Could Bruce Irvin return to Seahawks?
Feb 27, 2018, 11:59 AM | Updated: 3:04 pm
Ex-Seahawk Bruce Irvin could be a salary cap casualty with the Oakland Raiders. (AP)
(AP)
Could former Seahawk Bruce Irvin find himself back in Seattle?
The Seahawks have little cap room to work with this offseason. However, 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock Huard answered the question following a report that the Raiders could ask the linebacker to take a pay cut.
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“At the right price I think he is back (with the Seahawks) for a couple reasons,” Brock Huard said during his Blue 42 segment of Brock and Salk on 710 ESPN Seattle. “Number one, he loves the new defensive coordinator over here. And if Ken Norton needs some guys to bring a little bit of bark back, a little bit of swag and intimidation and all this stuff that at time felt like it was waning just a little bit defensively, I wouldn’t mind it.
“I’m not going to pay top dollar. Bruce Irvin, kind of like he was last time around, was a wanted commodity and somebody was willing to pay through the nose. I’m not gonna get into a bidding war with him. If the Seahawks deem him a $6 million dollar guy and they’ve got a two-year deal waiting for him and he really wants to come home and loves it (then why not). As (KIRO Radio’s) Gee (Scott) was saying to us, and I think there’s some merit to it, Bruce Irvin will always love John Schneider and Pete Carroll. They were willing to give him a chance that so many others wouldn’t. So not that he’s indebted to them, but he’s certainly engendered a lot of love and trust.”
What Bruce Irvin brings Seattle
The Seahawks drafted Irvin, 30, in the first round (15th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Irvin played four seasons in Seattle, where he recorded three interceptions (two for touchdowns) 22 sacks and 96 tackles. Irvin signed a 4 year, $37,000,000 contract with the Oakland Raiders in 2016. He hasn’t missed a start in Oakland since then, and has recorded 15 sacks and 85 tackles.
Depending on who the team re-signs, the Seahawks may not have the ability to make Irvin an offer. And the Raiders may decide to stick with Irvin, who won’t become a free agent until 2020.
There would be a benefit to signing Irvin if the Raiders cut him. And not simply for his familiarity with Pete Carroll and new defensive coordinator Ken Norton.
“If you’re going to lose Cliff Avril, and (potentially) Michael Bennett, you need pass rush,” Huard said. “Then yes, I think that skill set could still fit.”
