Seahawks Meet With WR Brandon Marshall
Former Jets and Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall is visiting the Seahawks, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). This marks Marshall’s first known visit since his release from the Giants in April. 
Marshall was one of several Giants receivers to go down with a serious injury in 2017. The veteran missed the missed the bulk of the year after undergoing ankle surgery in October. Without the services of Odell Beckham Jr. and Marshall, the Giants went into a tailspin and finished out with a 3-13 record last season.
Marshall topped 1,500 yards in his 2015 season with the Jets, but he has not been able to reprise that production in the last two years. In 2016, he had just 59 catches for 788 yards and three touchdowns, a big step back from the previous year in which he had a league-leading 14 TDs. Last year, he caught 18 passes for 154 yards in five games with zero TDs.
The Seahawks replaced Paul Richardson with Jaron Brown this offseason, but they could still use some additional firepower in their wide receiver group. Marshall would give the Seahawks a formidable top four of Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Marshall, and Brown, perhaps with the speedy Marcus Johnson rounding out the bunch.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/8/18
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed: RB Elijah Hood (from Raiders)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed: WR Ka’Raun White (from Seahawks)
Detroit Lions
- Waived: LB Brandon Chubb
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Taylor Stallworth
- Waived: LB Sae Tautu
Cliff Avril Moving On From Football?
- Cliff Avril has not officially retired, but it sounds like he is prepared to move on from football. The former Seahawks defensive end will join Sports Radio 950 KJR as a midday co-host beginning in July, the station announced. The press release makes it sound as though Avril’s playing days are through. “Cliff had an amazing career and we are lucky to be part of his next chapter,” iHeartMedia Seattle exec Rich Moore said. However, Avril’s open letter to Seahawks fans last week indicated that he would make his decision after speaking further with medical experts. The Seahawks released the 10-year veteran last week amidst concerns about his neck.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/7/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Janarion Grant, DE Myles Humphrey
- Waived: FB Ricky Ortiz, LB Mason McKenrick
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: C Tejan Koroma
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Chad Beebe, CB Craig James, FB Johnny Stanton, LB Brett Taylor
- Waived: LS Nick Dooley, WR Armanti Foreman, DT Caushaud Lyons, FB Kamryn Pettway
New York Giants
- Waived: S Ryan Murphy, G Damien Mama, WR Canaan Severin, RB Terrell Watson, P Austin Rehkow
New York Jets
- Signed: K Taylor Bertolet
- Waived: CB Bryson Keeton
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: TE Paul Butler, FB Henry Poggi, RB Chris Warren
- Waived: RB Elijah Hood, DL Joby Saint Fleur, FB Nick Sharga
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OT Nick Callender, C Marcus Henry, S Tevon Mutcherson, WR Damore’ea Stringfellow, OT Avery Young
- Waived: LB Paul Dawson, LB Jason Hall, C Brad Lundblade, WR Ka’Raun White, WR Taj Williams
Seahawks Moving Rookie S To CB
- The Seahawks are going to experiment with two rookies at different positions. Fifth-round pick Tre Flowers will shift from safety to cornerback, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.com. The 6-foot-3 Oklahoma State product fits the profile of a player the Seahawks would prefer at corner, although he played mostly safety at the Big 12 program. Seattle made a similar move last May in shuttling Mike Tyson from safety to corner. Additionally, the team will try fifth-round offensive lineman Jamarco Jones at both tackle and guard, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. Jones started the past two seasons as Ohio State’s left tackle. Condotta adds the Hawks have Ethan Pocic and newcomer D.J. Fluker tentatively tabbed as starters at left and right guard, respectively.
- Seattle may look to add wide receiver Damore’ea Stringfellow, per Condotta. Despite being a 2017 UDFA, Stringfellow came to the Seahawks’ rookie minicamp and fared well. Pete Carroll indicated Stringfellow’s 6-foot-2, 218-pound frame is something the team is intrigued by. The Seahawks would have to waive a player from their 90-man offseason roster to make room for the former Ole Miss Rebel and Washington Husky.
Russell Wilson Expects To Be Franchised In 2020
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson‘s current contract runs through the 2019 campaign, but he expects to be in Seattle beyond next season. Wilson and his camp expect the Seahawks to deploy the franchise tag in 2020, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
As expected, the quarterback contract landscape has seen increased salaries this year, as Matt Ryan last week topped Kirk Cousins as the NFL’s highest-paid player. Ryan received nearly $100M in full guarantees and collect $30MM annually on his new deal, setting new marks at the position. Packers signal-caller Aaron Rodgers is expected to receive an extension in the near future, and he’ll surely move past Ryan in both guaranteed money and per-year average.
Wilson, 29, is currently earning $21.9MM per season under the terms of the deal he signed in 2015, a figure which ranks 11th among quarterbacks. If he receives the franchise tag in 2020, Wilson would be entitled to a 20% raise over his 2019 cap charge, meaning the tender would be worth $30.34MM. If Seattle used the tag again in 2021, it would cost roughly $36.41MM.
Previous reports have indicated negotiations between Wilson and the Seahawks could be contentious. Seattle reportedly explored the 2018 crop of quarterback prospects, and although the club ultimately selected only seventh-round Alex McGough, Wilson’s team contacted the Seahawks as to why they were interested in this year’s passers.
Penny Considered Most Surprising First-Rounder
- Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller touched on a number of topics during his post-draft review. Notably, the reporter noted that the most surprising first-round selection was San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny, who was taken by the Seahawks with the 27th pick. Miller notes that opposing teams didn’t value Penny as highly, and the reporter said the highest team grade (outside of Seattle) rated the running back as a second-rounder.
[SOURCE LINK]
Seahawks Notes: Avril, Chancellor
The Seahawks released defensive end Cliff Avril with a failed physical designation yesterday, but it doesn’t sound like the decision was an easy one. Speaking with reporters following the first day of rookie minicamp, coach Pete Carroll reflected on the veteran’s impact on the organization.
- Speaking of injured Seahawks, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets that safety Kam Chancellor has more neck scans scheduled in June. The veteran landed on the injured reserve last season due to an unspecified neck injury, and reports indicated that the 30-year-old may be forced to retire.
Draft Pick Signings: 5/4/18
Here are Friday’s draft signings.
- On the same day the Packers cut Justin Vogel, their 2017 punter, they signed fifth-round pick J.K. Scott. Vogel requested to be waived, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets, because of the odds seemingly stacked against him to win the Green Bay job against a highly (for a punter) drafted rookie rather than catching on elsewhere before a training camp begins. This clears the way for Scott, whom the Packers selected at No. 172 overall out of Alabama. Green Bay also signed the long snapper drafted in the seventh round, Hunter Bradley, who played at Mississippi State.
- The Jets signed sixth-round running back Trenton Cannon on their first day of rookie minicamp. Cannon played at Division II Virginia State.
- The Seahawks also announced they signed draft picks Will Dissly, Jacob Martin and Michael Dickson. Dissly will stay in Seattle after playing at the University of Washington. The Seahawks selected the blocking tight end in the fourth round. One of the six linebackers Seattle either drafted or signed as a UDFA, Martin arrived in the sixth round out of Temple. Dickson (Texas) ended up as the first punter drafted this year, going off the board at No. 149.
Seahawks Add 15 UDFAs
Beginning their rookie minicamp on Friday, the Seahawks announced their undrafted rookie class. Fifteen players comprise this contingent. Here’s the full rundown:
- Emmanuel Beal, LB (Oklahoma)
- Tanner Carew, LS (Oregon)
- Poona Ford, DT (Texas)
- Marcell Frazier, DE (Missouri)
- Jason Hall, LB (Texas)
- Khalid Hill, FB (Michigan)
- Warren Long, LB (Northwestern)
- Brad Lundblade, C (Oklahoma State)
- Marcus Martin, FB (Slippery Rock)
- Skyler Phillips, G (Idaho State)
- Jake Pugh, LB (Florida State)
- Caleb Scott, WR (Vanderbilt)
- Ka’Raun White, WR (West Virginia)
- Taj Williams, WR (TCU)
- Eddy Wilson, DT (Purdue)
Interestingly, this class houses just two offensive line hopefuls. Lundblade was a first-team All-Big 12 selection last year. The Seahawks used just one of their draft choices, a sixth-rounder, on what’s been a troublesome area for the franchise for years. Seattle’s only free agency add here was D.J. Fluker, who worked mostly as a depth piece for an embattled Giants team in 2017.
Seattle brought in three wide receivers after not addressing the position in the draft. All check in at 6-foot-1 or taller. The two fullbacks bring the Seahawks’ total to four, and counting notable fifth-round pick Shaquem Griffin and sixth-rounder Jacob Martin, Seattle’s added six rookie linebackers this year.