Rumor: Max Unger expected to be released (per ESPN radio)

Mike Salk made reference to 'rumblings' that Max Unger could be a cap casualty this offseason. John Clayton said nothing to dispute it, which implies that he'd been hearing the same things. You can hear the audio in hour 1 of Friday's Brock and Salk, it starts around 20:40. http://mynorthwest.com/category/podcast ... and%20Salk

I can't find any reports on the internet confirming this, so it might just be a behind the scenes thing right now. It's worth mentioning that it was widely reported that Seattle planned to cut Unger if they couldn't trade him last offseason, and the Saints also reworked Unger's deal slightly last September which shows they are cost conscious about him too.

For his part, Unger played solidly well in 2015 and stayed healthy. He played in all 16 games and took 99.8% of the Saints' snaps at center.

I would be 100% for picking him up if he's cut. Doesn't cost us a compensatory and he fits in the locker room.

Wonder if there is any bad taste lingering in his mouth from being traded. I still would do the Jimmy trade all over again, but I wouldn't mind seeing Max back with the hawks if it was a team friendly deal.

If Seattle is looking for a stopgap center to play 1-2 seasons, then Unger is a very obvious low-cost choice. I am speculating but I don't think Unger is the kind of person to take this stuff personally.

I also think he would gladly come back. If he is cut, I'm sure his agents phone will be ringing off the hook.

Hawk_Nation":2qj55b26 said:

I also think he would gladly come back. If he is cut, I'm sure his agents phone will be ringing off the hook.

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Yep, and if you're Unger at this point in your career you probably want to play for Seattle, Carolina, Arizona, Green Bay, New England, Pittsburgh or Denver.

Seattle, Arizona, New England and Denver all have the need to match. He should be able to find a somewhat competitive market for his services.

IIRC he still lives in Hawaii with his family, so that might limit his willingness to go sign on the East coast.

Did NO teach him to snap the ball straight? If not, no thanks in Seattle. His snaps were a circus for years.

timmat":3jwiyfb4 said:

Did NO teach him to snap the ball straight? If not, no thanks in Seattle. His snaps were a circus for years.

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Overplayed . . . a total of two fumbled snaps over 91 games in Unger's career, including zero last season with the Saints. He has had the occasional awkward shotgun snap, but it's never been a serious issue.

Snag him.

Sounds like he had a really good season. http://whodatdish.com/2016/01/30/new-or ... max-unger/



"When you don’t hear someone’s name on the offensive line called often, that’s a relatively good thing.

You could maybe say that center Max Unger had a quiet season for the New Orleans Saints, but that doesn’t mean his impact wasn’t felt. The trade that shocked the entire football world involved Unger and the Seattle Seahawks first round draft pick come to New Orleans for tight end Jimmy Graham. At first, fans were beside themselves. Honestly, a center for an All-Pro tight end?

However, it wasn’t just any center. Unger was one of the league’s best, and had been fairly consistent since entering the league in 2009. We really saw the bigger picture of Unger’s impact when ESPN’s Brian Burke acknowledge the Seahawks’ offensive line struggles without him in the mix.

Unger committed only two penalties in 2015, which was a false start and offensive holding to be specific. Unger was the true ‘Iron Man’ of the New Orleans Saints squad, playing in 99.8 percent of the offensive snaps. That’s right, Unger missed only two snaps out of 1,184 total. That’s just incredible.

As far as protecting quarterback Drew Brees, Unger allowed only one sack and one hit all season. Per Pro Football Focus, Unger finished as the league’s fifth highest center in pass blocking efficiency with a 98.4 rating. Unger finished 2015 with a +4.6 overall grade, which was highlighted by a +5.9 in pass blocking.

The Saints ended up being on the winning side of the trade from last March. Unger, and not to mention Stephone Anthony (originally Seattle’s 31st overall pick), both added plenty of value to the New Orleans Saints. Ultimately, protecting Drew Brees in what’s likely the last years of his playing career takes precedence, and Unger is the right guy for the job."

I'd love to have him back on the Hawks. He'd be a great stopgap that would prevent the Hawks from reaching on a prospect to fill a need. If they find the right guy, then they can groom him to be the starting Center in a year or two.

Man, this would kind of be awesome. Have Max back, on better contract, plus Jimmy.

not happening...someone is gonna throw him one last big pay day. Especially with the lack of good centers out there.

lol would be pretty sweet to get him back.

Cyrus12":3qjmd31e said:

not happening...someone is gonna throw him one last big pay day. Especially with the lack of good centers out there.

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If this was true, wouldn't someone have traded at least a 7th for him and his 1 year 6M cap hit instead of the rumored release? I guess no teams want him at 6M so maybe the Hawks could sign him for cheaper than that.

hawknation2016":smksl3vf said:

timmat":smksl3vf said:

Did NO teach him to snap the ball straight? If not, no thanks in Seattle. His snaps were a circus for years.

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Overplayed . . . a total of two fumbled snaps over 91 games in Unger's career, including zero last season with the Saints. He has had the occasional awkward shotgun snap, but it's never been a serious issue.

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Not really overplayed. It's not about fumbled snaps, it's about the inconsistency of the shotgun snaps. Some are low to the left, some are low to the right, etc. It's got to be difficult for a QB to focus on coverages at the snap if he can't count on the snap being accurate.

Awesome if he is released and we get him back.

I would be all for signing him if the price is right.

austinslater25":8swwpkm8 said:

I would be all for signing him if the price is right.

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This. But regardless we need to either do something big in FA or the draft about the interior OL before it shortens Russ' s career. Lynch we can replace easily. Wilson? No way, he's a generational level talent. The only elite level quarterback this franchise has ever had.