The Seattle Seahawks made a surprising decision during today’s trade deadline, and it doesn’t involve the team’s newest wide receiver, Rashid Shaheed. Instead, the biggest stunner was keeping cornerback Riq Woolen.
Woolen has been the source of trade rumors for months. It seemed a virtual certainty earlier this season that Seattle would cut ties with the 26-year-old DB due to inconsistent play. It wasn’t until the past 24 hours that reports suggested the Seahawks might keep Woolen, a decision GM John Schneider ultimately made. However, Woolen’s name floated around trade talks until the very last minute of today’s deadline.
What the Insiders Say
“We mentioned the other day that [Woolen] was more likely to not be traded than traded,” Mike Garafolo said on NFL Network’s Insiders today. “It’s a name that we talked about early in the season as one that teams were tracking and talking to the Seahawks about. Look, he’s a heavy man-cover guy. That’s his strength. And [Seattle] is a defense that plays a good bit of zone, but he’s also a free agent that’s going to make himself a ton of money.
“Right now, [he’s] playing for a team that’s playing well and saying, ‘We’re not going to be trading away a good cornerback when we’re trying to win this division, get into the postseason, make a run here…He’s not a problem. He’s not grumbling or anything like that. He’s still a part of the Seahawks, still going to be a key part of their secondary.”
What the Trade Would Have Looked Like
Multiple factors likely led to Seattle’s final decision to retain Woolen. The simplest reason is that the team didn’t receive an offer compelling enough to cut ties with the former Pro Bowler. Every player has a price, after all. The Indianapolis Colts trading two first-round picks in a blockbuster move for Sauce Gardner proves that. Of course, Woolen wouldn’t have gone for a fraction of what the New York Jets got for Gardner. Most mock drafts indicate Woolen’s compensation would have only been a mid-round pick.
There probably were several suitors. The Philadelphia Eagles traded for cornerback Jaire Alexander, who’s been far more erratic than Woolen this season. Other teams with rumored interest in Woolen included the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, and Los Angeles Rams.
Other Reasons for Keeping Woolen
So, there are a couple of other key reasons Woolen remains a Seahawks. One of which is the numerous injuries to Seattle’s secondary. The team placed safety Julian Love on the IR earlier this week. Star cornerback Devon Witherspoon is finally healthy again, but he’s missed five of the Seahawks’ eight games with a knee injury. Ascending corner Josh Jobe also left last week’s game with a concussion. Given the revolving door that’s been Seattle’s secondary, Schneider and head coach Mike MacDonald may have wanted as much continuity as possible going forward.
Finally, there’s Woolen’s remarkable upside. As Tim Weaver writes for SI, “No other cornerback in the league has a ceiling as high as Woolen, whose height, length and athleticism could make him a mutant version of Richard Sherman at his best.”
Woolen will next take the field in Week 10 against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals, once again running out of the Lumen Field tunnel.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Seahawks Make a Shocking Trade Decision on $5-Million Star appeared first on Heavy Sports.