The Seattle Seahawks need to build a roster from almost the ground up on a limited time-frame, making this week all-important for both the coming season and the future of the franchise. While the Seahawks do have money to spend in free agency, there are multiple avenues to pursue in an effort to bring in talent and replace players departing in free agency. Beginning on Tuesday, the trade market opens, and the Seahawks will likely be players in it. The NFL trade rumors are about to pick up in Seattle.
If nothing else, Seattle will have its name linked to numerous quarterbacks, including a few of the names we've heard for months. They include Kevin Kolb and Carson Palmer, the former of which is destined to be traded and the latter of which desperately wants to be traded, though the Cincinnati Bengals appear reluctant. Both would immediately address a serious need in Seattle, but both will also cost a pretty penny.
The Kolb rumors swirled to life again earlier this month, but have died down since. At one point, Dave "Softy" Mahler reported the Seahawks offered a first and third round draft pick for Kolb's services, though Field Gulls' Danny Kelly rightfully questioned the assertion.
If the Seahawks planted the story with Mahler, through an agent or directly, it means they're trying to drive up the price the Cardinals would have to pay for Kolb. If this is the case, hooray for John Schneider and company. If the Eagles are the ones doing the planting, so be it. They're entitled to try and get as much as possible for their now-backup quarterback. I just hope the Seahawks are no longer in the running, especially if it is for the price of a first and third round pick.
At this point, it appears likely Kolb will head to Arizona to play for the Cardinals, though nothing is set in stone. The Seahawks seem to have backed off Kolb due to the price, and the Cardinals have been the front-runners for quite some time.
Palmer, on the other hand, wants out of Cincinnati, even threatening retirement if he's not traded. But the Bengals' ownership has been reluctant to make a deal, telling the media a trade is not on the table. If Rob Staton, of Seahawks Draft Blog, is to be believed, a trade may, in fact, be on the table and forthcoming.
Seahawks Draft Blog has been reporting trade talks between Seattle and Cincinnati for a long time now. The parties talked through a deal and we’ve received information that a trade could be forthcoming. We also understand that Palmer is Pete Carroll’s preferred option at quarterback. We’re not the only ones who aren’t ruling out a trade either – Sam Farmer at the LA Times suggested it could happen, Pat Kirwan reported only this week that he’d spoken to a Bengals source that suggested Mike Brown was not totally against a trade, former Bengals receiver and current NFL analyst Chris Collinsworth suggested Brown will trade Palmer and Shawn Zobel reported earlier this month that league insiders were assuming Palmer would be dealt.
Of all the rumored trades, this could be the most preferred one. Palmer could be a serviceable stop-gap, and would allow the Seahawks to move forward while fielding a competent team in 2011. He's not spectacular and his production has declined, but perhaps a change of scenery will do him some good.
Teams can begin to make trades on Tuesday at 7 a.m., making for an eventful day. Check out the full league year schedule here. We'll be back with more on the Seahawks trade rumors in this StoryStream. For even more Seahawks news and notes, head over to Field Gulls.