Antoine Winfield turns down Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks helmet during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Seattle Seahawks won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Seahawks learned that No. 2 cornerback Brandon Browner lost his appeal and will be suspended for the remainder of the year, and we have learned that Antoine Winfield has declined the Seahawks offer to re-join the team. FOX Sports’s Mike Garafolo, who first reported that the Seahawks contacted Winfield following Brandon Browner’s suspension and Walter Thurmond’s injury and later suspension, reports that Winfield has decided to stay retired.
It means that the Seahawks won’t have the veteran, ace slot CB in tote for their Super Bowl run, but it’s not a tough blow by any means. I mean, the Seahawks felt comfortable enough to release Winfield during the 53-man roster crunchdown despite his talent (he’s old, but he’s still gold), because the Seahawks know that they have two very talented No. 4 and 5 CBs (now 2 and 3) in Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane.
Both of these guys have definitely risen to challenge in the absences of Thurmond and Browner, and Maxwell, in particular, is a promising player. The Seahawks are stocked at corner, and it’s also going to make it easier for them to make a decision on Browner and Thurmond, who will likely be expensive commodities even with their violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.
While Winfield would have been a nice addition for the Seahawks, it would have only made a stacked defense even more stacked. They don’t need him, so it’s not like Pete Carroll or anyone is going to get upset over Winfield declining their offer any time soon.