Seattle Seahawks News: Could Sidney Rice and Red Bryant Return?
By Todd Pheifer
Oct 17, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Red Bryant (79) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Seahawks are making cuts, and eventually those moves will need to be addressed with new players. Of course, the Seahawks could fill holes with familiar faces. In other words, they could bring back the players that were cut.
Pete Carroll said as much…sort of.
Carroll was asked about Sidney Rice and Red Bryant, and he was quoted as saying:
"“Maybe we have a chance to get them back. Maybe we don’t. We’ll have to wait and see.”"
Alright, so that is not exactly a strong commitment either way. If you read between the lines, it isn’t hard to draw certain conclusions.
What Carroll seems to be suggesting is that these players could return if they do not get any better offers on the open market and if the Seahawks are unable to adequately replace them. Translation? Bryant and Rice will return if the Seahawks can get them cheap.
It is hard to gauge what teams might be willing to pay for these types of veteran players. Rice (27) still has skills, but he has a checkered past in terms of health. He has missed 25 games in the last four seasons.
Bryant will turn 30 in April and has been used in a particularly capacity at defensive end. He has solid experience in a dynamic defense, but 30-year-old players do not necessarily get lucrative contracts in the NFL. This isn’t Major League Baseball where guys that are past 30 get long, guaranteed contracts.
Ultimately, it seems unlikely that the Seahawks bring either player back. That said, it isn’t out of the question. One has to assume that the Seahawks might have been open to keeping Bryant and Rice, but the team just didn’t want to pay their sizeable salaries. Such is life in the salary cap era.
March 11 is approaching quickly, and life in the NFL is about to get very interesting. We will see if Red Bryant or Sidney Rice eventually return to the Seahawks.