Would you keep Kearse? (Poll)

[Rat]

He's a JAG. I wouldn't tender him. If he wants to come back badly enough to be paid as a #4, I'm fine with that.

 

[bbsplitter]

If people are seriously considering cutting Miller to save 3mil and swallow 1mil in guarantees while doing it, one of the best blocking TE in the NFL that this team chose to pay 11mil for a season... There is no way in hell I would put a tender of 2.5mil on kearse, essentially a depth player. The same type of plays he makes are the type of plays I would expect Norwood to be able to make if given the opportunity.

 

[CamanoIslandJQ]

IMO-Lockette, Walters & Kearse should all have competition with a FA WR (to be determined) and at least 2 WR picks in the draft as well as a UDFA WR or two. Let the best guys win.The WR position is very much a position of need.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

If people are seriously considering cutting Miller to save 3mil and swallow 1mil in guarantees while doing it, one of the best blocking TE in the NFL that this team chose to pay 11mil for a season... There is no way in hell I would put a tender of 2.5mil on kearse, essentially a depth player. The same type of plays he makes are the type of plays I would expect Norwood to be able to make if given the opportunity.

Yeah it'll be interesting to see what happens with Miller.

Normally in an injury plagued season for a veteran the team asks him to rework his contract to a lower amount with incentives, but Miller already did that last year. So would he do it again?

My guess is he'd like to stay, but would he like to stay enough to take ANOTHER pay cut? Or come back like Rice did last year on a "prove it during camp" agreement? Hard to say.

I do know we missed Miller terribly after he went down. If I had to guess we go hard after a TE in FA, and if one is signed Miller is cut saving us 3M.........but as with last year if we can't get something done in FA then Miller is kept at the 4M.

 

[bbsplitter]

If people are seriously considering cutting Miller to save 3mil and swallow 1mil in guarantees while doing it, one of the best blocking TE in the NFL that this team chose to pay 11mil for a season... There is no way in hell I would put a tender of 2.5mil on kearse, essentially a depth player. The same type of plays he makes are the type of plays I would expect Norwood to be able to make if given the opportunity.

Yeah it'll be interesting to see what happens with Miller.

Normally in an injury plagued season for a veteran the team asks him to rework his contract to a lower amount with incentives, but Miller already did that last year. So would he do it again?

My guess is he'd like to stay, but would he like to stay enough to take ANOTHER pay cut? Or come back like Rice did last year on a "prove it during camp" agreement? Hard to say.

I do know we missed Miller terribly after he went down. If I had to guess we go hard after a TE in FA, and if one is signed Miller is cut saving us 3M.........but as with last year if we can't get something done in FA then Miller is kept at the 4M.

Should he take a pay cut because of how much he is been injured and how old he is? Probably. I just don't see the leverage the FO has to ask him to take another pay cut.

"Our O-Line is to the point where they are so elite and trustworthy that we are ready to move on from you and your acting like another lineman, if you don't take a pay cut." - Uhhhhh.... noooooo.

"There are other TE's on the market that represent a better value for what we ask you to do." - I don't believe so. What they ask the TE's to do is block block block, so first of all I don't see that being very appealing for a TE like Julies Thomas per say. And sure you can pay passing TE's to come to seattle but that doesn't make much sense since they would be asked to block block block and block some more.

"We have found your replacement in the draft." You really want to spend first round draft capital on Maxx Williams? He doesn't block as well as miller, and while he might be younger and faster than Miller, but there are just so many other positions I think spending the first round pick on would have a bigger/better impact on.

I see what you are saying about if we sign a big free agent we might simply have to cut him no matter what, and I agree. However if that is the case I see them more of going after depth through the draft, maybe even sticking a converted athletic lineman out there and seeing what he can do, but obviously that would be more long term development passing-game wise. But it would fill the flexible blocking piece they like to have, and at a tiny price.

 

[SomersetHawk]

I think they'd sooner cut Mebane and McDaniel than Miller. I know that's probably an unpopular opinion too.

Oh and Miller's hit is less than $3.4m next year. We'd save $2.39m on one of the best blocking Tight Ends in the league, as well as a very reliable pass catcher with arguably the best hands on the team. Prior to last season he'd only missed five games in his seven year career.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I see what you are saying about if we sign a big free agent we might simply have to cut him no matter what, and I agree. However if that is the case I see them more of going after depth through the draft, maybe even sticking a converted athletic lineman out there and seeing what he can do, but obviously that would be more long term development passing-game wise. But it would fill the flexible blocking piece they like to have, and at a tiny price.

IMO drafting a TE and not signing a veteran for depth is very risky.

We know because that's basically what we've been playing with without Miller, unproven and inconsistent draft picks.

Not saying we shouldn't keep drafting TE's, but with Miller's health and contract up in the air it should be priority #1 to go after a proven dependable veteran in free agency.

 

[Hasselbeck]

I'd give him the lowest tender.. and if someone wants to sign him - go for it.

 

[bbsplitter]

I see what you are saying about if we sign a big free agent we might simply have to cut him no matter what, and I agree. However if that is the case I see them more of going after depth through the draft, maybe even sticking a converted athletic lineman out there and seeing what he can do, but obviously that would be more long term development passing-game wise. But it would fill the flexible blocking piece they like to have, and at a tiny price.

IMO drafting a TE and not signing a veteran for depth is very risky.

We know because that's basically what we've been playing with without Miller, unproven and inconsistent draft picks.

Not saying we shouldn't keep drafting TE's, but with Miller's health and contract up in the air it should be priority #1 to go after a proven dependable veteran in free agency.

Technically Moeaki is a veteran, if they decide to keep around he would be back at camp for fairly cheap I would think. The problem is if your talking prominent FA TE's, most of the ones on the market now are the pass-catching type, and I don't know how many would be attracted to Seattle's system without over-paying by some amount. And if your talking a dollar for dollar deal where we cut Miller to save 3 mil and then sign another TE for 3mil, I think that would only get you an average TE and an overall downgrade from Miller, even with injury history.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I see what you are saying about if we sign a big free agent we might simply have to cut him no matter what, and I agree. However if that is the case I see them more of going after depth through the draft, maybe even sticking a converted athletic lineman out there and seeing what he can do, but obviously that would be more long term development passing-game wise. But it would fill the flexible blocking piece they like to have, and at a tiny price.

IMO drafting a TE and not signing a veteran for depth is very risky.

We know because that's basically what we've been playing with without Miller, unproven and inconsistent draft picks.

Not saying we shouldn't keep drafting TE's, but with Miller's health and contract up in the air it should be priority #1 to go after a proven dependable veteran in free agency.

Technically Moeaki is a veteran, if they decide to keep around he would be back at camp for fairly cheap I would think. The problem is if your talking prominent FA TE's, most of the ones on the market now are the pass-catching type, and I don't know how many would be attracted to Seattle's system without over-paying by some amount. And if your talking a dollar for dollar deal where we cut Miller to save 3 mil and then sign another TE for 3mil, I think that would only get you an average TE and an overall downgrade from Miller, even with injury history.

I'd like us to go after Jermaine Gresham, I think we could get him for a good price and while his run blocking is hit and miss, he certainly has the size and skillset for us to coach him into a good run and pass catching TE.

Just not crazy about our current TE situation, I think an FA upgrade is in order.

 

[kearly]

No brainer.

What's up with all the comments saying he's a #4 WR? Did I watch a different team last season? Kearse finished 2nd on the team in receiving yards and 1st in postseason receiving yards. Kearse is the 2nd best WR on our team, and by far the best deep threat our team has right now... on a team that throws deep as much as anyone in the NFL. He's almost as valuable to our offense as Doug Baldwin- for half the salary. If Kearse isn't worth $2.5 million for 1 year, then what do we make of Doug Baldwin's 2/11 extension?

Finding the money isn't easy, but it's hard to envision the money being worth more than Kearse's contribution level, especially given that Richardson will be recovering from a nasty late season ACL injury.

As for the tender, going for the original round (counts as 7th round) tender only saves $700k. I'd rather give up 700k in cap space and miss out on the extra 7th round pick than risk having Ricardo Lockette being our #2 or #3 WR next year. And though Matthews had a charmed SB, there's a reason we didn't see him until an injury put him in that last game. And I don't think he's going to be 6 inches taller than every corner he faces next season. Norwood is a bit like Kearse-lite, but nowhere near as polished on deep targets. I don't expect Richardson to factor next season given the injury recovery timeline.

Mostly, my aversion to pinching pennies on Kearse is that our receiving core frankly stinks at attacking the deep ball right now, with the exception of Kearse, who's well above average at it. If we lose Kearse, it means our deep passing attack will be much worse, and considering how much Seattle relies on explosive plays, that's a big deal. That's not something you pinch pennies over.

Now, in 2016, I'd be more amenable to having Kearse walk. I just don't think the team is prepared to lose him this offseason, unless they make a major move for a proven WR. And even if they did trade for a Vincent Jackson type to be our #1, well, paying Kearse $2.5 million to be a very good #3 is still a rock solid move.

 

[kearly]

I couldn't care if his official drops were 2, I can think of at least five.

Drops exclude plays where the WR took heroic measures and couldn't finish the deal. It's similar to errors in baseball.

I'm not saying Kearse has great hands, just saying that a lot of stuff fans call "drops" are really plays that are so difficult that even the best hands players will usually not catch them.

Because 'drops' are subjective science the way that 'errors' are in baseball, I think catch rate is probably a better metric. Kearse's catch rate has basically been around league average for his career.

He does make big catches in big games though.

 

[Ozzy]

Kearly I'm usually in agreement with you but I'm just not on Kearse. A lot of his drops are completely catchable by NFL standards. Not only does he struggle with drops but he does it at critical times. He has made a couple of big catches for sure and his TD in the Denver SB was one of the best I've seen. He is lazy in blocks, drops at the worst possible times and just looks uninterested at times when he can't afford to be like in the SB on the pick. He just can't be a starter next year if this team wants to get back. I don't think they can afford to do that again. I would be shocked if he is starting after the mid point next year. Shocked. I'm a Husky fan and its something he struggled with their as well. I don't see it improving.

 

[ZagHawk]

To be honest, no. Yes He'll make some circus catches and the ones that win games. But the drops are huge too. You could almost say take away the drops, and he doesn't need to make those circus catches.

I really want someone who's going to be consistent. I'd say draft someone to give him competition and extend him for cheap, if not, time to move on.

 

[SomersetHawk]

No brainer.

What's up with all the comments saying he's a #4 WR? Did I watch a different team last season? Kearse finished 2nd on the team in receiving yards and 1st in postseason receiving yards. Kearse is the 2nd best WR on our team, and by far the best deep threat our team has right now... on a team that throws deep as much as anyone in the NFL. He's almost as valuable to our offense as Doug Baldwin- for half the salary. If Kearse isn't worth $2.5 million for 1 year, then what do we make of Doug Baldwin's 2/11 extension?

Mostly, my aversion to pinching pennies on Kearse is that our receiving core frankly stinks at attacking the deep ball right now, with the exception of Kearse, who's well above average at it. If we lose Kearse, it means our deep passing attack will be much worse, and considering how much Seattle relies on explosive plays, that's a big deal. That's not something you pinch pennies over.

I wouldn't say Kearse was 'by far' the best deep threat on this team, I'd say that he was given such little respect and was able to make enough of his matchups. Even P-Rich was commanding more respect than him before going down. In the Carolina game for example a couple of Kearse's catches came after Richardson had drawn additional safety help by beating his man.

I don't think it's mad to think Norwood could have put up similar production this year taking Kearse's snaps. Probably not quite to the extent, but I do think Kearse gets a little too much credit as a deep ball threat.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

No brainer.

What's up with all the comments saying he's a #4 WR? Did I watch a different team last season? Kearse finished 2nd on the team in receiving yards and 1st in postseason receiving yards. Kearse is the 2nd best WR on our team, and by far the best deep threat our team has right now... on a team that throws deep as much as anyone in the NFL. He's almost as valuable to our offense as Doug Baldwin- for half the salary. If Kearse isn't worth $2.5 million for 1 year, then what do we make of Doug Baldwin's 2/11 extension?.

Sure Kearse is the #2 WR on our team, but he wouldn't even crack the active roster for 25 of 31 other teams.........which has been the issue with our WR corp for quite a few years now, we have #3 and #4 WR's being depended on to be #1 and #2 WR's, and that means lots of inconsistent days for this WR group.........the most recent being the SB where they were manhandled and invisible for most of the day.

 

[fire_marshall_bill]

I don't follow the salaries real closely but he's replaceable if his salary goes any higher than 2.5 million. There are some Husky fans who can't look at him objectively and see him as some kind of second option...not really...

 

[seahawks08]

Why can't he be a great kick returner. He showed flashes of it in preseason and if we have a someone else as a WR, I would love to see him return kicks. At least while catching he will have space from defenders or call for fair catch. The ball also travels longer, so can time his catches well and not fall down. Plus if any of the receivers get injured he can stretch the field. I still would love to have him here.

 

[Hasselbeck]

No brainer.

What's up with all the comments saying he's a #4 WR? Did I watch a different team last season? Kearse finished 2nd on the team in receiving yards and 1st in postseason receiving yards. Kearse is the 2nd best WR on our team, and by far the best deep threat our team has right now... on a team that throws deep as much as anyone in the NFL. He's almost as valuable to our offense as Doug Baldwin- for half the salary. If Kearse isn't worth $2.5 million for 1 year, then what do we make of Doug Baldwin's 2/11 extension?

I think this basically speaks volumes to the state of our WR corps more than anything else. Kearse is the 2nd best WR on our team, but that doesn't mean that's a good thing. Our WR corps are at the bottom of the league. And while I love Baldwin, he's overpaid... especially considering the FO wasn't willing to pay Tate at the value they should have.

Baldwin would be a money slot guy.. with Edelman like potential in a pass oriented offense.. but he should never be a #1 .. and is a stretch as a #2 guy. We desperately need a true #1 WR in this offense, and I know that sounds funny considering the type of offense we run.. but when we run into teams that can play press man all game.. our pass offense is nowhere to be found.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

This thread is mildly crazy although the poll is correct. We will 100% tender him. There is NO doubt of this.

He will have to be at least a second round tender because he was undrafted so $2 million but I would expect us to sign him to a 2-3 year deal with more money upfront.

Also, this drop thing is simply not correct. His drop rate is 2.9% with only 2 drops credited to him this season.

He would be a WR3 and well worth it at 2 million as he can step into a starting role for brief periods of time and has shown great comfort within the system.

That's because what would have been drops became interceptions [FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY][FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY][emoji19]