Bruce Irvin Comments About Seahawks Not Picking Up Option

After having a fairly active free agency, the Seattle Seahawks have decided to not pick up linebacker Bruce Irvin’s fifth-year option. Basically, he will have to play out his contract during the 2015 season and then he will test the free agency market in 2016. Now, the linebacker had some choice words for GM John Schneider’s decision.

Now, he has since explained his comment, but has not really backtracked from what he said.

Irvin’s fifth-year option would have reportedly been worth around $7.8 million. While Irvin has always been a consistent pass rusher, his numbers do not, at least in the mind of the Seahawks, warrant that kind of cash. On top of this, factor in the PED suspension in 2013 and it makes sense why Seattle would take a gamble with the defensive player: he only garnered 16.5 sacks and 105 combined tackles over three years in the league.

On top of this, it is also important to factor in the free agency market, which prevents teams from creating dynasties. When the GM has to pay big contracts to Jimmy Graham and Russell Wilson — while also worrying about paying LB Bobby Wagner in 2016 — they might have to lose role players like Bruce Irvin and James Carpenter, who was lost this offseason after a similar circumstance. Irvin is a great pass rusher — and if the tweets are any indication, he will be motivated during the 2015 season — but he is not this show stopping player that the Seahawks need to keep.

However, the Seahawks want to make it clear that this is not any indication on Bruce’s future with the team. “If we pick up Bruce’s option it’s a great thing, if we don’t pick up Bruce’s option it only means we aren’t picking it up… We want him to be here for a long time,” Carroll told CBS Sports.

So needless to say, this will be a story to watch as 2015 progresses.