Jets Claim K Jason Myers Off Waivers
Former Seahawks kicker Jason Myers was claimed by the Jets on Tuesday afternoon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Myers was released by Seattle on Monday.
The Jets appeared to be set with Cairo Santos as their kicker, but it sounds like his chronic groin injury has become a serious problem. It’s been an issue for him in the past. In 2017, he missed most of training camp with the Chiefs with the same ailment, then subsequently aggravated the injury in Week 3, leading to his release. Then, he hooked on with the Bears, but the same issue landed him on injured reserve.
Myers was with the Jaguars from 2015 through the first six games of the 2017 season. He was released after missing three pivotal field goals, though they were all from 52 yards or longer. All in all, he connected on 64-of-79 field goal attempts (81%) and 76-of-88 extra points (86.4%) in 38 games with the Jags. This offseason, he hooked on with the Seahawks, but he was ultimately displaced by Sebastian Janikowski.
The Jets also have kicker Taylor Bertolet on the roster and it’s unlikely that they’ll carry three kickers for long. It stands to reason that Santos will be released rather quickly.
Seahawks Meet With Junior Galette
Free agent pass-rusher Junior Galette will visit the Seahawks on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Seahawks have been looking for edge help, and Galette might fit the bill. 
Galette didn’t light up the stat sheet, but he did play in all 16 games after missing the previous two years with injuries. It’s also worth noting that he graded as the league’s No. 30 edge defender, per Pro Football Focus, and finished with 25 pressures.
Despite early interest from the Browns, Raiders, and other clubs, Galette’s market has been slow to develop this offseason. Perhaps after Monday’s meeting with the Rams and the latest powwow with the Seahawks, the veteran will finally be able to find a home for the 2018 season.
Before off-the-field issues and injuries sidetracked his career, Galette was one of the league’s most fearsome pass rushers. He was New Orleans’ best pass rusher in two consecutive years, recording 12 sacks in 2013 and picking up another 10 – along with three forced fumbles – in 2014.
If he has some of that fire left in the tank – and last year indicates that he might – then he could be a low-cost impact addition for the Seahawks.
Seahawks Notes: Brissett, Thomas
We heard yesterday that the Colts‘ had rejected the Seahawks offer of a second-round pick for quarterback Jacoby Brissett. However, Colts general manager Chris Ballard is saying the front office never talked trade with Seattle. The executive told ESPN’s Booger McFarland that the two sides had never discussed a trade for the 24-year-old (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com).
- While the Cowboys continue to seek safety help, there apparently hasn’t been any progress with the Seahawks in regards to an Earl Thomas trade. Watkins tweets that “nothing new is happening” with Seattle, meaning there may not be an end in sight when it comes to the ongoing Thomas saga. The veteran Pro Bowler has sat out the first part of the preseason, and he’s requested a new contract or a trade.
Seahawks Release K Jason Myers
The Seahawks released kicker Jason Myers, according to a team announcement. The move signals that Sebastian Janikowski has won the club’s kicking competition.
Myers was with the Jaguars from 2015 through the first six games of the 2017 season. He was released after missing three pivotal field goals, though they were all from 52 yards or longer. All in all, he connected on 64-of-79 field goal attempts (81%) and 76-of-88 extra points (86.4%) in 38 games with the Jags.
Myers inked a futures deal with the Seahawks in January and was pushing to take over for Blair Walsh‘s post. Months later, the Seahawks inked Sebastian Janikowski to a one-year deal, putting the 40-year-old in the catbird seat.
In related moves, the Seahawks signed cornerback Elijah Battle and wide receiver Marvin Bracy to the 90-man roster.
Seahawks To Release Punter Jon Ryan
Jon Ryan‘s time with the Seahawks has come to an end. On Monday, the punter took to Twitter to bid farewell to the Seahawks after spending the last ten seasons with the organization. 
“Its been an absolute honor and privilege to play in this great city of Seattle for the past ten years. I never wanted this day to come, but knew it would someday,” Ryan wrote. “Even though I’m leaving, I will always be a Seahawk…I want to thank all of my teammates over the years, Paul Allen, John Schneider, Matt Thomas, and Peter McLoughlin, the amazing coaches I’ve had here: Mike Holmgren, Jim Mora Jr., and Pete Carroll, and the entire support staff at 12 Seahawks Way. But, more than anything, I want thank the 12s. You embraced a pale-skinned, red-headed Canadian with a speech impediment and made him feel like a superstar. I will forever be grateful for each and every one of you. Thank you Seattle.”
Although Ryan is sad to leave Seattle, the writing has been on the wall for some time now. The Seahawks selected fellow punter Michael Dickson in the fifth-round of this year’s draft, so Ryan was unlikely to win the job despite his history with the club and proven abilities as a holder.
Marcus Smith May Retire
Former Seahawks defensive end Marcus Smith may retire after just four seasons in the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Smith, a former first-round pick of the Eagles, was not fully committed to playing in 2018, which led to his release from Seattle. 
In three seasons with the Eagles, Smith never made a start and registered only four sacks. In 2016, the 26-year-old Smith played on only 20% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps.
The Seahawks scooped up Smith after he was released last summer and he showed some promise in a limited role. In 252 snaps, Smith had 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks, and he was re-signed to a one-year deal that could have paid him up to $2.7MM this year.
After four total years in the league, the former first-round pick seems ready to move on to something else.
Colts Rejected Seahawks’ Offer For Jacoby Brissett
From a statistical standpoint, Jacoby Brissett was not especially impressive as the Colts’ starting signal-caller last season, but teams apparently saw enough in the former third-round pick to try and pry him away from Indianapolis this year. We heard back in March that the Colts had rejected two trade offers for Brissett — though the identities of the two teams and the strength of the offers were not known — and Colts owner Jim Irsay recently said that his club would not even trade Brissett for a first-round pick.
While it’s unlikely that the Colts have been tempted with a first-rounder, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports that the Seahawks did recently offer a second-round choice to Indianapolis in exchange for Brissett, and the Colts declined. Seattle, of course, does not need a starting quarterback with Russell Wilson under center, but the team apparently believes it could upgrade its backup situation. Austin Davis, who served as the team’s No. 2 QB last year, has not attempted a regular season pass since 2015, and the other quarterback on the roster, Alex McGough, is a rookie and was a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft. Seattle recently worked out Josh Johnson, which also suggests the team is not sold on either Davis or McGough should Wilson be forced to miss time.
The Colts, meanwhile, are thrilled to have Andrew Luck back and apparently healthy, but given his serious and well-documented shoulder problems, it is understandable that they would like to have a capable backup should Luck suffer any more setbacks.
Brissett is under contract through the 2019 season. Last year, his first as a full-time starter, he complied a 4-11 record and an 81.7 quarterback rating, throwing for 3,098 yards and 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He did rush for an additional 260 yards and four scores, and given his relative inexperience, the Colts’ porous offensive line, and the fact that he was traded from New England to Indianapolis just before the 2017 regular season began, he did about as well as could be expected (as evidenced by the trade interest he has generated).
NFC West Notes: Avril, Seahawks, Cardinals, 49ers
Cliff Avril indicated earlier this offseason he wanted to resume his career, despite the severe neck injury he suffered in 2017 ending his time with the Seahawks. Three months have passed since reports of Avril interest surfaced, and the 2016 Pro Bowler appears to be moving closer to full retirement.
Avril began dabbling in radio shortly after his Seahawks release, and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes he now has an every-day hosting gig. However, the 32-year-old former Lion and Seahawk is mentoring one of the players competing to take his old job. Condotta writes Avril has been mentoring 2016 fifth-rounder Quinton Jefferson while hosting a daytime radio show. It’s uncertain if he’s regained clearance to play again. Should that happen in the near future, Avril may have another chance. But as of now, it looks like Avril’s played his last NFL down.
Here’s the latest out of the NFC West:
- Josh Rosen looking ready for potential near-future action may not mean Mike Glennon’s roster spot is in jeopardy. The Cardinals’ injuries at quarterback last season serve as a warning of what can happen, Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com tweets. Plus, with Sam Bradford serving as the starter, it’s obviously critical to stockpile depth. Glennon, the Bears’ starter to begin last season, signed for two years and $8MM. It would not save the Cards any money to cut him.
- Jamar Taylor is still the frontrunner to be the Cardinals’ Week 1 starter opposite Patrick Peterson, Jurecki tweets. The Browns traded the once-embattled cornerback to the Cardinals this offseason – the second time Taylor’s been shipped elsewhere by a new regime – and he’s leading a race for a job that’s been one of the NFL’s biggest trouble spots in recent years.
- John Lynch said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle) Jerick McKinnon will be out for the remainder of the preseason because of the calf strain he suffered in the 49ers’ first exhibition game. The 49ers don’t have a deep running back depth chart, and No. 2 back Matt Breida is also dealing with an injury. San Francisco signed Alfred Morris recently. He and Joe Williams figure to see more time while the top two ball carriers are on the shelf.
- Mike Person’s received the bulk of the first-team work at right guard for the 49ers and is a threat to be the Week 1 starter, despite the franchise having used a first-round pick on Joshua Garnett two years ago and having added Jonathan Cooper this offseason, Branch notes. Although the 30-year-old Person would seemingly be a longshot to claim this job, the injury histories of Cooper and Garnett give him a better shot than he’d have under ordinary circumstances. Garnett spent all of last season on IR, and Cooper has struggled with a litany of maladies in his five-year career. Person was a full-time starter at center for the 2015 Falcons.
Pete Carroll On Cutting Marcus Smith
- Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll says a personal issue with Marcus Smith was a factor in his release. (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson). Carroll added that Smith understood the decision, which suggests that the defensive end did not ask for his release. The Seahawks will save roughly $1MM against the cap by cutting Smith, though they have spent an equal amount to bring in linebacker Erik Walden.
Seahawks Cut DE Marcus Smith
The Seahawks have released defensive end Marcus Smith, the team announced. The move comes as a surprise since he was projected to be a part of their pass-rush rotation this season. 
Smith missed the last two days of Seahawks practice as he dealt with what coach Pete Carroll termed as a family issue. In any case, he’ll be looking for a new club as the start of the season draws near.
Smith flamed out as a former first-round pick of the Eagles and was waived last summer. He signed on with the Seahawks and played a bit in a reserve role. In 252 snaps, Smith had 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks. In March, he was re-signed to a one-year deal worth up to $2.7MM.
The Seahawks project to start Frank Clark and Dion Jordan (if the stress issue in his leg heals up in time) in Week 1. With Smith out of the picture, they’ll be leaning a bit more heavily on third-round choice Rasheem Green for support. Braden Jackson and Quinton Jefferson are also among those pushing for time at the bookends.
In related moves, the Seahawks also waived Elijah Battle and signed running back Justin Stockton.