Donovan McNabb traded to Washington

Disclaimer: Usually journalist and especially good journalist don’t usually use “I” in articles and recently I’ve been trying to improve on that and just stick with reporting. However I’ve decided to try a little experiment and create a new series of articles titled “In my opinion” which will include players, coaches and other aspects of the NFL an give my opinion on those topics. So articles titled “In my opinion” will be the only time I use “I” in an article, but when it comes to reporting on the Seahawks and the draft, “I” won’t be included. Just needed to clear that with this disclaimer. Even though my typical “in my opinion” slogan isn’t in the title this is still apart of my series.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reported that the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to trade quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins in exchange for their second-round pick (No. 37 overall) and either a third or fourth-round selection in the 2011 draft depending on McNabb’s performance.

Right off the top the first three things that come into my mind are one, was there really nothing better in terms of compinsation for Donovan that the Eagles could have gotten? Two, why trade Donovan inside the division? Third, who was the final person in the Eagles front office that pushed this trade through.

I had a feeling that Donovan wouldn’t be apart of the Eagles franchise past the draft and it was only a matter of weeks that he would have been traded. The fact that McNabb was traded was the least surprising part of this entire fiasco.

The most surprising part was the fact that McNabb, the Eagles best quarterback in franchise history was traded within the division, and above all the Washington Redskins.

Throughout the off-season the biggest move the Redskins had made was to bring in former Broncos’ head coach Mike Shanahan as the teams new head coach and executive vice president. Other than Shanahan being tabbed as the head coach both Washington and Dallas, the two teams expected to be big spenders in this uncapped year have seemingly been dead in terms of player movement.

Today the Redskins came out of the shell in grand fashion by trading for the 33-year-old quarterback McNabb.

Not only does this trade effect the Redskins and Eagles but it also shakes up the upcoming 2010 NFL draft and more importantly the top 10 picks.

Over the last few weeks the Redskins had growing interest in the top two quarterbacks in this years class, Sam Bradford from Oklahoma and Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame.

Most recently the Redskins brought in Clausen for a two-day workout and visit with Redskins brass but now with the acquisition of McNabb the move allows them to turn away from Clausen and move to their second biggest need of the off-season, left tackle.

Russell Okung, Trent Williams and Bryan Bulaga are all now stand atop the Redskins draft board and all could have their names called by Roger Goodell come April 22nd when the Redskins pick at fourth overall.

For the Eagles it turns the page on the storybook career of Donovan McNabb to second-year quarterback Kevin Kolb, who the Eagles selected in the second-round of the 2008 NFL draft.

With the Eagles arming themselves with another second-round draft pick it allows them to look around and pick and chose if they want to move up in the draft OR make a move for Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha should they decided they want to.

Either way you look at it the Eagles now have one first-round pick (No. 24 overall), two second-round picks (No. 37, 55 overall), two third-round picks (No. 70, 87 overall) two fourth-round picks (No. 105, 121 overall), and four picks from rounds five through seven.

Fair to say the Eagles could be looking to rebuild around Kolb or move to acquire help around Kolb. I don’t see anything bad coming from this trade for both the Eagles and Redskins.

In the end in my opinion the Eagles will come out the winners of this blockbuster trade for three reasons.

One, Kevin Kolb while mostly untested gets to become the full-time starting quarterback in Philadelphia with a world of talented players around him. Receivers DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek coulped with running backs LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver.

Looking at the moves the Eagles have made this off-season it’s clear that head coach Andy Reid wants to get a lot younger on offense and move on from the “McNabb/Westbrook era”.

Two, it allows the Eagles to continue to revamp the team roster from last season with the addition of another second-round pick that could net safety Taylor Mays, Eric Berry (it’s possible if they want to move way up to get him) as well as a few other possibilities.

Three, they finally turn the page on Donovan McNabb to Kevin Kolb. Plain and simple the Eagles could not move forward with McNabb as the teams starting quarterback and that became very clear after Reid announced at the NFL meetings a few weeks ago that the Eagles “were willing to listen to offers for McNabb, Kolb and Vick”.

Now for the Washington Redskins they can’t really go wrong with McNabb as their starting quarterback because no doubt he’s the better quarterback over Jason Campbell and can make them a more competitive team next year than both Campbell and Clausen/Bradford.

The only question coming from Redskins fans will be who was really behind this. It has the looks of a typical Dan Snyder move, bring in the biggest name you can to drive up premium ticket prices.

If you go back to last off-season the Skins’ were linked to anyone not named Jason Campbell that could throw.

Jay Cuter (now in Chicago), Mark Sanchez (now in New York), Brett Favre (now in Minnesota) as well as numerous other “franchise” quarterbacks who could replace Jason Campbell.

So as I stated before, in my opinion the Eagles will come out the winners of this shocking blockbuster trade that will see long-time Eagles starting quarterback Donovan McNabb head to Washington D.C for two draft picks.

NOTE:

One other side note that I would like to point out and as I touched on above is how this trade effects the upcoming draft.

All indications show that Sam Bradford will be heading through the arch in St. Louis and become the first overall pick of the 2010 draft.

However the second best quarterback in the draft, Jimmy Clausen, had been highly touted to Washington but with the acquisition of Donvoan McNabb the Redskins no longer become a team interested in Clausen’s services allowing him to slide down the draft board a bit.

The Seattle Seahawks become the next team inline for Clausen’s services now that Washington has passed on him for the veteran McNabb.

As I spoke about in my last article “Why Jimmy Clausen is still an option for the Seahawks” the possiblity becomes even greater with the Skins’ bowing out.

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Steelers QB Roethlisberger could interest Seattle Seahawks

With Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback recently being in the news for harassment as well as other possible charges involving an incident in Atlanta, the Rooney family is not so high on Big Ben with this second off the field incident in his career and could be willing to part with the star quarterback if the Rooney’s don’t feel Ben is a part of the family.

The Steelers have said they would be content with current backup Dennis Dixon as the team’s starting quarterback or could acquire one via the NFL draft, but Dixon would be the more immediate choice.

Now who would be interested in the 28-year old quarterback?

The Seattle Seahawks led by new head coach Pete Carroll would be the first team that would be a great fit for Roethlisberger, while being rumor to be searching around the league for a new franchise quarterback with the aging Matt Hasselbeck not sitting well with Carroll.

So far Kevin Kolb, Jimmy Clausen, Derek Anderson, Charlie Whitehurst and possibly Donovan McNabb are on Pete Carroll’s “possible quarterback list”. Could Ben Roethlisberger’s name be added to that list?

Yes.

If you look at the situation that is currently in front of Pete Carroll when it comes to his franchise quarterback there is no one better on that list then Ben Roethlisberger.

Now you also have to look at it from the Pittsburgh Steelers point of view with their franchise taking a step back this past season.

The Steelers currently hold the No. 18 overall pick in the upcoming 2010 NFL draft which is too far for Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford to fall. Then you have to look at the next few quarterbacks in the draft with Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, Jevan Sneed and others behind the top two.

With Seattle holding the No. 6, No. 14 and No. 40 overall picks in the draft as well as a few players the Steelers would be interested in to fill some holes on defense it would seem that both teams could come to an agreement on a trade.

The Seahawks currently have linebackers David Hawthorne and Leroy Hill who can both fill the Steelers need at linebacker, more likely Hill because he’s an inside linebacker with talent and experience where Hawthorne is still a backup.

What would be the most logical trade proposal involving the Seahawks-Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger would be like this.

The Seahawks would send the No. 14 pick, No. 101 pick, second-round pick in 2011 and Leroy Hill to the Steelers for Ben Roethlisberger and a third-round pick in the 2010 draft.

Now looking at the proposal, what does it do for both teams involved?

It gives the Steelers a top 15 pick in the 2010 draft where they could fill their offensive line issues at either guard with Idaho’s Mike Iutpi or an offensive tackle like Anthony Davis from Rutgers, Trent Williams from Oklahoma or Bruce Campbell from Maryland whichever is still available.

Then it gives them a starting inside linebacker in their 3-4 defense who can come in right away and make an immediate impact, and is also signed long-term through 2013. Also with the added 2011 pick it gives them options to make a later trade for another first-round pick in 2011 should they decide they want another first-round pick.

What it gives the Seahawks is a proven, talented, young starting quarterback that has already won two Super Bowls (one against Seattle) and can make everyone else around him look better.

Now the Seahawks would be giving up a lot in order to Roethlisberger but it gives the Seahawks what they’ve been searching for, a true franchise quarterback who’s already signed long-term and one that you don’t have to groom behind Hasselbeck or try to build through the draft in the later rounds.

Also when you look at the Seahawks giving up the No. 14 pick in the draft for Roethlisberger you have to look at the possibilities of who they could be drafting compared to what Roethlisberger would bring.

Defensive end Derrick Morgan, offensive tackle Anthony Davis, running back C.J Spiller would not bring the immediate impact that the Seahawks need like Roethlisberger would.

Now if the Seahawks were to make this trade it still leaves them with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft as well as a third-round pick where they could pickup an offensive tackle to fit in Alex Gibbs’ zone blocking scheme.

If the Seahawks wanted to really make their offense a complete Super Bowl caliber offense they could seal the deal on Broncos’ restricted free agent Brandon Marshall and sign him to an offer sheet giving Roethlisberger and the Seahawks a true No. 1 wide receiver.

It’s not really asking a lot it just has a lot of moving parts. It’s an interesting scenario, one that could become a reality should the Steelers and the Rooney family decides they don’t want their team picture tarnished by Roethlisberger’s off-field problems.

NOTES:

Talking with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the rumors about the New York Jets trading for Brandon Marshall “have no legs” so consider that Marshall rumor along with the Bengals rumor of bogus, the Seattle Seahawks still remain the only real team involved with Brandon Marshall.

-The Seahawks signed former Patriots tight-end Chris Baker to a two-year contract, making him the No. 2 tight-end behind John Carlson.

- The Seahawks are still negotiating with restricted free agent quarterback Charlie Whitehurst but not deal is official as of yet.

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Seahawks trade Seneca Wallace to Browns

According to ESPN’s John Clayton and Adam Schefter the Seattle Seahawks have completed a trade that will send Seahawks backup quarterback to the Cleveland Browns for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick.With the acquisition of Wallace, he gets the opportunity to reunite with former head coach Mike Holmgren in Cleveland and possibly get the chance to be a full time starting quarterback in the NFL.

Wallace now joins Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn as the three quarterbacks in Cleveland. However with Mike Holmgren being the man in charge it’s been rumored recently that Anderson will be cut in the coming weeks and Brady Quinn could either be released or traded as well before the NFL draft.

With Wallace, you don’t get that pocket quarterback who is your prototypical NFL quarterback. Wallace is known for his athletic ability outside the pocket, but can also make the throws necessary to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Now with the Seahawks trading away Seneca Wallace it really signals that Pete Carroll is looking for a long term quarterback behind current starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

One possibility could be Florida product Tim Tebow, who is scheduled to have his pro day at Florida on March 17th and then also have a private workout with the Seattle Seahawks shortly thereafter in Seattle.

Another possibility is Notre Dame Quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who has known Pete Carroll since he was 13-years old. With the free agency quarterbacks not being the type that Seattle is looking for expect Pete Carroll and John Schneider to look for the aire apparent to Matt Hasselbeck in the upcoming April NFL Draft.

Now the Seahawks have a dilemma about drafting Jimmy Clausen. The Seattle Seahawks have been in serious negotiations with the Denver Broncos for wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who visited with the Seahawks this past weekend.

With the Broncos’ placing a first round tender on Marshall, if the Seahawks decide to hammer out an offer sheet with Marshall the Seahawks would have to pony up the sixth overall pick the draft, which would mean missing out on Clausen.

However the Seahawks can work out a sign-and-trade with the Broncos’ and trade their 14th overall pick to the Broncos’ instead of the sixth overall pick.

So with this trade of Seneca Wallace to the Browns it opens up a lot of possibilities for the Seahawks moving forward at the quarterback position.

It’s clear that Matt Hasselbeck will be the starter in 2010, but it’s not clear who will be the starter in 2011 when Hasselbeck’s contract is up.

Notes:

-An interesting note came to me with the Seahawks trading Seneca Wallace today. His old number of 15 is now up for grabs, the same number as Brandon Marshall.

-The Seahawks have visits scheduled this week for RB Mike Bell, TE Ben Watson, OG Ben Hamilton, TE Chris Baker, DE Tyler Brayton and CB William James.

-Tim Tebow, as I already noted in the article above is scheduled to have a private workout with the Seahawks sometime shortly after his pro day, March 17th.

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Seahawks notes: Owens, Jones, Combine, Running backs

As the free agency deadline nears the major movement in the NFL has come from the running back position this past week with five running backs being let go or non tendered to free agency.

San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson, Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook, Cleveland's Jamal Lewis, San Diego's Darren Sproles and New Orleans' Mike Bell. Also New York Jets running back Thomas Jones will be released next week so he will be added to the list when that becomes official.

Terrell Owens was informed by the Buffalo Bills Saturday that the 36 year old wide receiver would not be back with the organization in 2010 making him a free agent.

The New Orleans Saints have yet to tender a contract offer to Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans and running back Mike Bell. Most likely scenario is the Saints are more willing to sign a long term contract with Evans but let Mike Bell walk with the reports of Reggie Bush being 100 percent guaranteed to be back with the Saints in 2010 along with his eight million dollar price tag.

So with the CBA negotiations not going anywhere anytime soon it's clear that many of the expected unrestricted free agents will be restricted free agents.

However free agency isn't the only topic around the NFL.

Saturday marked the beginning of the NFL combine in Indy where all 32 teams will have their eyes on the top tier players in the upcoming NFL draft as well as the sleepers that will become steals in the draft.

So with that being said here's some news, notes and rumors regarding the Seattle Seahawks.

-WR Terrell Owens: The rumors and reports will start flying on March 5th about Terrell Owens and the Seahawks being a good pair with Nate Burleson testing the free agent market after not receiving a contract offer from the Seahawks.

Now there are a few questions if you want to picture T.O in Seattle.

One, would the Seahawks want to sign an aging wide receiver like T.O at the age of 36? Two, how much would the Seahawks be willing to offer Owens to come to Seattle because he's only going to get around one to two million max in free agency at this point in his career.

Now Owens can still put up numbers at his current age. Last season in Buffalo, a quarterback dead zone he compiled 55 receptions for 829 yards and five touchdowns. With Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback there is no reason to think T.O's numbers would go down if Owens came to Seattle.

Currently the Seahawks have TJ Houshmandzadeh (32), Deion Branch (30), Deon Butler (24) as the starting three wide receivers for 2010. Houshmanzadeh is guaranteed to be back in Seattle next season as is Deon Butler but there have been many questions surrounding Deion Branch in his three years in Seattle.

Terrell Owens, at the price of $1-2 million would be a great addition in Seattle to go along side TJ Houshmandzadeh and Deon Butler who would be the slot wide receiver like Bobby Engram use to be two years ago.

-LT Walter Jones: Pete Carroll said at the NFL combine that Walter Jones has not come to a final decision on whether to retire or come back for his 14th NFL season.

Here is a quote from Pete Carroll via Danny O'Neil from the Seattle Times.

"I would be wrong to tell you that I know right now, specifically," Carroll said. "I know he's thinking about pursuing the retirement thing and all that. And until that's really final, that's about where it is."

- NFL Combine: The offensive tackles and tight ends worked out Saturday at the NFL combine and five players really stood out and improved their draft stock by their performance at the combine.

Maryland OT Bruce Campbell, Oklahoma OT Trent Williams, Pittsburgh TE Dorin Dickerson, Oregon TE Ed Dickson and Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung (left early with a groin injury).

Clausen and Bradford are both at the combine but will not workout at the combine. They will meet with coaches and scouts from a lot of teams but nothing hands on.

You can probably bet that Jimmy Clausen will be looking for Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll after the comments he made today during an interview.

Clausen said "as a person I love coach Carroll to death" and also that he'd love being a part of Carroll's team in Seattle if drafted by the Seahawks.

Carroll and Clausen go way back to when Clausen was 13 years old and Carroll was recruiting him to come play at USC. So Jimmy Clausen is a name to watch for the Seahawks when they select No. 6 overall.

-Running backs: There have been a lot of rumors swirling about the Seahawks and adding a running back in free agency. Mainly Tomlinson, Thomas Jones, Darren Sproles, Westbrook and Chester Taylor among others.

For all those wondering if the Seahawks will sign a big name back this off season the answer is simply this.

No.

The Seahawks under new head coach Pete Carroll and new general manager John Schneider plan to build the foundation of the Seahawks through the NFL draft to insure long term success.

Quarterback, running back, left guard and tackle, defensive tackle and safety all make up the core foundation of an NFL team so take all those positions and cross them off the Seahawks free agent list. Only safety would be one to fill via free agency with Darren Sharper.

The Seahawks will be looking for an every down back in the draft with Clemson running back CJ Spiller topping that list.

A couple of other added notes:

-Seahawks franchised kicker Olindo Mare

-Nate Burleson will be an unrestricted free agent

Should the Seattle Seahawks draft a QB?

The million dollar question looming in Seattle is centered around Pete Carroll and what he wants to do at the quarterback position.

Carroll and Schneider are in a rough position because they have come in during the middle of a horrendous rebuilding process, which was created by former Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell.

Matt Hasselbeck is entering into the final year of his contract and with the amount of injuries he's had over the past two years his future, with the current offense is questionable. The Seahawks have Seneca Wallace and Mike Teel behind Hasselbeck and neither have the complete package to be a 16+ game starter in the NFL.

What makes the Seahawks quarterback situation even more intresting is the fact that Seattle holds two of the top 15 picks in the upcoming 2010 draft with really only two quarterbacks being worthy of a starting job in the NFL.

Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen. Other quarterback who need a lot of work, along with Clausen and Bradford would be Texas' Colt McCoy, Florida's Tim Tebow, Ole Miss' Jevan Sneed as well as other late round possible.

Needless to say this is one of the weakest draft classes for quarterbacks in a while. So the question becomes, is Pete Carroll willing to make a bold decision and possibly take one of the two top quarterbacks in the draft and should the Seahawks even draft a quarterback this year having passed on Mark Sanchez last year.

The answer is no.

The Seahawks do need an answer long term at quarterback but with one year remaining on his contract and still having many more important needs on this football team, drafting a quarterback is not something the Seahawks can afford to do.

Pete Carroll said at his introductory press conference that Paul Allen along with the rest of the front office want to be a winner now and moving forward. The Seahawks and Carroll need to use free agency as well as the draft to build around Hasselbeck.

Building around Hasselbeck will setup short and long term success for the Seahawks organization, which will be crucial for Pete Carroll's success in Seattle.
The Seahawks need to find an every down running back, possibly CJ Spiller in the draft. An explosive wide receiver, possibly Brandon Marshall. At least two or three offensive linemen (left tackle, left guard and right tackle) which most will come from the draft.

Matt Hasselbeck said recently that if given the help (offensive line and running game) that he can lead the Seahawks back to the Super Bowl and win in the Super Bowl.

Take his word for it, when the Seahawks have a running back gain over 1000 yards they are a 10+ win team as history has shown with Shaun Alexander and Ricky Williams as well as others before them.

So with all that being said the Seattle Seahawks should not entertain drafting a quarterback in this draft class.

NOTE: Jake Locker, the University of Washington quarterback will enter the draft
next year so look for Seattle to try as hard as possible to keep Locker in the state of Washington. Imagine Seattle's fan base moving from the Dawg Pound to Qwest Field.

Seahawks notes: Marshall, Mawae, Rolle and LT

In an effort to further inform the readers I’ve decided to have a weekly article about any and all Seahawks notes and rumors from around the league.

With the Seahawks being one of the most “link attached” teams this off season it will be interesting to see what unfolds under this new direction of Seahawks football under head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider.

With the Seahawks having an owner in Paul Allen, who early in the off season made it apparent that he is not afraid to make a bold statement with a lot of cash attached to that statement.

The Carroll example being the hire former USC head coach Pete Carroll to a five year $35 million dollar contract while buying out Jim Mora Jr. of his remaining $12 million.

Now with the coaching and front office slots all filled out it’s that time of the year where those personnel guys make their living with free agency coming up on March 5th and the NFL draft April 22nd-24th.

Heading into the off season the Seahawks have a lot of question marks throughout the depth chart from the starting quarterback to the offensive line to the defensive line and secondary.

The Seahawks will need to fill the “needs” at QB, WR, OL, DL, CB/S as well as overall talent depth throughout the team. Matt Hasselbeck is in the final year of his six year $47 million dollar contract and isn’t getting any younger at the age of 34.

Then at wide receiver the Seahawks lack a dynamic play making receiver with TJ Houshmandzadeh being more of an “over the middle/moving the chains” type of receiver.

Nate Burleson is expected to hit the open market unless a new contract is reached.Deion Branch…well that’s always a question mark and the possible trade rumors with the Patriots don’t make that easier. Deon Butler will be entering his second season in the NFL and fits mostly in a quick slot receiver, not a “play maker”.

The Seahawks have been heavily rumored to Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who is expected to be a restricted free agent, unless there is a new CBA.

On the offensive line the Seahawks don’t know about Walter Jones’ true status and if he will be able to return for a 14th season in the NFL. Then the Seahawks have question marks with right tackle Sean Locklear who became a human turnstile last season and doesn’t look worthy of being a starter in the NFL.

At defensive end they don’t know what to expect from Patrick Kerney who has underperformed since breaking out with 14 sacks in his first season in 2007. Then outside of Kerney the Seahawks don’t have any effective pass rushing defensive end which seriously hurt them last season.

Corner back is also a question mark with Ken Lucas, 31, becoming an unrestricted free agent and Josh Wilson is really more of a fit at safety than corner for his size. So the Seahawks could look to target Joe Haden in the draft for that. At safety Deon Grant isn’t getting any older or better for that matter and Jordan Babineaux, while having over 100 tackles really underperformed as an overall safety and having Darren Sharper becoming an unrestricted free agent the Seahawks would be more inclined to go a different direction and look to target Sharper in free agency.

So with that being said here’s a few rumors and notes about the Seahawks.

- WR Brandon Marshall: There has been a lot made of the trade rumors surrounding Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who is a restricted free agent unless a new CBA is agreed upon. The Broncos want the best deal they can get for Marshall if they decide that they should in fact trade the dynamic receiver.

The Seahawks seem like the most likely team with the most firepower to acquire Marshall. They have two first round picks (No. 6 and No. 14) in the 2010 NFL draft as well as the No.40 pick in the second round. Seattle also have a few players that could be included like wide receiver Deion Branch (worked with McDaniel’s in New England) and linebacker Leroy Hill (underperformed last season, still has great athletic ability).

The Broncos hold the 11th overall pick in the 2010 draft and if a scenario came up where on draft day both Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen are both gone before the Seahawks pick at six overall that pick would become great bait for the Broncos who could swap first round picks (No. 6 for No. 11) and the Seahawks would include Deion Branch while the Broncos would include Brandon Marshall.

With that pick at six overall the Broncos could select their replacement for Marshall in Dez Bryant or could go linebacker with Rolando McClain.

-C Kevin Mawae: The 39 year old veteran center will hit the open market once free agency opens up, Mawae’s agent Jim Wyatt said today. “He will definitely hit the market, but [we'll] continue to talk to the Titans.”

With the Seahawks having question marks at both left and right guard there could be the possibility of moving Max Unger, the Seahawks second round pick from 2009 to left guard and plugging in Mawae in a center, giving the Seahawks an experienced NFL center (like former Seahawks center Robbie Tobeck).

Mawae wouldn’t command top dollar so the Seahawks don’t have to worry about breaking the bank on him. Having an experienced NFL center would be very helpful should the Seahawks draft either Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen in the draft, which will most likely happen.

- S Antrel Rolle: The Seahawks biggest division rival, the Arizona Cardinals have taken a few steps back this off season with the loss of quarterback Kurt Warner to retirement and linebacker Karlos Dansby will be hitting the free agent market as the Cardinals won’t franchise him.

However the salary strapped Cardinals could also be sending safety Antrel Rolle along with Dansby to free agency.

Rolle is scheduled to make $8.1 million in base salary this upcoming season along with a $4 million dollar roster bonus on March 1st. The Cardinals, according to Arizona Republic reported Kent Somers are not willing to shell out that much for Rolle.

So now the Cardinals, who already are paying $7.8 million for another safety in Adrian Wilson, have to decided do they want to cut him lose or come to an agreement on a new long term contract.

With the Cardinals still having to work out wide receiver Anquan Boldin’s contract situation as well as other players the most likely route will be to cut Rolle lose, making him an unrestricted free agent.

This could be a perfect situation for the Seahawks who are in desperate need of a play making safety. The Seahawks could make it a win-win for the team. If the Carroll and company get the word that Rolle will be an unrestricted free agent it makes a lot of sense to make a heavy push for the safety.

- RB LaDainian Tomlinson: With the big news coming down Monday afternoon that the Chargers have decided to let go of nine year veteran LaDainian Tomlinson it makes the free agency picture a little more thicker.

There is going to be a lot of rumors about the Seahawks being linked to a lot of running backs from Willie Parker to Chester Taylor to LT but I’d like to take the time to put and end to them before they officially start.

The Seahawks are not in need of a running back with Justin Forsett’s performance last season. So you can ignore the rumors about CJ Spiller or any other running back, unless it’s Ryan Mathews because he’s the only fit in the ZBS.

As the free agency period approaches there is going to be a lot of rumors with the “Seattle Seahawks” tag right next to it so I will do my best to sort out the fact and the national enquirer rumors out there involving the Seahawks.

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Seahawks Mock Draft: Offense Dominates Early

With the Seahawks now officially eliminated from the playoff picture it's time to join Mora, Leiweke and look toward the future as the Seahawks officially move into their long awaited rebuilding process that is expected to take two or three years.

Now yes the NFL Draft is four months away but it's never t00 early to start thinking about who the Seahawks should target to help kickoff their rebuild.

This team has some talent but as Jim Mora Jr. put it in his press conference, "we need more nasty players". Now Mora wanted to clear the questions and explain what he meant by nasty as well as "dirt bags". He wants to see Sean Locklear shove a defensive end on his arse when there's a run play. He wants to see the offensive line be nasty upfront and not allow a sack all game, and have consistency over the season with it.

Now looking at the current players that project to be a part of the 2010 class there is a great opportunity to build a great young core for the future of this team.

The Seahawks lost All World LT Walter Jones, who didn't play a down this season due to the fact he could never recover from off season knee surgery. So there are major questions at Left Tackle long term. Also Sean Locklear, who was supposed to be the heir apparent to Jones, has failed to live up to those standards this season.

Then the Seahawks have questions about Matt Hasselbeck, how much longer can the great number eight play? He's only got one year left on his contract so most likely he will do exactly what Mike Holmgren did. Play out his contract and retire.

It still gives the Seahawks the chance to take their future starting quarterback, so that whoever that is can learn behind him for one full season and then take over.

Other positions that will be looking to upgrade would be LG/RG, DE, CB and FS as well as running back but Justin Forsett might be the long term answer.

With that being said here is my first mock draft of the "off season" for the Seattle Seahawks.

1st Round Pick (10th overall-projected): Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland- This is a very smart and easy pick for the Seahawks at 10th overall. No one knows if Walter Jones will even play in the NFL next year with his unstable knee problems and even if he does make it back, he's 35 years old and would be entering his 14th season in the NFL.

Either way he's on his way out and Campbell is an excellent left tackle who would fit great on the Seahawks offensive line. They need to get the LT before the QB.

1st round pick (24th overall-projected): Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame- I think people who have Clausen in the top 15 or higher on their draft boards are just asking for it. Clausen doesn't have the top 15 or even top five talent as a complete quarterback.

Clausen has an average arm down the field and has a few other things to work on but will most likely fall to 24th overall to the Seattle Seahawks, also like ESPN's Todd McShay projects.

Clausen fits great with the Seahawks offense as well as the Seahawks wide receivers. They like to go under a lot and with the addition of Clausen would open things up more for TJ Houshmandzadeh who loves to go across the middle.

Now that the Seahawks got their LT in Bruce Campbell can now draft their long term QB in Jimmy Clausen.

2nd round pick(41st overall-projected): Mike Johnson, LG, Alabama- The title says it all. Offense dominates early for the Seahawks and that's exactly what needs to happen in order for this offense to start clicking again.

Johnson is a enormous talent at 6-5, 305 lbs and just what the Seahawks are missing on their offensive line. A dominant Left Guard to finally fill the void of Steve Hutchinson.

With the Seahawks having everything on offense except a stellar offensive line this is just what the Seahawks need. They already have their LT in Campbell, their QB in Jimmy Clausen and now their LG in Mike Johnson.

The Seahawks have officially moved Max Unger to Center, and Mike Gibson, who the Seahawks claimed off waivers, is starting at RG now. So the Seahawks could possibly have a very talented and young offensive line to build around as they rebuild.

4th round pick (105th overall-projected): Jammie Kirlew, DE, Indiana- Well the Seahawks had other needs at more important positions so this is where they will pick their defensive end.

Kirlew has averaged 70+ tackles the last two seasons at Indiana and that's something the Seahawks lack on the defensive line, a great tackle machine. The highest tackle total is Darryl Tapp with 35.

So he might be a project to build up but with this rebuild it's talent that matters and Kirlew has a lot of talent at defensive end.

Since I want this mock draft to be realistic I'm not going beyond the fourth round because of the current timetable. As the draft gets closer it will become more relevant.

So to recap the projected Seahawks 2010 Draft here is what the Seahawks got.

LT Bruce Campbell: 6-6, 312 lbs and ranked 4th on ESPN's rankings at offensive tackle.

QB Jimmy Clausen: 6-2, 217 lbs and ranked 3rd on ESPN's rankings at quarterback.

LG Mike Johnson: 6-6, 305 lbs and ranked 4th on ESPN's rankings at offensive guard.

DE Jammie Kirlew: 6-1, 254 lbs and ranked 19th on ESPN's rankings at defensive end.

In all sense the Seahawks need to start their rebuild on offense with a young, talented quarterback in Jimmy Clausen and get him into the fold right away so he can learn. Then adding two offensive linemen in Bruce Campbell and Mike Johnson will help out the entire offense including Clausen and Forsett.

The Seahawks haven’t had a dominant offensive line since 2005 and that seems to be the one key reason why this offense has dropped the ball the past two years. Also Clausen will help things a lot.

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