Market for Gerald McCoy was always going to run away from Seahawks
May 24, 2019, 11:53 AM | Updated: 12:15 pm
DT Gerald McCoy spent nine seasons with Tampa Bay (Getty)
(Getty)
Six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy hit free agency on May 20 after being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It didn’t take long for the defensive tackle to be linked to several teams, including the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New England Patriots.
With Wednesday’s news that the Browns were McCoy’s first team visit, 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock Huard and Mike Salk wondered whether it was good news, bad news, or no news that the Seahawks weren’t part of the conversation.
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“This is no news,” Huard said. “This is a market that was going to run away from the Seahawks. You knew it from day one. So honestly, with Ziggy Ansah, I was emotionally invested and tied to the signing. (McCoy) was icing on the cake; it’s too rich of an icing and it’s not going to happen.”
Seattle signed free agent defensive end Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah to a deal on May 7, filling a hole in the pass rush that was vacated after the April trade of Frank Clark.
Still, the Seahawks were in need of pass rush help even with Clark — something Huard’s co-hist, Mike Salk, pointed out in his own assessment of McCoy’s market.
“This is bad news,” Salk said. “I want icing. What’s wrong with icing? You like your cake plain and unfrosted? Give me icing on the cake — give me the guy that’s going to put you over the top. Yes, you’re right, they did need Ziggy Ansah, they needed somebody to fill the Frank Clark void. But remember when Frank Clark was still on this team and we said they still need help at pass rush? That hasn’t changed. And he would make them better up the middle. Pair him with Jarran Reed and you’ve got a lot of big, nasty disruption up the middle. Bad news. I’d like to see him in Seattle.”
The most positive takeaway came from 97.3 KIRO Radio’s Gee Scott, who said McCoy’s apparent lack of interest in the Seahawks is good news for a Seattle team that just extended it’s franchise quarterback with a record-breaking deal, and could do the same for middle linebacker Bobby Wagner.
“This is good news,” Scott said. “Tomorrow, why don’t you go just buy a Ferrari. Is there a reason why you don’t want to go buy a Ferrari? Wouldn’t that be a nice car to buy? But you don’t buy it because of what? Because it’s too much money. And this is a situation where McCoy would be a Ferrari coming to the Seahawks, and the Seahawks don’t need a Ferrari right now. They’ve already got nice cars. And they’ve got another car that they have to invest in here pretty soon.”
Wagner, 28, is entering the final year of his four-year contract with the Seahawks and will be representing himself in what could be a historic deal for an inside linebacker. Here’s a bit more on that situation.
Listen to the Brock and Salk Show weekday mornings from 7-10 a.m. on 710 ESPN Seattle. Subscribe to the podcast here.
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