Ten days of free agency have yielded two new Seahawks in TE Chris Baker and WR Ruvell Martin. Who? Exactly.
The days of Tim Ruskell splurging are behind us. Over the past few seasons we have been treated to big bangs and big busts in free agents and trades from the likes of Deion Branch, Patrick Kerney and Mike Wahle. The most successful teams don't rock the boat in free agency because it can bind teams with high contracts, further restricting the team's salary cap.
So why are many fans disappointed and even surprised by the lack of big-name free agent pick-ups?
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Many fans expected Seattle to spend big during this uncapped season. Afterall, the team has the richest owner in Paul Allen, who some pundits dubbed "The Sleeping Giant" due to his mountains of cash. An uncapped year seemed to be the perfect scenario for Allen to make it rain.
Not so fast. The Seahawks rank no. 18 in the league in team value at $712 million. That's a far cry from Dan Snyder's no. 1 ranked Redskins, valued at $1.1 billion. Although Allen is worth more than 18 times the Redskins, he is not going to throw down his own money to sign a player.
Sure, we've entertained the idea of bringing in star WR Brandon Marshall, but it's been more than a week since he landed in Seattle and talk of his signing has dimmed to message board whispers. Remember how Ruskell quickly signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh last season? You won't find that type of rush with this regime.
Let's not forget our new GM John Schneider's past. He worked as director of football operations for the Packers, a team notorious for building in the draft with Ted Thompson at the helm.
Reach Aaron Weinberg at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
