QB situations... just swap them. Now the Cowboys would get the better end of the deal because Seattle already paid Russ a bunch of money and Seattle would also have to then pay Dak. But you could easily include a 1st + some later picks or players to get this done. Russ gets to be the biggest QB in football because of the attention Dallas gets. Dak gets paid (assuming) and goes to a team with a more recent history of winning. Jerry Jones still gets a franchise QB and for cheaper than Dak, plus he is better than Dak. Pete Carroll and Co. get a QB that doesn't air his dirty laundry and is still a great QB. The issue is that Dallas has already distanced themselves from this situation saying they aren't making calls for Russ.

New Orleans makes a lot of sense if Drew Brees retires, which is gonna happen... right? I'm not 100% sure anymore. I don't know why it is taking this long for an announcement. I get taking your time, but shouldn't you know by now? Also, there has been a video circulating about Drew training which is making some noise. Seattle could get back some assets like CB Marshon Lattimore and RT Ryan Ramcyzk that have one year left on their deals, but are top 5 players at their position. Russell would get to be coached by one of the best QB coaches in Sean Payton. I still don't think it is all that likely though, the Saints are in cap hell even if they get rid of those 2 players. I don't see how they can afford to give assets away and pay Russ.

Chicago makes very little sense for me if I'm Russell Wilson. The Bears have been a QB away for a while, but their pieces are getting older and are becoming free agents. Chicago has no good offensive playmakers. Russ may be intrigued by coach Matt Nagy, who is on the hot seat going into 2021, since he came from the Andy Reid coaching tree. Or possibly he wants to go to Chicago because it is a large market for Ciara, his wife. Chicago should offer whatever it takes to get this deal done right now though. Don't let Seahawks GM John Schneider hang up the phone. Just increase the offer until he says yes.

Las Vegas also confuses me because unlike Chicago they have a terrible defense and very little offensive playmakers. RB Josh Jacobs gets subbed out like every other play, but they do have TE Darren Waller and WR Henry Ruggs I guess. Vegas has a bottom 5 defense in almost every significant category. What is the appeal? Jon Gruden? He is hardly considered a QB whisperer anymore, but I guess he has done well with Derek Carr. Maybe it is a similar scenario for Ciara where it is a big music market. 

If a trade gets done, I have a feeling it will be with Chicago because Dallas has more or less bowed out and the other 2 don't make any sense. Chicago has been clearly craving a QB (being in the Wentz and Stafford conversations this offseason) since 2019 when Mitch Trubisky showed his true colors. They may just offer the world between players and picks to get a deal done. Side note: The Bears have retired #3 so Russ would need to pick a new number if he goes there.

But, if I had to guess, things will start to simmer down. It is clear that both of these sides are OK with letting tempers flare a little bit and are able to simmer back down with no repercussions. Russell is a top 5 QB in this league and that is just too valuable to trade over a squabble (unless Russ says he won't show up). If push comes to shove and Russ says it is me or Pete, Seahawks ownership needs to choose Russell and get a new system. Pete is a good coach, but he isn't irreplaceable. Getting a coach that can highlight Russell's abilities instead of trying to hide them by playing a run-first game would be better for the team anyway. Like I said though, I expect things will just float back down to the surface and they will be a playoff team again in 2021. Hopefully, for both sides, this all works out. Russell is a Seahawk through and through.

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TOP 10 Places to get a Milkshake

I've said that these aren't all going to be football-related. Recently, my favorite food group has been milkshakes (yea I said it) and by recently I mean for the past year-plus. I've had easily over 100 milkshakes since 2020 started. I'm going to list out my favorite places to get a milkshake (from the places I've been in the last year).

1. Wawa - Chocolate Mint Cookies & Cream
2. Five Guys - Carmel, Oreo Pieces, Oreo Creme
3. Steak n Shake - Reeses PB Cup
4. Burger Monger
5. Chick-fil-a
6. Dairy Queen
7. Shake Shack 
8. Shula Burger
9. Baskin Robbins
10. Carvel

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Do you like milkshakes? If so, what is your favorite flavor? Let me know in the comments or at @KyleTheCommish on Twitter.