Getty Duane Brown has not participated in training camp practices.
The Seattle Seahawks have multiple star players holding out of training camp practices as they seek new deals. Four-time Pro Bowler left tackle Duane Brown joins Jamal Adams as players who are not participating in training camp practices as they look for new contracts.
“Turns out that Jamal Adams isn’t the only Seahawk seeking a long-term deal and not practicing without one,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. “OT Duane Brown, in the last year of a contract scheduled to pay him $10 million this season, also is seeking an extension and isn’t pleased he hasn’t gotten one, per source.”
ESPN 710 Seattle’s Jake Heaps cited Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll’s June comments as a sign that things are not in a good place with Brown. Given Russell Wilson’s offseason frustrations, the pressure is on the Seahawks to rectify the situation before Week 1.
“What caught me off-guard was the fact that Pete Carroll pretty much shut down any conversation about Duane Brown and a contract extension,” Heaps noted on ESPN 710 Seattle. “We’ve never really heard Pete Carroll talk like that before – not in regards to an extension, not in regards to a veteran leader. ‘No, we’re not talking about that.’ Like, there was no positive spin to that that Pete Carroll usually puts on, tries to diffuse the situation.”
Adams & Brown Are ‘Holding in’ by Attending Practices Without Particiapting
Schefter’s report turned heads given the Seahawks are already negotiating with Adams who is also entering the final year of his current deal. There had been rumblings that Brown was also holding out of practices as he seeks a new contract, but Carroll indicated the team is simply resting the left tackle.
The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar described the players’ stance as a “hold in” given they are both attending practices but not participating. Players typically avoid the team facility during a more traditional holdout.
“The Seahawks on Wednesday opened training camp without two of their best and most important players: Strong safety Jamal Adams and left tackle Duane Brown are living in the gray area between being a full practice participant and executing a contract holdout,” Dugar detailed on July 28th. “Adams, entering the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, watched practice from the sideline wearing a white No. 33 jersey, a hoodie, shorts and a cap. Brown did the same wearing his blue No. 76 jersey, shorts and sneakers. By reporting to training camp they avoid incurring daily fines, but by only participating in walkthroughs and meetings they avoid potentially injuring themselves before signing lucrative contract extensions.”
The Seahawks Have Claimed to be Resting Brown
The Seahawks have not described Brown’s situation as a holdout, instead emphasizing the team is resting the tackle for the season. Carroll noted he expected Brown to practice “soon” but so far the offensive lineman has yet to participate.
“It’s a long camp,” Carroll said, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. “There are [preseason] games and there’s weeks and weeks to get ready. He’s returned in fantastic shape. He’s doing all of the stuff in the morning, and participating to the max and all of that. I’m not worried about Duane’s football; I just want to make sure that I’m doing everything to make him strong as possible when we start. He’s so gifted at playing, conditioning and all of that. I would like to buy him some time here and start him down the road in a little bit. We don’t need to get him out here on the field and bang on him for a while.”