Russell Wilson happy-tweeting again at another Seahawks signing, the Carlos Dunlap coup
Russell Wilson is happy-tweeting again.
In news that will make many Seahawks fans as relieved and joyed as the latest signing itself, the team’s franchise quarterback who said in January he was “frustrated” continued a week of celebrating his team’s moves on Thursday.
This time, it was for Seattle general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll pulling off a salary-cap coup. They re-signed two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Carlos Dunlap less than three weeks after they’d released him to save cap space.
Dunlap, who revitalized the team’s pass rush and defense after he arrived in a trade from Cincinnati last fall, is signing for two years and $16.6 million with $8.5 million guaranteed per his agent Drew Rosenhaus and ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This deal plus Seattle’s signing Wednesday of ex-49ers 8 1/2-sack man Kerry Hyder are coming at a combined cap charge less than Dunlap’s scheduled $14 million for 2021 before the Seahawks cut him this month.
Wilson posted on his Twitter account Thursday night after the Dunlap deal was done: “LETS GOOO!!! @Carlos_Dunlap Back!” He added three biceps-flex emojis.
Wilson has also gone online since Friday to trumpet the Seahawks:
- re-signing lead running back Chris Carson for at least the next two years
- signing Hyder
- bringing back Benson Mayowa to join Hyder and Dunlap on a remade (again) pass rush
The Seahawks also have done what he basically demanded in January, when he responded to a question during an online Zoom call with Seattle reporters saying “I’m frustrated with getting hit too much.” Seattle has upgraded the offensive line and his pass protection by trading for Las Vegas Raiders guard Gabe Jackson. Jackson has been one of the NFL’s most consistent pass blockers the last half-dozen seasons.
Heck, after two months of silence following his stated frustration, Wilson has even resumed his signature “Go Hawks” at the end of his online videos.
The latest signing that has Wilson happy is an example of how the Seahawks do business this time of year. They wait through the first, richest days of free agency until the league’s market falls back to what they want to pay—better yet, for players they’ve already had and like—but at their cost instead of the players’.
Three weeks ago, they released Dunlap. That was to save his scheduled $14 million charge against their salary cap for 2021 on the eve of NFL free agency beginning.
Cutting Dunlap cratered, for a couple weeks, the pass rush Dunlap revitalized upon his arrival from Cincinnati in a trade last fall. But a league source confirmed to The News Tribune that allowing Dunlap the opportunity to shop in free agency this month was part of the agreement they made with him when they traded for him in October.
Coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider banked on Dunlap being disappointed shopping, in a year when the NFL salary cap has dropped from $198.2 million to $182.5 million per team because of the coronavirus pandemic. They believed the free-agent market for veteran pass rushers would come back to them, as it did last week when they re-signed Carson for less than he’d hoped to get on the open market.
The pass-rush market did exactly what they hoped.
Wednesday, the Seahawks signed former 49ers 8 1/2-sack man Kerry Hyder to a two-year, $6.5 million deal.
Thursday, they brought back Dunlap—at a fraction of his original cap charge.
Seattle gets Dunlap and Hyder, who had 14 1/2 sacks between them last season, for lower 2021 cap charges combined than Dunlap’s original cap hit when the Seahawks released him.
That’s (very) good business. Patience in free agency has its advantages, in Carroll’s and Schneider’s minds. And in the bottom line of NFL offseasons.
In these twin pass-rush signings, the 29-year-old Hyder figures to excel as the five-technique, strongside defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, which Carroll features in Seattle. Hyder can also play inside on passing downs in a hybrid end-tackle role the Seahawks used with Michael Bennett years ago.
Dunlap shines as a “Leo,” weakside defensive end in the 4-3.
So the Seahawks have gained proven, bookend edge rushers—for less than what it would have cost them to have only Dunlap for this year if they hadn’t released him then re-signed him.
Dunlap revitalized Seattle’s inert pass rush upon debuting with the team in early November. He had five sacks in eight games, including two game-winning ones in the final seconds of victories.
“This is what I came here to do,” Dunlap said after his second game-winner, at Washington in December.
To help pay for all this, the team is parting with starting defensive tackle Jarran Reed. Reed posted his goodbye to Seattle online Thursday.
He is scheduled to have a salary-cap charge of $13,975,000, fourth-highest on the Seahawks for 2021. Releasing him would save $8,975,000 against the cap.
It’s conceivable the Seahawks will try to bring Reed back as they did Dunlap, after Reed has a chance to shop in a free-agent market that is left mostly to shorter-term, lower-cost deals as March turns to April. There are more of those lower-end deals this year, because teams have less to spend with the decreased cap for 2021.
One can assume possibly bringing back Reed won’t make Wilson as “frustrated,” either.
