Seattle Seahawks Rumors: Will Sidney Rice Return?
By Todd Pheifer
Feb 5, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice (18, second from left) films the crowd during a Super Bowl championship parade held in downtown Seattle. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Sidney Rice is still looking for a job, and apparently teams are not lining up to procure his services for the 2014 season. Should the Seattle Seahawks bring him back?
There is still a lot to like about Sidney Rice. He is tall, athletic and has the potential to be an explosive playmaker. He did catch 50 balls and score seven touchdowns in 2012. There is mutual understanding and he knows the system that Seattle runs.
Unfortunately, there are concerns. Actually, there is really one concern. The problem is health. Rice has missed 25 games over the last four seasons. Sadly, that is not a typo. If he were a baseball player, 25 missed games over four years would be perfectly acceptable. Unfortunately, there are a few less games in the NFL.
If you bring Rice back, you probably offer a bargain basement deal that is laden with incentives. The longer you wait, the lower the price might be for Rice to return.
Then again, there may be wisdom in moving on. Rice is “only” 27, but would the Seahawks be better off with a younger, cheaper and healthier rookie? Any rookie is a risk, but adding a project to a group of receivers that already includes Percy Harvin, Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse might not be all bad.
At this point, it may be best to wait. The Seahawks can see what they come up with in the draft and then ascertain whether Sidney Rice fills a need going forward. If he gets signed by another club between now and then, so be it.
He could always sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Every other former Seahawk seems to be going there.