where is the Russell Okung Extension?

Have I missed something on him or are they thinking of not extending Okung. I have heard of E. Thomas, R.Sherman,and R. Wilson extensions being done in the near future but what about Okung. Okung and Thomas were selected in the 2010 draft together but I have heard nothing or even a mention of an Okung extension. I like Okung and think he's one of the best when healthy so I don't think you just let him walk.

Okung won't be a bank breaker due to his injury history and sub-elite level of play. He's good, but he's no Joe Thomas.

You don't extend a guy with 2 years left on his contract like he has. If we extend him, it'll be next offseason with Russell. His cap numbers are very palatable at this point for a franchise LT. He does have injury concerns but when healthy, he's very good.

Okung still has two years left on his deal. I'm not at all surprised that they haven't talked to him about extending the contract yet. Sherman and Earl are both FA after next year, and obviously the franchise QB would be a bigger priority than Okung as well.

Interestingly his cap number is $11.24 this year, but drops to only $7.28 next season (although it looks like there could be escalators to that that may increase the number some).

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/seattle-seah ... ell-okung/

Two years left on his deal; cap number is very reasonable in 2015, and we can absorb the 2014 hit as of now. No reason to rush.

He is 4th in line.

I am unsure of his future past this contract. He has repeated injuries and no word if he had surgery on his toe. I do remember the great Jonathan Ogden was never as good after he started having turf toe issues.

Happypuppy":1cno7m6o said:

I am unsure of his future past this contract. He has repeated injuries and no word if he had surgery on his toe. I do remember the great Jonathan Ogden was never as good after he started having turf toe issues.

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I've had turf toe and it's a bitch. You never know how much you need your toes until you injure one. It can be very painful.

Okung's not a big worry, because his cap number is already big. So extending him isn't going to cost much as far as MORE cap space.

Don't kid yourself though, he might not get Joe Thomas money, but it'll be close. LT's are right below QB's for value, so he's gonna get paid.

I know this isn't popular thinking, but if Cable stays on a couple more years I wouldn't be surprised if he was willing to let Okung walk.

While Okung is a good LT, Cable has said multiple times that he likes to train up his own guys (Okung was drafted before he got here). Last year the Hawks showed they could win without Okung (even though it was ugly) so Cable may be inclined to prepare for Okung's departure and insert a cheaper guy that he hand picks for LT.

The Hawks seem to have the approach of bargain hunting for the O-line, so it would break that trend to hand out a big contract to Okung.

Personally, I hope they re-sign him because good LTs are hard to come by and I don't think we should play with that fire. But I was thinking the other day about how Cable may not see it that way (because it would go against everything he has done so far as our O-line coach). Hope that's not what happens.

Then hopefully they give that money to someone who is actually worth 10 million per.

However, the guy did sign a 6 yr, 58 million contract and has made a lot of money, there is a chance he signs for a reduced rate for not playing up his rookie contract.

Much of my angst stems from my jealousy of San Fran...I don't know how they did but they got Joe Staley at 6 yrs, 43 mil and Anthony Davis at 5 yrs, 33 mil... at this point because various injuries keep hindering Okung, I would say both players have been better performers than Okung the last 4 years... Staley definitely has been but is easier to compare since he's also a LT.

Oh well. We'll see what happens and if the team feels it needs to pay Okung a huge contract again... who am I to argue with that decision.

Pandion Haliaetus":1nqdlfqu said:

Then hopefully they give that money to someone who is actually worth 10 million per.

However, the guy did sign a 6 yr, 58 million contract and has made a lot of money, there is a chance he signs for a reduced rate for not playing up his rookie contract.

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He may have missed some time, but he sure earned his money a heck of a lot more than a bunch of other Top 10 picks the last few years.

HawkFan72":3umy501t said:

The Hawks seem to have the approach of bargain hunting for the O-line, so it would break that trend to hand out a big contract to Okung. .

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I agree with you in regards to any other position on the line other than LT.

When you get a good to great LT, you hold onto him like grim death.........even with a mobile QB like Russell. You just don't mess around with LT's, especially in a run heavy team like the Hawks. There's a reason Lynch runs to the left more than the right, Russell Okung.

Lynch Mob":2pxxle8a said:

Have I missed something on him or are they thinking of not extending Okung. I have heard of E. Thomas, R.Sherman,and R. Wilson extensions being done in the near future but what about Okung. Okung and Thomas were selected in the 2010 draft together but I have heard nothing or even a mention of an Okung extension. I like Okung and think he's one of the best when healthy so I don't think you just let him walk.

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To be very blunt, Okung doesn't deserve it, at least not as much as Thomas, Sherman, and Wilson. He's been hurt as much as he's played and even when he has played, he hasn't always been real dominant. There could also be some lingering concerns about his wheels. Turf toe can be a chronic, career threating condition. IMO we could be saying to Russell "prove it" in 2014 before we extend his contract. There's no doubt a risk to that philosophy as Pro Bowl LT's don't grow on trees, but this might be one of those tough decisions that our FO is at least postponing until they have better information.

I'm trying out this theory that they aren't going to extend anybody this year. They're going to save as much as they can, roll it into next year, do all of their extensions next year, and throw the rollover money at some big dollar, 1-year deals.

Okung isn't going to take much less from us, at least until he finds out on the open market that he can't get it. That is the problem with those guys that signed the huge rookie contracts. They are still looking to get raises on their next deals, just like everybody else is, and won't be happy accepting a paycut. At least, his number is already so high that we're likely to be able lower the cap hit at the beginning of the contract pretty significantly if we so choose.

I think those implying he isn't worth it, may not remember what happened when he was out, and haven't seen teams with below average talent at LT and their struggles. If you've got a pretty good one, and ours is better than that when healthy, you don't really have a choice but to pay him, unless maybe if you're picking in the top 7 and you love a guy there.

Tical21":3kb9ox2z said:

I'm trying out this theory that they aren't going to extend anybody this year. They're going to save as much as they can, roll it into next year, do all of their extensions next year, and throw the rollover money at some big dollar, 1-year deals.

Okung isn't going to take much less from us, at least until he finds out on the open market that he can't get it. That is the problem with those guys that signed the huge rookie contracts. They are still looking to get raises on their next deals, just like everybody else is, and won't be happy accepting a paycut. At least, his number is already so high that we're likely to be able lower the cap hit at the beginning of the contract pretty significantly if we so choose.

I think those implying he isn't worth it, may not remember what happened when he was out, and haven't seen teams with below average talent at LT and their struggles. If you've got a pretty good one, and ours is better than that when healthy, you don't really have a choice but to pay him, unless maybe if you're picking in the top 7 and you love a guy there.

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I would probably agree with this if it weren't for the success of the Kam Chancellor extension last offseason. That decision turned out better than they probably even expected. I think they saw all the positives of that and would like to do the same for Earl and Sherman.

HawkFan72":2zgj0746 said:

Tical21":2zgj0746 said:

I'm trying out this theory that they aren't going to extend anybody this year. They're going to save as much as they can, roll it into next year, do all of their extensions next year, and throw the rollover money at some big dollar, 1-year deals.

Okung isn't going to take much less from us, at least until he finds out on the open market that he can't get it. That is the problem with those guys that signed the huge rookie contracts. They are still looking to get raises on their next deals, just like everybody else is, and won't be happy accepting a paycut. At least, his number is already so high that we're likely to be able lower the cap hit at the beginning of the contract pretty significantly if we so choose.

I think those implying he isn't worth it, may not remember what happened when he was out, and haven't seen teams with below average talent at LT and their struggles. If you've got a pretty good one, and ours is better than that when healthy, you don't really have a choice but to pay him, unless maybe if you're picking in the top 7 and you love a guy there.

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I would probably agree with this if it weren't for the success of the Kam Chancellor extension last offseason. That decision turned out better than they probably even expected. I think they saw all the positives of that and would like to do the same for Earl and Sherman.

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I truly believe that they will extend both ET and Sherm this offseason (months from now). To much risk allowing them to reach FA next year. So many teams will be willing to drop the bank on either of them. Why chance losing them when they are the epicenter to our defense.

The skill of Schnieder will be in the way he structures the contracts in relation to RWs upcoming extension next year. Front load ET this year (he's already making almost 6 mil, so another 3-4 won't strangle our cap this year). Backload Sherman's with a decent signing bonus (which can be spread out for the length of the contract).

Was it Tyler Polumbus that replaced Okung in 2010, Polumbus did okay then in those 7 starts + 2 play-off games... that opportunity eventually branched into 39 starts at RT with Tampa (4) and Washington (35) between 2011-2013.

In 2011, McQuistan also replaced him just fine enough but he was also getting more tackle reps at the time.

In 2012, Frank Omiyale was a stud in his one lone start for Okung.

In 2013, it was McQuistan again that had to play LT but this time he was two years older, and hadn't played much OT since 2012, when he was resigned to start at LG. I'd also argue the Seahawks also faced some pretty bad ass mofos in regards to the RDE and pass-rushes they faced in 2013...

Okung is a very good player but he hasn't went a single season without missing a game. And if he has chronic toe issues moving forward what good is it going to do to give him top 5 contract money?

He's replaceable at this point because he's unreliable... and frankly you wouldn't be replacing Okung as much as you would be upgrading McQuistan... which is a much easier task... the Seahawks lost 1 game that they could have won in games McQuistan started horribly at LT.

You pay your LT end of story unless you like losing? Luckily we do have time to make sure that the turf toe injury won't be an issue.

MizzouHawkGal":pbo6h1fh said:

You pay your LT end of story unless you like losing?

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There is no urgency to resign Okung. He's under contract through this season. If he stays healthy and plays well, we can still resign him in 2015. No one is talking about letting him walk, at least not until we see what 2014 brings. Not signing him preserves our options and is a smart non decision.