It was barely eight months ago that Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Bruce Irvin was saying that he'd be playing for the Atlanta Falcons next season. The Seahawks declined Irvin's fifth-year option on his rookie deal last March, and Irvin apparently wanted out.
Now that the 2015 season has come and gone for Seattle, Irvin apparently is no longer interested in leaving provided the money's right. He even said he might take less money to stick with the Seahawks.
"I was asked that," Irvin said, per ESPN.com. "Pete [Carroll] and John [Schneider] asked me that when I met with them today. If it came to that, I would definitely come back. $3-4 million? $3-4-5 million? I would definitely come back because I'm established here.
"These are my brothers. I honestly can't even imagine myself playing with anybody else, being in a different meeting room, listening to different pregame speeches. It's just crazy to me. I would definitely come back if they matched or if it was a little less. I would definitely come back to Seattle."
As of right now, the Seahawks will have around $30 million in cap space this offseason, per Spotrac. They can can create $6.5 million more by cutting Marshawn Lynch, which at this point we can say is something that will probably happen. They can create $9 million more on top of that by cutting Jimmy Graham, which probably will not happen, considering the value Seattle gave up to get him and the little use they got out of him in his first season with the team.
The Seahawks have a bunch of meaningful free agents outside of Irvin, though, which could complicate things a bit. Left tackle Russell Okung, defensive tackles Brandon Mebane and Ahtyba Rubin, wideout Jermaine Kearse, guard J.R. Sweezy, cornerbacks Jeremy Lane and DeShawn Shead, and Patrick Lewis, among others, are all on deals that expire this year. Figuring out which of those pieces is most important to retain, and for how much, will obviously be a priority.
Irvin has pretty much always been a player more known for his potential than his production since entering the NFL, but the Seahawks have put him in pretty good position to succeed. That's not a guarantee if he leaves for greener pastures. It seems like Seattle can get Irvin back for a pretty decent price at this point, which would be a good thing for their continuity and depth on defense.
