New Seahawks tight end Kellen Winslow is a big name and he’ll be just 29 years old when the upcoming season starts, but he may not have a whole lot left after at least six career knee surgeries. There’s a reason the Bucs gave him up for a conditional seventh-round pick.
One NFL personnel source told Adam Caplan that his team explored pursuing Winslow before the draft. Though Winslow caught 75 passes in 2011, the personnel man didn’t see appealing attributes on Winslow’s game film.
“We talked to the Bucs before the draft and talked about him further internally,” the source told Caplan. “We just didn’t think he could be more than a rotational player at this point after examining his tape and performance.”
The notion was obviously shared around the league, or else the Bucs would have gotten more draft-pick compensation for Winslow on the trade market.
In Seattle, Winslow projects an option in two-tight end packages, playing across the formation from Zach Miller. Perhaps the most surprising part of Monday’s trade was the fact that Winslow’s contract was not redone. He’s probably not going to be an every-down tight end in Seattle, and Winslow’s $3.3 million base salary is hefty for a role player, regardless of how much cap room a team has.