Sidney Rice will likely be released, Zach Miller to take a paycut?
Seattle Seahawks tight end Zach Miller (86) is tackled by Denver Broncos outside linebacker Danny Trevathan (59) in the second half in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Seahawks will have a wild offseason ahead of them after winning the Super Bowl, but that’s what happens when you field a team of elite talent and elite depth. I mean, the Seahawks 53-man roster is easily the best in the NFL top-to-bottom, so it’s unsurprising to see that they have an awful lot of players set to leave. They’ll have to lose some top talent this offseason, but the key thing is being able to keep their most important players. The Seahawks are also set to give extensions to superstars Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas, and those are both priorities for this organization.
So how can they help afford to keep their other FAs around (like Michael Bennett)? The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Seahawks will “likely” cut ties with Sidney Rice and ask veteran tight end Zach Miller for a paycut. Players hate taking paycuts, but Seahawks players are more inclined, too. Why? They know that they are playing for a great team, have a great fan base in a great football city behind them, have a great coaching staff, and they know that taking less pay would help them chase another championship.
Miller did a nice job of making plays in the red zone and is still a decent player overall, but he is set to make $5.8 million last year and isn’t nearly worth that amount of money. If Miller doesn’t take a paycut, then he would be released, so his acceptance of less pay is pretty urgent.
Rice is 27, injury-prone, and set to make $8.5 million. He’s been healthy and productive in just two seasons, and it’s clear he is the team’s fifth-best receiver when everyone is healthy. At this point, the Seahawks would be crazy not to release him.