The Seattle Seahawks may be basking in their Super Bowl win over the Denver Broncos, but the official offseason is set to begin in less than a month and the team will have to open up their checkbooks very soon. The champions have several marquee players set to hit the market especially on their No. 1 defense and Seattle is about to be forced to prioritize.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport is reporting that right now the Seahawks are putting the contracts of Michael Bennett and Earl Thomas ahead of Richard Sherman. Bennett emerged as a top pass rusher for the Seahawks this season. He signed a very low-cost contract with the team last offseason and will likely want a nice pay raise to reward his efforts.
Bennett is set to be one of the top free agents on the market if the Seahawks fail to get a deal done in time. He has established himself as one of the best in the entire NFC and still relatively young, any team will be jumping to sign Bennett to a long-term deal.
After Bennett will likely be Earl Thomas. The safety is entering the final year of his current contract and the Seahawks could be aiming to give him a new contract now and now wait. Thomas will be another player that gets plenty of attention if available. According the Rapoport, Thomas is getting priority over Sherman who is also entering the final year of his contract. Seattle is expected to give Sherman big money, but he will have to wait a year before any checks get written.
Outside of the Seahawks defense, several other players are awaiting to hear their status with the team. Wide receiver Golden Tate is one waiting to find out if the Seahawks will offer him a new deal. After acquiring Percy Harvin, the receiver might not be a priority anymore. Tate has said he remains hopeful of a return next season after he recorded 898 yards off 64 catches.
"I would really like to stay,'' Tate said, via the Seattle Times. "It's a great city, a great group of guys. From top to bottom, I can't say enough great things about Seattle. The coaching staff is one of a kind. The nutritionist, the trainers, the city, the food, the stadium, everything is just great. I really would like to stay here. But we'll see. Only time will tell."
There is also the expected new contract for quarterback Russell Wilson. Winning a Super Bowl certainly gives him the leverage to negotiate a nice extension and Seattle will make sure to get that done.