Although they fell short in their bid for a third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks are coming off their fourth playoff appearance in a row. The Seahawks are about to find out the price of such success with a slew of players eligible for free agency.
Fortunately for Seattle, there are not many areas of major concern, although the team will have some difficult decisions involving marquee players. Here are five players the Seahawks need to move on from in 2016.
1. Marshawn Lynch
The Seahawks have more than two dozen players headed for free agency in some form, setting up a number of difficult roster decisions. At the top of the list is the mercurial Lynch, whose fierce running style has embodied the franchise since he was acquired in 2010. Lynch churned out four consecutive seasons with at least 1,200 yards rushing and double-digit touchdowns, a span in which he missed only one game.
That all changed this season, when Lynch was limited to seven games and underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia-related injury. Lynch will turn 30 in April -- the supposed wall for an NFL running back -- and carries a cap hit of $11.5 million next season. Seattle will want to make sure backup Thomas Rawls is healthy after breaking an ankle, but the time to cut ties with Lynch appears to have come with quarterback Russell Wilson taking the reins of the offense.
2. Bruce Irvin
Irvin is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent and has made it known he wants to remain with the Seahawks, going to far as to say he'd be willing to give the team a hometown discount of "probably three million" per season. It may take substantially more than that for Seattle to keep the pass-rushing outside linebacker, who made a splashy debut with eight sacks during his 2012 rookie season. A surprise first-round draft pick out of West Virginia, Irvin has not reached that level of production since and registered 5 1/2 sacks this season -- with only two of those coming after Week 6. The Seahawks declined the opportunity to exercise a fifth-year option on Irvin last year and appear willing to let him walk.
3. Jimmy Graham
Is it foolhardy to believe the Seahawks would move on from their standout tight end one year removed from a blockbuster trade that cost them starting center Max Unger and a first-round draft pick? Maybe, but consider this: The bulk of quarterback Russell Wilson's spectacular season-ending stretch came after Graham was injured in Week 12. No one disputes the talent of Graham, who was a touchdown machine with 51 during his first five seasons in New Orleans.
Graham never seemed to be a good fit in Seattle's offense, which sputtered for the first half of the season. Also, he's recovering from surgery on a torn patellar tendon, an injury that can be devastating for NFL players (Victor Cruz of the Giants is the latest example). Graham has two years left on his contract at $9 million per season. However, the key thing here is to understand that Graham's 2016 $9 million has NO dead money attached to it. They Seahawks will retain all $9 million if they release him before June 1, per OverTheCap.com
Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham was lost for the season after suffering a torn patellar tendon in Week 12.
4. J.R. Sweezy
Seattle's offensive line labored early in the season as Wilson was sacked 31 times through the first seven games. The unit had major issues against Carolina in Sunday's playoff loss and faces the prospect of losing starting guard right Sweezy, left tackle Russell Okung and center Patrick Lewis along with backup Alvin Bailey to free agency. Sweezy has started all but two games over the last three seasons, but he appears the most likely of the starting linemen to land elsewhere. The Seahawks have a replacement on the roster in Mark Glowinski, a fourth-round draft pick in 2015 who appeared in 10 games as a rookie.
5. Kam Chancellor
Chancellor held out of the first two games this season due to a contract squabble, but he finally returned in Week 3 after the Seahawks refused to yield to his wishes to renegotiate. It's hard to believe there won't be lingering issues from the holdout, particularly with so many of the strong safety's teammates in line for raises. Chancellor was voted to the Pro Bowl again despite playing in only 11 games -- the lowest total of his six seasons with the Seahawks. One noticeable issue for Chancellor was his struggles in pass coverage, as Seattle was regularly torched by opposing tight ends. His contract, which has a cap hit of $6.1 million, is another concern. Neither of the remaining two years of his deal is guaranteed.
Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor was selected to the Pro Bowl despite playing in only 11 games.
*All salary cap information comes from spotrac.com.
