The Seattle Seahawks are spending a lot of money and they are running out of space to keep it up. The team has made an effort to do all of their spending in-house, bringing back much of the talent that has taken the team to two Super Bowls, winning one. Recently, Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner signed marquee contracts with the franchise which is tightening the short-term and long-term outlook for the Seahawks.
According to Peter King of MMQB.com, the Seahawks have $100 million per year wrapped up in 10 guys including Wilson, Richard Sherman, Marshawn Lynch, Wagner, Earl Thomas, Jimmy Graham and a few others. That is going to hurt the team's future with other big names set to hit the market next season. The Seahawks already had to make a hard cut by releasing Tony McDaniel in order to relieve space, but that was not enough to please other players currently holding out for contracts.
Both Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett have held out of practices to state their desire for a new contract. Chancellor is set to earn $7 million while being signed through the 2017 season and wants an extension now and not later. The safety ended his holdout and reported to training camp, but will not be happy if the Seahawks give him the cold shoulder when they are really pressed to sign him.
"He has taken a stand and I support him," Sherman said, via the Seattle Times. "He's like a brother to me and when you take a stand like this, you don't get a lot of support from the fans about honoring contracts. But we understand the things he goes through week in and week out and the trauma he puts his body through and the sacrifices he makes."
The Seahawks will be facing a lot of decisions next offseason with plenty of big names on the market, Chancellor being one of them. Bruce Irvin is being forced to play out the final year of his contract after the Seahawks denied picking up his fifth-year option. The Seahawks have stated they want Irvin back, but the defensive star is expected to command a big contract, one they might not be able to afford.
Other names hitting the market include Russell Okung, Jermaine Kearse and Robert Turbin who will all play key roles in this year's team. Seattle might need to get creative with restructuring deals in order to please everyone.
