Should we consider doing everything possible to keep B-Max ?

Maxwell has made it pretty obviously he wants to get paid. Nobody here can blame him for that.

I think we saw in these playoffs just how much better our D is when he's outside, instead of Simon or whoever else. It's pretty easy to see that you can have 10 amazing players on D, but if one CB is a liability (especially when the other is Sherm and our D doesn't flip corners), it isn't that hard to move the ball against you. Carolina did it all game, and NE had 4 TD drives themselves. I don't wanna give up on Simon, but having him out there as a starter for 16 games is scary, and that's not even considering his lack of ability to stay healthy. Burley doesn't cut it out there, and while Lane isn't bad, we're better off having him as a slot CB and for depth.

A month ago I'd say that Maxwell is gone 100% as Simon was not too bad in the regular season, but after these playoffs I'm not totally convinced that PCJS won't try to make some moves in order to free up the cash to retain him. That may mean making a tough decision on cutting a vet that many will disagree with.

I think we've shown that if we have our D intact and have Russ + Beast, we can put in pretty much whatever pieces we want on offence and still be one of the best teams in the NFL

Thoughts ?

I'd love to see him stay but he's going to get paid. I'd rather see him walk then say lose Wagner instead.

Worst case scenario they can shift Lane outside and add another CB or use Burley to play nickel.

Our front office and coaching staff are really good at finding and developing DB's I really like Maxwell but don't feel we need to break the bank on him. Going to need to find someone though not sure Lane, Simon or Burley can play opposite of Sherm.

Keeping Maxwell would probably mean not retaining one of Wagner, Lynch, or Okung.

I think that's what it comes down - Wagner or Maxwell?

We're going to lose guys and that's going to be tough. Max is all but gone, IMO.

Maxwell is really underrated on here. He is a great CB that fits this system. I really hope they can find a way to keep him, but with the amount of money needed to keep the Defense together and resign Wilson I don't see how they can do it.

I'll probably get railroaded by many for this, but I could see Maxwell being more important than Okung. In the last 5 years, Okung has played 10, 12, 15, 8, and 14 games. That's quite a few missed, and many of the ones he played, he played hurt. I honestly would feel more comfortable with making the sacrifice and having a high draft pick rookie LT out there next year instead of a rookie CB, or the Simon/Lane/Burley combo for the other CB and Nickel CB spots. If we don't sign Maxwell, I don't see any real good FA CB coming in to take his place. Like I say, if we flipped corners that'd be one thing, but as we don't, it is CRUCIAL that our other CB opposite Sherm is a top-notch player if we're to remain elite

Bmax is gonna get paid and I would guess that ATL or Jax are going to be his first two FA stops. He is gonna get 7m a season I think and it won't be from Seattle unless either Unger, Okung or Mebane are shown the door or they renominates.

Still it will be a lot of $$$ to pay a secondary when we had one drafted WR on the roster SB Sunday and he was inactive.

Wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Maxwell end up in Atlanta with Quinn

After watching Simon..........................yes we need Maxwell, we will be able to afford him, no.

Well, yeah, but what exactly does "everything possible" mean? I believe JS already said he's a 'priority' but Max has a lot of say in this, since he's a FA.

Sadly, I kind of expect him to move on. If he stays, I'll be happy, but not at the expense of some other players.

Just mean everything possible while extending Wilson and Wager, and keeping Lynch happy. Those obviously are the main priorities, but we have lots of decisions besides that on the next level of guys like Maxwell

I said it in another thread but i'd much rather have Maxwell then Mebane.

We're not going to be able to afford Maxwell. He's earned every dime he's going to get.

The way it looks, we're going to have to draft a DB. Simon has shown flashes, but he seems to be regressing. Not only can he not stay healthy, but typically he looks unprepared when he goes out there. Can he get better ? Yeah. He has the physical tools, but he's got to get his head in the game.

getnasty":3v4b32j1 said:

I said it in another thread but i'd much rather have Maxwell then Mebane.

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I could see that. I think Mebane is a better player but Maxwell may be more necessary to our D remaining elite. We put up all those spectacular numbers with Mebane out, and have NO doubt that if Maxwell was out during that time, our numbers wouldn't have been as good as they were. We can do all the damage we want on 1st & 2nd down, but if we can't stop them on 3rd & long (like we saw MANY times in the playoffs), then we just can't be truly elite

I don't think we can afford him.

That being said, I think if Maxwell signs elsewhere, Seattle needs to draft a Day-1 starting CB or find a cheaper one in free agency (Walter Thurmond?). Behind Sherman and Lane, that position group is awfully thin without Maxwell. Probably need to add at least two CBs to the roster, one of which has to have starting potential right away.

No.

He is good, but not as good as he is going to get paid by another team. There is no way we should tie up that much cash in the secondary.

Nah. A good player obviously, but his skill level isn't at the irreplaceable level.

Pay wilson, pay Wagner, raise lynch, and our team is pretty well set for another run next year and years to come.

If it came to that, I'd much rather keep Maxwell over Okung. Draft a young OT and pay Maxwell what he deserves. Our defense will not be the same without him. He's a top-tier corner, and that's much of what makes our defense the Legion of Boom with the reputation that it has acquired over the past three years.

I'd rather pay Max than Okung.