Bringing back Jordan Simmons an example of how John Schneider does Seahawks business
While wondering what the heck is up with Jadeveon Clowney and what in Hades John Schneider is doing with his offseason moves, think about Jordan Simmons.
Simmons is the reserve guard Schneider claimed off waivers from Oakland at the start of the 2018 season; he was a Raiders practice-squad player in 2017. The Seahawks’ general manager and coach Pete Carroll loved Simmons’ work in his limited, injury-shortened time in college football at USC.
When starting right guard D.J. Fluker got hurt in week 11 of that 2018 season, Seattle started Simmons. It was one more start than he had previously in his career, in the NFL and at USC.
Simmons wowed the Seahawks that day. He moved Aaron Donald and the Rams’ vaunted defensive line all around the Los Angeles Coliseum in his debut. Seattle romped for 273 yards in a 33-31 loss to the Super Bowl-bound Rams. Carroll and offensive line coach Mike Solari found a guy they could count on at guard.
Simmons started two more games as an injury fill-in that season, then sustained a major knee injury in December 2018. He missed the entire 2019 season on injured reserve.
When it came time last month to tender Simmons as an exclusive-rights free agent (players with fewer than three accrued seasons whose contracts have expired), Schneider decided not to. He set Simmons free as an unrestricted free agent.
Why? Had he tendered Simmons, Schneider would have been obligated to pay him $750,000, regardless of his health (unless they subsequently waive him). That $750,000 is the new minimum salary in 2020 for players with two accrued seasons, per the recently approved NFL collective bargaining agreement and its $90,000-plus raises in minimum salaries.
That $750,000 salary is what Seattle’s leading sack man from 2019, Rasheem Green, will earn in 2020. Heck, it’s more than wide receiver DK Metcalf ($703,457) will get in base pay this year.
Knowing another team was unlikely to pay Simmons more than that on the open market this offseason after his major knee injury, his 2019 spent on IR and his mere three career games, the Seahawks’ GM estimated he could get Simmons back at the team’s price and conditions, not the league’s.
Wednesday, he did.
The Seahawks announced they signed back Simmons as an unrestricted free agent, as expected.
The new contract allows Seattle to include the provision of a split contract. That is a deal that pays the minimum-salary amount if a younger player is healthy and on the active roster but a far less amount (with a lower cap charge) if he has to go back on IR. It’s a hedge for the team against injury.
A tender offer for an exclusive-rights free agent does not allow for a split contract. The Seahawks would have had no cap hedge against Simmons being hurt again in 2020 had they re-signed him that way last month.
That’s how Schneider got back a dependable depth piece for his in-flux offensive line. And he did it without having to essentially assure Simmons a salary and cap hit at what he’s paying his leading returning sack man and more than he’s paying his number-two wide receiver.
That’s how Schneider does offseason business.
Simmons will get the chance, if healthy, to rejoin an offensive line that is in flux yet again. The Seahawks signed guard B.J. Finney and Cedric Ogbuehi in free agency last month.
Finney’s money—$2.5 million guaranteed for 2020—shows he’s likely to start this year. He has started at both guard spots and at center for Pittsburgh.
Seahawks center Justin Britt is coming off reconstructive knee surgery. He has a hefty salary-cap charge of more than $11 million for this year.
Ogbuehi was Cincinnati’s first-round pick in 2015. He hasn’t started a game since 2017.
Mike Iupati, Seattle’s starting left guard last season, remains an unsigned free agent.
Fluker is entering the final year of his contract (at a $2 million salary for 2020). He has missed games because of injury in each of his previous three seasons, the last two with Seattle.
This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 3:03 PM.
