Seahawks Submit Final Offer To Devonta Freeman?
The Seahawks’ interest in Devonta Freeman may have hit a tipping point. They have submitted a final offer to the longtime Falcons running back, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports.
Freeman, however, is not prepared to accept the proposal, Condotta adds. The Seahawks’ desire to add a veteran to their backfield remains, though, leading the team to potentially circle back to Carlos Hyde.
A potential Seahawks-Freeman partnership surfaced Wednesday. The team is believed to have offered the two-time Pro Bowler a one-year deal worth $3MM. Freeman has also generated interest from the Eagles and Jets, and the 28-year-old back may well be holding out for more money. The Falcons released Freeman earlier this offseason. He was previously attached to a deal worth more than $8MM per year.
The Seahawks appear prepared to move on to talks with Hyde, Condotta adds. The former 49ers second-round pick has bounced around the league but is coming off his first 1,000-yard season. Seahawks interest in Hyde emerged earlier this week as well. While the six-year veteran is coming off a much better season than Freeman, he may be a cheaper option.
Both of Seattle’s top backs — Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny — went down with injuries near season’s end, leading the team to bring back Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks have not ruled out another Lynch contract. This running back interest stems from uncertainty surrounding Penny’s status. The third-year back is not certain to be ready for camp after suffering a knee injury late last season.
Russell Wilson Wants Seahawks To Sign Antonio Brown?
Russell Wilson expressed a desire for the Seahawks to add superstars this offseason, and although they signed Greg Olsen and Phillip Dorsett, each would fall varying degrees shy of that distinction. Wilson is aiming higher.
The Seahawks’ ninth-year quarterback “would love” if the Seahawks signed Antonio Brown, according to ESPN 710 Seattle’s John Clayton. This is not the first connection between Brown and the Seahawks, nor is it the first instance of Wilson pushing for such a move.
In November, a report surfaced indicating Wilson had lobbied for his team to sign the controversial wide receiver. The Seahawks did not, and Brown remained in free agency. He has been unattached since last September.
Although the Saints worked out Brown, even that produced controversy for a wideout who napalmed bridges over the past 18 months. The Steelers traded Brown in March 2019; the Raiders released him before last season; the Patriots cut him after less than two weeks. The former four-time All-Pro is now in legal trouble after an arrest earlier this year.
Brown is also close with Seahawks backup Geno Smith, per Clayton. Smith recently re-signed to be Seattle’s QB2. Nothing will happen with Brown this month, Clayton adds, noting that any deal between the Seahawks and the soon-to-be 32-year-old wideout would likely come to pass in July or August. That would give the NFL more time with its investigation of Brown, who will likely face a lengthy suspension.
The league is investigating Brown for multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and folded in his three felony charges — stemming from an alleged January assault on a delivery driver — into the investigation. If the Seahawks were to sign Brown, the upside may be capped by limited availability. And it is not like the team would be adding a sure thing, given the volatility that has led Brown out of the league.
Seattle is set to roll out a pass-catching corps featuring Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, Olsen and Dorsett next season. The team has drafted four wideouts in the past two seasons, including Florida’s Freddie Swain in Round 6 this year.
Seahawks Interested In Carlos Hyde
Devonta Freeman isn’t the only veteran back on the mind of the Seahawks’ decision-makers. Carlos Hyde has also drawn the interest of Seattle, tweets Mike Silver of NFL.com.
Hyde will be turn 30 years old during the 2020 NFL campaign, but he’s still generated interest on the open market despite his age. That’s perhaps unsurprising given that the former Ohio State Buckeye is coming off the best statistical season of his career. After being traded to the Texans last fall, Hyde surpassed 1,000 yards on the ground for Houston while scoring eight total touchdowns.
The Texans reportedly offered Hyde a multi-year extension of unknown value near the start of the offseason, but he rejected the proposal in favor of reaching the open market. In addition to the Seahawks, the Eagles have also discussed the possibility of signing Hyde.
Seattle boasts Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, Travis Homer, and rookie Deejay Dallas in its run-heavy backfield, but Penny may not be ready for the start of training camp after suffering a knee injury last season. The Seahawks have also discussed a reunion with Marshawn Lynch.
Seahawks, Devonta Freeman Discussing Deal
The Seahawks are showing interest in one of the NFL’s best remaining free agents. They’ve made an offer to running back Devonta Freeman, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM reports (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). However, they’re not aligned on dollars, and the Seahawks are holding their ground for now. Seattle is offering a one-year deal with a base value of less than $3MM and a maximum value of up to $4MM, tweets Mike Silver of NFL.com.
[RELATED: The Top Remaining Free Agents In The NFL]
The Seahawks’ interest in Freeman is partially due to Rashaad Penny‘s knee injury. Penny is unlikely to be available for the start of training camp and Caplan hears that his Week 1 availability is in question. Beyond Penny, the Seahawks also have Chris Carson, Travis Homer, and fourth-round pick Deejay Dallas on the depth chart.
Seattle believes Carson will be good to go this year and feels big things are in store for Homer after he averaged 6.3 yards per carry as a rookie. Still, they could use more help at RB and Homer’s impressive showing came in a limited sample size of totes.
Freeman, 28, appeared in 14 games for the Falcons in 2019 but averaged just 3.6 yards per carry on 184 attempts. Advanced metrics weren’t any more complimentary of Freeman’s performance, as Football Outsiders ranked him just 41st among 43 running backs in success rate.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks have also discussed a reunion with Marshawn Lynch. There’s likely only room for one of the two vets in Seattle.
Longest-Tenured GMs In The NFL
When we ran down the longest-tenured head coaches in the NFL, we found that less than half of the league’s current coaches have been in their positions for more than three years. That’s not quite the case with general managers, but there have been plenty of changes in recent years.
A handful of general managers have gotten to take their coats off and stay for a long while. Among coaches, Bill Belichick had joined his team prior to 2003. Here, you’ll see that five GMs have been with their teams since before ’03 (Belichick, of course, is also on this list). Two of those five – Jerry Jones and Mike Brown – are outliers, since they’re team owners and serve as de facto GMs. But the Patriots, Steelers, and Saints, have all had the same general managers making their roster decisions for well over a decade.
Here’s the complete list of the NFL’s longest-tenured GMs, along with the date they took over the job:
- Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989[1]
- Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991[2]
- Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000[3]
- Kevin Colbert (Pittsburgh Steelers): February 18, 2000[4]
- Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
- Rick Spielman (Minnesota Vikings): May 30, 2006[5]
- Thomas Dimitroff (Atlanta Falcons): January 13, 2008
- John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010[6]
- Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010
- John Elway (Denver Broncos): January 5, 2011[7]
- Les Snead (St. Louis Rams): February 10, 2012
- David Caldwell (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 8, 2013
- Steve Keim (Arizona Cardinals): January 8, 2013
- Tom Telesco (San Diego Chargers): January 9, 2013
- Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014
- Ryan Pace (Chicago Bears): January 8, 2015
- Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016
- Bob Quinn (Detroit Lions): January 8, 2016
- Jon Robinson (Tennessee Titans): January 14, 2016
- John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017
- Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017
- Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017
- Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017
- Marty Hurney (Carolina Panthers): July 19, 2017
- Dave Gettleman (New York Giants): December 28, 2017
- Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018
- Mike Mayock (Oakland Raiders): December 31, 2018
- Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
- Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019[8]
- Ron Rivera (Washington Redskins): January 1, 2020[9]
- Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020
- Bill O’Brien (Houston Texans): January 28, 2020
Footnotes:
- Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
- Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
- Belichick has been the Patriots’ de facto GM since shortly after being hired as the team’s head coach in January 2000.
- Colbert was initially hired as the team’s director of football operations and received the newly-created general manager title in 2011.
- Spielman was initially hired as the team’s VP of player personnel and received the GM title in 2012.
- While Schneider holds the title of GM, head coach Pete Carroll has the final say on roster moves for the Seahawks.
- Elway was initially hired as the team’s executive VP of football operations and received the GM title in 2014.
- In 2018, the Ravens announced that DeCosta would replace Ozzie Newsome as GM for Ozzie Newsome after the conclusion of the season. The Ravens’ ’18 season ended with their Wild Card loss to the Chargers on 1/6/19.
- Technically, the Redskins do not have a GM, as of this writing. Rivera is, effectively, their GM, working in tandem with Vice President of Player Personnel Kyle Smith. Smith may receive the GM title in the near future.
Bruce Irvin Hoped For Seahawks Reunion
- Bruce Irvin had his eye on a Seahawks reunion for a while. The former Seattle first-round pick texted Bobby Wagner during the playoffs he wanted to come back (via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, on Twitter). Irvin also confirmed he will be playing linebacker in Seattle’s base defense while shifting to an edge-rushing role on passing downs, Condotta adds (via Twitter). This was the expected arrangement. The Seahawks used their base defense considerably last season but have not re-signed Mychal Kendricks. Irvin functioned in this versatile capacity during most of his first Seahawks stint.
Latest On DeAndre Baker, Quinton Dunbar
After being released on bond, Deandre Baker and Quinton Dunbar have entered not guilty pleas, as ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe writes. Baker is facing eight charges in connection with the alleged armed robbery in Florida; Dunbar is facing four counts. 
[RELATED: DeAndre Baker, Quinton Dunbar Released On Bond]
Meanwhile, the attorneys for both cornerbacks are going on the offensive. Michael Grieco, the lawyer representing Dunbar, says it’s “completely untrue” that the duo gambled away $70K before the night in question (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson). Furthermore, Grieco claims that they’re not especially close friends and they weren’t together at all in the weeks leading up to the fateful Wednesday.
The police department in Miramar, Florida has a different account of things. Authorities say Baker held partygoers at gunpoint while Dunbar robbed them. Some witnesses claimed that Dunbar also had a gun. With the aid of a third man wearing a mask, Miramar PD says they ran off with thousands of dollars, plus a Rolex, Hublot, and a Audemars Piguet.
Now, the duo will wait to find out whether the charges will actually be filed. Grieco expects word within a month and, ultimately, believes that his client will be cleared. Either way, the NFL is expected to conduct its own investigation into the matter.
DeAndre Baker, Quinton Dunbar Released On Bond
Shortly after surrendering to police, Giants CB DeAndre Baker and Seahawks CB Quinton Dunbar have posted bond and have been released from jail, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. Baker was granted a $200K bond ($25K for each of the eight charges he is facing), and Dunbar was granted a $100K bond ($25K for each of his four charges).
Both players have been ordered to remain in Florida at this time, though Broward County Judge Michael Davis also said that the matter would be given further consideration when Baker and Dunbar need to leave the state for work (i.e., when the league is no longer operating virtually). The Giants have told Baker to stay away from team meetings — he had been participating in most of the club’s virtual offseason program — so that he can focus on his legal issues.
The fact that the players received fairly “light” bonds relative to their income suggests to some, like New York-based criminal defense attorney David Touger, that the prosecution’s case is not particularly strong (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). “The prosecution does not seem to have gone at Baker or his co-defendant very hard,” Touger said. “If they had a strong case one could assume that they would have really fought hard for remand and no bail.”
But according to Fowler, the state did indeed request remand, the judge just did not grant it (perhaps due to Baker’s and Dunbar’s lack of criminal history). Dunbar’s attorney presented five affidavits — four from alleged victims and one from a witness — recanting statements they had previously made to police. The state found it suspicious that those recantations came just 36 hours after the statements were made and pertained specifically to Dunbar, though Baker’s attorney proffered that he has some affidavits of his own and is not playing all his cards at the moment. He did share one affidavit from a mutual friend of Dunbar and Baker who said that Baker did not take any property from him and did not point a gun at anyone.
Obviously, this matter is still in its early stages. Even the best-case scenario for Baker and Dunbar probably includes a suspension of some kind, especially since the disturbing allegations stem from an illegal dice gambling game.
NFC Notes: Seahawks, Dunbar, Lions, Davis
Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar surrendered to police, hours after his alleged accomplice Deandre Baker did the same on Saturday. Dunbar’s attorney Michael Grieco shared the news on Instagram and, just like Baker’s attorney, he vehemently denied the accusations against his client.
“As I write this an innocent man sits in jail, facing charges that hold no water,” Grieco wrote. “His career and reputation have been put in jeopardy as a result of an overzealous [Miramar, Florida police department] that was so excited about arresting a pro football player that they tweeted out their celebration and even tagged his employer in their virtual touchdown dance…When this case gets dropped ,I wonder if the Miramar cops will be tweeting out their apology too.”
Dunbar is facing four felony counts of armed robbery with a firearm. Regardless of the legal outcome, he could be in for a world of trouble with Roger Goodell & Co.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- The Seahawks addressed their need for a veteran backup quarterback by re-signing Geno Smith on Thursday, but there’s still more mid-offseason work to be done. In addition to their obvious need for edge rushing help, they could still use some experience at running back, plus a run-stuffing defensive tackle to help replace the void left by Al Woods‘ departure, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets.
- Even though the Lions turned down Jarrad Davis‘ option for 2021, the linebacker says that he’s more motivated than ever to perform. “I’m here to win games and to go out and compete each and every day,” Davis said (via Benjamin Raven of MLive.com). “We’ve got a lot of guys in the room right now that are going to breathe a lot of competition at our linebacker position and make us a better defense. I’m really excited just to get back to work. Fifth-year option situation, it is what it is.” This year, Davis will look to restore his value and cash in as a free agent in 2021. The former first-round pick hasn’t lived up to expectations so far, but new Lions ‘backers Jamie Collins and Reggie Ragland should help to take some of the pressure off.
- On Friday, the Saints added running back Ty Montgomery to their stable. Montgomery showed tremendous promise with the Packers in 2016, when he averaged 5.9 yards per carry. He could shine once again in a smaller role with the Saints, playing behind Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray.
Longest-Tenured Head Coaches In The NFL
Things move fast in today’s NFL and the old adage of “coaches are hired to be fired” has seemingly never been more true. For the most part, teams change their coaches like they change their underwear. 
A head coach can take his team to the Super Bowl, or win the Super Bowl, or win multiple Super Bowls, but they’re never immune to scrutiny. Just ask Tom Coughlin, who captured his second ring with the Giants after the 2011 season, only to receive his pink slip after the 2015 campaign.
There are also exceptions. Just look at Bill Belichick, who just wrapped up his 20th season at the helm in New England. You’ll also see a few others on this list, but, for the most part, most of today’s NFL head coaches are relatively new to their respective clubs. And, history dictates that many of them will be elsewhere when we check in on this list in 2022.
Over one-third (12) of the NFL’s head coaches have coached no more than one season with their respective teams. Meanwhile, less than half (15) have been with their current clubs for more than three years. It seems like just yesterday that the Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury, right? It sort of was – Kingsbury signed on with the Cardinals in January of 2019. Today, he’s practically a veteran.
Here’s the list of the current head coaches in the NFL, ordered by tenure, along with their respective start dates:
- Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000
- Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints): January 18, 2006
- Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers): January 27, 2007
- John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens): January 19, 2008
- Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks): January 9, 2010
- Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): January 4, 2013
- Bill O’Brien (Houston Texans): January 2, 2014
- Mike Zimmer (Minnesota Vikings): January 15, 2014
- Dan Quinn (Atlanta Falcons): February 2, 2015
- Doug Pederson (Philadelphia Eagles): January 18, 2016
- Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills): January 11, 2017
- Doug Marrone (Jacksonville Jaguars): December 19, 2016 (interim; permanent since 2017)
- Anthony Lynn (Los Angeles Chargers): January 12, 2017
- Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): January 12, 2017
- Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): February 6, 2017
- Matt Nagy (Chicago Bears): January 7, 2018
- Matt Patricia (Detroit Lions): February 5, 2018
- Frank Reich (Indianapolis Colts): February 11, 2018
- Jon Gruden (Las Vegas Raiders): January 6, 2018
- Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans): January 20, 2018
- Kliff Kingsbury (Arizona Cardinals): January 8, 2019
- Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): February 4, 2019
- Vic Fangio (Denver Broncos): January 10, 2019
- Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): January 8, 2019
- Brian Flores (Miami Dolphins): February 4, 2019
- Adam Gase (New York Jets): January 11, 2019
- Bruce Arians (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 8, 2019
- Ron Rivera (Washington Redskins): January 1, 2020
- Matt Rhule (Carolina Panthers): January 7, 2020
- Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys): January 7, 2020
- Joe Judge (New York Giants): January 8, 2020
- Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns): January 13, 2020