Mike Iupati Retires From NFL
Mike Iupati is hanging up his cleats. The longtime NFL offensive lineman is retiring from the game, he told Peter Harriman of the Spokesman-Review in Idaho.
“My body was telling me it was time to close the door,” Iupati said, echoing the sentiments of many a retired NFL player. “My goal was to hit ten years,” the Idaho product declared, and he ended up beating that by one season. The 17th overall pick of the 2010 draft by the 49ers, Iupati ended up playing his whole career in the NFC West. After his rookie deal expired he landed a big five-year, $40MM contract from the Cardinals, although the final season of that deal was later voided.
He signed with the Seahawks in 2019, and spent the past two seasons in Seattle. He started 15 games in 2019 but was limited by injuries to only 10 this past campaign. The retirement means more significant change is coming to the Seahawks’ shaky offensive line, an O-line that Russell Wilson is apparently already unhappy with.
He’ll wrap up his career having been a full-time starter at every stop, starting 139 games in total. It was a decorated one, as he made four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams in eleven seasons.
Lightly recruited out of high school with only a few college offers, he came a heck of a long way. All of us here at PFR wish Iupati the best in retirement!
Seahawks Offered LeBron James Tryout
- A year prior to the Seahawks‘ run of playoff appearances, they reached out to a notable ex-wide receiver about potentially joining a then-Tarvaris Jackson-quarterbacked team. LeBron James confirmed that, in addition to the Cowboys contacting him about a tryout, the Seahawks did the same during the 2011 NBA lockout. Then in his second year as Seattle’s HC, Pete Carroll shipped James a custom Seahawks jersey along with the workout invite. “I would have tried out, but I would have made the team,” James said, via The Athletic’s Christopher Kamrani and Bill Oram (subscription required). “I don’t mind working for something, so if I would have had to try out for the Cowboys or the Seahawks, or if I’d have stayed home and went back home to Cleveland, I’d have tried (out), but I would have made the team.” Some close to James, 26 during the lockout, convinced him not to go through with NFL workouts. The NBA legend received significant recruiting interest as a wideout at St. Vincent-St. Mary High in Akron but quit the sport ahead of his senior year.
Browns Lead NFL In Salary Cap Carryover
Earlier today, the NFL Players Association announced (via Twitter) the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2021 season. Effectively, teams are able to rollover their unused cap from the previous season. So, when the 2021 salary cap numbers become official, they can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that individual club’s official cap for 2021.
This follows news from earlier today that the NFL has raised its salary cap floor to $180MM for 2021. This total could clue us in to the salary cap maximum, which could end up landing north of $190MM. The salary cap was $198.2MM for the 2020 campaign.
As the NFLPA detailed, the league will rollover $315.1MM from the 2020 season, an average of $9.8MM per team. The Browns lead the league with a whopping $30.4MM, and they’re the only team in the top-five to make the playoffs. The NFC East ($68.8MM) and AFC East ($65.3MM) are the two divisions will the largest carryover amounts.
The full list is below:
- Cleveland Browns: $30.4MM
- New York Jets: $26.7MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $25.4MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $23.5MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $22.8MM
- New England Patriots: $19.6MM
- Denver Broncos: $17.8MM
- Washington Football Team: $15.8MM
- Miami Dolphins: $15.2MM
- Detroit Lions: $12.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $10.8MM
- Houston Texans: $9.2MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $8.3MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $8.1MM
- Chicago Bears: $7MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $5.7MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $5.1MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $5MM
- New York Giants: $4.8MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $4.6MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $4.5MM
- Carolina Panthers: $4.3MM
- New Orleans Saints: $4.1MM
- Buffalo Bills: $3.8MM
- Green Bay Packers: $3.7MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $3.6MM
- Tennessee Titans: $2.3MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $1.9MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $1.8MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $956K
- Baltimore Ravens: $587K
More Teams Contacting Seahawks On Russell Wilson
Amid a complex quarterback trade landscape, the Seahawks continue to receive calls on a player who was not expected to be part of it coming into the offseason.
As Russell Wilson continues to voice dissatisfaction about his situation, more teams have called the Seahawks about their quarterback’s trade availability, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (video link). Thus far, the Seahawks continue to rebuff teams’ interest in the perennial Pro Bowl passer.
Despite the QB trade market including Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson (and others, like Sam Darnold and Marcus Mariota, on the fringes), Wilson has become the biggest-name player to be linked to a prospective trade. However, the Seahawks have shut down inquiries at each turn. That said, they are not exactly thrilled about their nine-year quarterback’s recent run of comments centering around the state of his offensive line.
Wilson has wanted a bigger say in personnel matters for years, per Pelissero. The Seahawks included Wilson in their offensive coordinator search, which ended with Rams assistant Shane Waldron coming north to replace Brian Schottenheimer, and have him under contract on a $35MM-per-year deal through 2023. That contract contains a no-trade clause.
The Colts and Bears have been the teams primarily linked to Wentz; both were in on the Stafford sweepstakes. The Jets, Dolphins and Panthers have been the teams in the center of a potential Watson derby, and Washington, Denver, New England and San Francisco were also in on Stafford. (Though, the 49ers can safely be ruled out of any Wilson discussion, should this developing saga progress to the point of offers.) Other teams would likely come to the table for Wilson. At 32, Wilson is only a few months younger than Stafford, despite entering the league three years later. But the Seattle QB1 would certainly drive more interest given his accomplishments and consistency.
While Wilson has not requested a trade like Watson has, this long-stable situation certainly qualifies as one to monitor in a busy offseason at the game’s premier position.
Seahawks “Not Happy” With Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson is frustrated with the Seahawks. Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Seahawks officials are “not happy” with Wilson taking his grievances public, sources tell radio host Dan Patrick (Twitter link via Rob Staton of BBC Sports). 
Earlier this week, Wilson went on Patrick’s show and expressed frustration with the Seahawks’ inability to protect him. Over the course of his career, Wilson has been sacked 394 times with 40+ sacks in each season since his rookie year.
“I’ve definitely been hit. I’ve been sacked almost 400 times. We got to get better,” Wilson said. “I got to find ways to get better, too. Just continue to try and find that. As we continue to go along the process and I think about my career wand what I want to be able to do, it always starts up front, offensively and defensively.”
The Seahawks gave Wilson a brand new deal less than two years ago. With an average annual value of $35MM/year, he’s the third-highest paid player in the NFL. So far, the Seahawks have rejected trade inquiries and, unlike the Texans, they’ve included their franchise quarterback in staffing decisions.
It’s still hard to imagine the Seahawks parting ways with Wilson but, given this year’s quarterback carousel, anything is possible.
Russell Wilson Addresses Trade Rumors, Offensive Line Issues
A report indicating Russell Wilson was dissatisfied with the Seahawks’ offensive line performance led to the quarterback essentially confirming such a stance. The superstar passer said Tuesday he is indeed “frustrated with getting hit too much,” via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson (on Twitter).
Wilson has been sacked 394 times in his career, having gone down more than 40 times in every season except his 2012 rookie campaign. He has taken at least 47 in each of the past three seasons. His 8.33% career sack rate is much higher than most of his peers. Wilson took five sacks in Seattle’s wild-card loss to the Rams, a game in which he completed just 11 of 27 passes.
While sacks are not all on teams’ offensive lines, the Seahawks have not opted to expend tremendous resources to fortify this position in recent years. In 2020, the team did well by drafting third-round guard Damien Lewis. But beyond he and 35-year-old left tackle Duane Brown, not much is solidified on Seattle’s front.
“I’ve definitely been hit. I’ve been sacked almost 400 times. We got to get better,” Wilson said, via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar (Twitter link). “I got to find ways to get better, too. Just continue to try and find that. As we continue to go along the process and I think about my career wand what I want to be able to do, it always starts up front, offensively and defensively.”
The Seahawks gave Wilson a second extension in April 2019, and his $35MM-per-year contract still ranks third in the league. The team has shut down any trade overtures and included Wilson in its search for a new offensive coordinator — a process that will led ex-Rams assistant Shane Waldron to Seattle. Armed with a no-trade clause, Wilson said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show he was not sure if he was available in a trade (video link) but believes the team has “definitely” gotten calls on him.
Wilson, whose “Go Hawks” phrase has become his signature interview-ender, reiterated his enthusiasm for playing in Seattle. But it certainly sounds like he and his camp are applying pressure on the team to make a bigger commitment to the offensive line going into its quarterback’s age-33 season.
“I love playing for the (Seahawks). I’ve loved it for years and lay it on the line every game, and I’m dedicated to that,” Wilson said, adding that “it’s frustrating” watching Super Bowls. “… If you ask me about the trust factor of it all, I’ve always put my trust in the Seahawks trying to do whatever it takes to win. Hopefully that will continue. That’s a key part. Part of that is how we go about the protection part of it and figuring those little things out like that.”
After going to two Super Bowls during Wilson’s rookie-contract years, the Seahawks have not been back to the NFC championship round since giving their quarterback his first extension in 2015. The team has parted ways with its Legion of Boom secondary, and Bobby Wagner is the only member of those Super Bowl defenses under contract in 2021. Wilson is under contract through the 2023 season.
Russell Wilson Had Input On OC Hire, Wasn’t Happy With Earlier Candidates
Russell Wilson raised a lot of eyebrows with his comments on The Dan Patrick Show earlier where he said he didn’t like getting hit as often as he has been, and that he’d like to be more involved in personnel decisions. There was also a sourced report that Wilson has grown frustrated with the Seahawks’ inability to build an offensive line around him.
While Wilson certainly didn’t do anything to tamp down the recent speculation on Patrick’s show, it does sound like he had the input he’s seeking on at least one big recent decision. Wilson was “involved in the hire” of Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter video link). Interestingly, it sounds like Wilson may not have initially been happy with the search, which was known to be wide-ranging.
Rapoport says there were “some choices kind of midway through he wasn’t pleased with,” which will be fun to speculate about. It’s impossible to say for sure who Wilson was concerned about, but there were some controversial big names thrown out in the initial search after the firing of Brian Schottenheimer.
Polarizing figures like Adam Gase reportedly spoke with Seattle brass about the OC opening. In the end though, it sounds like Wilson got his guy in the former Sean McVay protege. That would seem to indicate the Seahawks are intent on keeping Wilson content, and have no intention of going the Texans/Deshaun Watson route of freezing out.
Of course, Rapsheet points out that all this comes against the backdrop of the recent report that teams had inquired about trading for Wilson. While he emphasizes those trade advances were rebuffed by Seattle, Rapoport also adds that it’s “noteworthy” that teams “thought there might be something there, that maybe they could get him.” We’ll continue to monitor the situation.
Russell Wilson Frustrated With Seahawks?
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is frustrated with the team’s inability to construct a solid offensive line, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) hears. The eight-time Pro Bowler has been sacked nearly 400 times across nine seasons, making Wilson’s camp nervous about his health, longevity, and potential to win moving forward in Seattle.
[RELATED: Seahawks’ Wilson Drawing Trade Interest]
The Seahawks have been receiving calls on Wilson lately, but they’ve turned down every suitor so far. If Wilson is truly unhappy with team brass, that could potentially spark some activity. And, for what it’s worth, the Seahawks have at least pondered the possibility before. In 2018, the Browns approached the Seahawks and daangled either the No. 1 or No. 4 overall pick. Internally, the Seahawks reasoned that they would need both picks to consider such a blockbuster.
Wilson, 33 in November, managed 40 passing touchdowns last year en route to Pro Bowl selection No. 8. Still, Wilson wants to be more involved in the team’s roster construction.
“It think it helps to be involved more,” Wilson told The Dan Patrick Show this week (Twitter link). “I think that dialogue should happen more often.”
Meanwhile, the Seahawks will have to weigh their affinity for Wilson against an impending numbers crunch. His four-year, $140MM extension signed in 2019 furnished him with an average annual salary of $35MM. There’s only two years to go on that deal, and, barring a severe drop in the cap, Wilson is probably on course for a raise.
Seahawks Cut OL Chance Warmack
As the season wraps up the Seahawks are doing some housecleaning, and one veteran whose name will ring some bells is getting the boot from the offseason roster. Seattle has released offensive lineman Chance Warmack, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Warmack is a notable name as the tenth overall pick of the 2013 draft. He was a full-time starter his first few years in the league at right guard with the Titans, but never lived up to his draft status and flamed out quickly in Tennessee. His fifth-year option was declined, and he missed most of the 2016 season with an injury. He was with the Eagles from 2017-18 mostly as a reserve, but started a few games.
He spent 2019 out of football before signing with the Seahawks in a comeback bid back in March. Then he became one of the first players in the league to opt-out due to COVID-19 back in July, and now he’s been cut before his contract had a chance to toll to 2021. Still only 29, he won’t generate a ton of interest on the open market.
That being said he isn’t necessarily done in Seattle, as Brady Henderson of ESPN.com is told Warmack does want to play next season and a source told him the Seahawks want to bring him in for a workout to see how he looks physically after all the time away (Twitter link).
Seahawks’ Russell Wilson Drawing Trade Interest
A “couple of teams” have inquired on Russell Wilson, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. However, the Seahawks have turned those suitors away, because they have no interest in trading their franchise quarterback.
[RELATED: Seahawks, Anthony Lynn Discussing OC Role]
It’s no surprise that the Seahawks have rejected calls on the future Hall of Famer. The quarterback carousel has caused Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff to trade places, and others could be on the move in the coming weeks, but Wilson is staying put. There could be other options for the ambitious teams seeking Seattle’s star still, including Eagles QB Carson Wentz and Raiders signal caller Derek Carr.
Clubs have put out feelers on Wilson in the past, but those talks didn’t get too far. One of those conversations took place in 2018, when the Browns considered swapping the No. 1 or No. 4 overall pick for him. Wilson was only 29 at the time, yet he was long established as one of the game’s top QBs. To even consider moving him, the Seahawks would have wanted an offer including both picks.
Wilson, 33 in November, set a new personal watermark with 40 passing touchdowns last year en route to yet another Pro Bowl selection. He also registered 4,212 passing yards in 2020 — seven shy of a new career high.