Getty The Seahawks opted to sign Carlos Hyde over Devonta Freeman.
The Seattle Seahawks are adding a former starting running back, but it looks like it will not be Devonta Freeman. The Seahawks have reached an agreement with Carlos Hyde, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Freeman “kept them waiting” so the Seahawks moved on to Hyde.
“The #Seahawks had been focused on Devonta Freeman, who kept them waiting. They moved on to the #Texans productive back and get some key depth in Carlos Hyde,” Rapoport noted on Twitter.
ESPN’s Field Yates now expects Freeman will end up on a different team, while Hyde provides the Seahawks with more depth at running back in hopes they will not have to sign players off the street during next season as they did in 2019. Hyde started 14 games last season for the Texans and notched his first season with more than 1,000 yards rushing.
Hyde Is Coming Off His 1st 1,000 Rushing Yards Season
Hyde had 1,070 rushing yards and six touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Hyde is best known to Seahawks fans for his first four seasons with the team’s NFC West rival 49ers. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll admitted at the NFL combine that the team would look to add depth at the position this offseason.
“We have to make sure that we have enough depth,” Carroll told Sports Illustrated’s Corbin Smith. “Chris should be absolutely fine. We won’t overdue it with him, he’s had two great back-to-back seasons. We’re going to take care of him throughout all the way to game time when it comes up, so that means we’ve got some spots available for guys to compete for, so we’ll see how that goes.”
Freeman Believes He Is “Worth More” Than the Seahawks Offer & Is Prepared to Sit Out Next Season
Smith also reported that the Seahawks offered Hyde the same deal they had on the table for Freeman. Smith agreed to a one-year deal that can be worth up to $4 million.
“I’m told Seattle gave Hyde the exact same offer they gave to Freeman. Up to $4 with incentives, in the $2.8 million base ballpark,” Smith tweeted.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Silver, Freeman believes he is worth more than the Seahawks offer and is prepared to sit out next season if he does not find a deal to his liking. It is hard to imagine Freeman finding a more appealing offer than the Seahawks at this point in the offseason.
“Freeman believes he is worth more than what was being offered and has insisted he is willing to sit out and skip the season if his number isn’t met. I agree with @caplannfl that he is unlikely to get a better deal than the one he left on the table,” Silver explained on Twitter.
The Seahawks love to run the football arguably more than any other team in the NFL. Not only did the Seahawks give Freeman a reasonable offer based on the current running back market, but he would have had an opportunity to showcase his skills.
“I’ll never understand what Freeman was thinking… can’t see him getting more than Seahawks were willing to pay,” Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan tweeted.
Hyde appears to be more of a backup option for the Seahawks to spell Carson, rather than playing Freeman’s likely role as a passing-downs back. That said, the Seahawks needed depth at the position with Rashaad Penny likely to begin the season on the PUP list.
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