Seattle, WA- The Seattle Seahawks might put their defensive star Sheldon Richardson on the franchise tag list at the start of March, but nothing is set in stone just yet. There has been speculation that the Seahawks’ organization does not want to let Richardson go, but will tag him to weigh out their options for another year. The Seahawks landed a great fit with Richardson when they acquired him from the New York Jets, but limited time on the field might have cost him a big payoff.
Richardson had only one sack and one forced fumble this past year, but he is one of the pieces that helped the Seahawks get into the chase for the playoffs and almost pulled off the miracle. When he is healthy, he is a hard person to stop. He is very instinctive. His speed and precision on where the play will start are off the charts. He is very quick, has a lot of power, and has a quick swim move that freezes up any defender that guards him. When he tackles, its a perfect square to square tackle. The Seahawks paid the price going after Richardson with losing Jermaine Kearse and a second-round pick, but it could work out for both parties if the Seahawks keep him for another year.
With a battered team and dozens of key injuries, the Seahawks went 9-7 and was one game away from punching their ticket to the playoffs, but the Seahawks’ were not disciplined enough, missing tackles and had many breakdowns in the secondary that cost them. Opponents torched the Seahawks’ defense late in the season and that was something that head coach Pete Carroll wanted to improve.
A lot of people are saying that Richardson has been productive and should get the money that he wants. “(Richardson’s) the most logical candidate for the tag by virtue of being the team’s most important free agent who’s in position to command a top-shelf salary, but that doesn’t mean it’s likely. The franchise tag for defensive tackles could cost around $14.5 million. From a production standpoint alone, that number might be tough for the Seahawks to justify, even though Richardson was more productive in 2017 than his lone sack suggests. The Seahawks are projected to have only around $14 million in cap space as it stands now — although they can create more ahead of free agency — which could make the franchise tag prohibitive. The transition tag, projected at $11.7 million, would be more affordable. But it wouldn’t put Seattle in position to receive any compensation if another team signed Richardson for more money,” said ESPN’s Brady Henderson.
In the next couple of weeks it will be interesting to see what move the Seahawks may make, will they franchise tag Richardson or will another team pick him up.
