Do Shelby Harris’ comments reflect how free agents view Seahawks?

Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Shelby Harris made some interesting comments last week.

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During an appearance on the “Dumb Jock” podcast, Harris detailed his reaction to being dealt from the Denver Broncos to the Seahawks as part of the Russell Wilson trade in March 2022. Harris, who had spent the previous five seasons with Denver, didn’t want to uproot his family. He also wasn’t excited to go to a Seahawks team that wasn’t expected to be good that season.

“I cried like a baby, because I was like, ‘Man, this is gonna like mess up everything with my family. Like, we have it so good here,'” Harris said on the podcast. “But then also I’m thinking, like, ‘Shoot, I’m getting traded to the purgatory. Like, we’re about to be trash in Seattle.'”

The Seahawks ended up exceeding expectations in 2022, finishing 9-8 and earning a surprising playoff berth, with Harris registering two sacks, five tackles for loss and four pass breakups. The Broncos, meanwhile, struggled to a 5-12 record.

The 32-year-old Harris said he still didn’t particularly enjoy his time in Seattle. He pointed to the rainy weather, which is a sharp contrast to sunny Denver. He was released by the Seahawks after the 2022 season and signed with the Cleveland Browns in free agency.

“Seattle is a very depressing city,” Harris said. “It’s just like from where my head was when I first got there. The team was fine. All the guys, the coaches, everybody was fine. It was just raining. And I think any city I would’ve went to, other than like obviously like an LA or Miami, would’ve been miserable because of just where my head was at that time.”

Wyman and Bob’s reaction

During Tuesday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman gave his reaction to Harris’ comments. Wyman played for both the Seahawks and Broncos during his nine-year NFL career. After six seasons with Seattle from 1987 through 1992, he departed in free agency and played his final three seasons in Denver from 1993 through 1995.

“He had some pretty strong roots set there in Denver, so yeah, I get that,” Wyman said. “… But still, I’m surprised because don’t most (players) love coming here?”

Co-host Bob Stelton pondered whether Harris’ comments might suggest that Seattle is a less desirable free-agent destination that it seems.

“We all just assume this is the best place to be,” Stelton said. “You’ve got this practice facility on the water. You couldn’t ask for a more picturesque place. It seems that they’ve got all the amenities you could want and an ownership that’s not cheap. They’re spending every dollar they’ve got. They’re always up against the salary cap. And they’ve been in the playoffs 10 out of the past 14 years, gone to the Super Bowl and won. So yeah, to us it looks like a paradise. To somebody else, clearly it was not.”

Wyman explained how difficult it is for players when they get traded.

“The thing is, it’s not going to end well for most guys,” Wyman said. “It’s just a (lousy) situation for guys when they’re not in control (of their future) or you tell them, ‘Hey, you’re just not really worth it anymore.’ It’s brutal. … It’s just a tough business.”

Listen to the full conversation from Tuesday’s Wyman and Bob in the podcast at this link or in the player near the middle of this post.

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