Monday night saw the Seattle Seahawks continued what I would argue has been a fairly solid offseason, as they acquired tight end Kellen Winslow from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Seahawks gave up a seventh round in the 2012 draft, which could rise to a sixth round pick. The Seahawks reportedly did not re-negotiate the final three years of Winslow's deal, which means they inherit three years and $15.95 million on Winslow's current contract.
The Seahawks lost tight end John Carlson this offseason to the Minnesota Vikings. Carlson missed the 2011 season with a shoulder injury, but when healthy, he was a dynamic threat for the Seahawks. Winslow will join Zach Miller and Anthony McCoy on the Seahawks tight end depth chart.
Yesterday morning, Winslow told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he had been informed he would not be back with the Bucs in 2012. Many figured he would simply be released since the Bucs appeared to have little or no leverage. While the Seahawks conceivably could have gotten Winslow for cheaper on the open market if the Bucs had released him, they also would have been potentially competing with numerous other teams.
A seventh (or sixth if the conditions are met) is a great deal for a guy who averaged 72 receptions and 792 yards the last three seasons. The price on the rest of the contract is not cheap, but the Seahawks had the cap room this year, and if the deal does not work out they can always release him.
All in all I think for the purposes of this year, this is an extremely solid move by the Seahawks. Matt Flynn was in need of more weapons, and they added one of the better options available. They do still have some question marks on the roster, but I think the Seahawks took a solid step forward with this move. Not what I was looking to see them do on a random Monday evening in May!