Clayton: What to know going into Seahawks training camp — Jamal Adams, Aldon Smith and more
Jul 26, 2021, 3:09 PM
(Getty)
Training camps open Tuesday, and there is plenty of news to know about the Seahawks and from around the rest of the league that could have an impact on Seattle.
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Let’s take a look at the odds and ends of what to expect and what might happen.
• The big news is that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is expected to work out a deal that keeps him in Green Bay this year but will put him in position to go to another team next season. That’s good and bad news for the Seahawks. The bad news is that the Packers will remain a division-winning team in the NFC this season, which will challenge the Seahawks’ chances of making the Super Bowl. The good news is that this will be the last hurrah for the Packers. Rodgers should be gone next year, and he may be joined by wide receiver Davante Adams, who is a free agent after the season.
• Reports are that the Seahawks aren’t close to a deal with safety Jamal Adams but something might get done by the weekend. The Seahawks should be willing to go to $16 million a year to make him the highest-paid safety in league history. He should show up for training camp.
• No one knows what’s holding up Seahawks defensive end Aldon Smith’s case in Louisiana, but apparently things were pushed back from the July 14 arraignment date. It will be interesting to see if Smith shows up for camp. He is expected to be there. The league won’t do anything with him until the case is decided.
• Tough break for the Seahawks to not get wide receiver DeDe Westbrook. Even though he agreed to come to Seattle for a visit, he stopped in Minnesota and signed with the Vikings. He wanted to be with his former receiver coach Keenan McCardell. That’s understandable. He would have been an interesting option to compete for the third receiver spot with Seattle.
• One of the keys to the beginning of Seahawks camp is to see how Rashaad Penny does coming off his knee problem. He’s an important piece as a backup running back.
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• In a look at a Seahawks NFC West rival, the Arizona Cardinals will be in trouble if linebacker Chandler Jones holds out. He wants a bigger contract and has apparently asked to be traded.
• I would suspect the New Orleans Saints are in trouble, which could help the Seahawks in the overall NFC picture. Wide receiver Michael Thomas had ankle surgery in June and is expected to be out for four months. The Saints are thin at wide receiver and will open the season with as many as 11 new starters.
• It was a surprise to see Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson report to Houston Texans training camp. Apparently he got word that the Texans changed their minds and have been listening to trade offers. Denver might be interested but the most interested team is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Texans want the equivalent of three No. 1 picks and two good starters. The Eagles have an extra No. 1 pick next year and could have another one depending on how well Carson Wentz plays. Part of the trade that sent Wentz to the Colts was a conditional 2022 second-rounder that turns into a first-round pick if Wentz plays at least 75% of the snaps for Indianapolis, or if he plays at least 70% of the snaps and the Colts make the postseason.
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